Burns Library is pleased to celebrate the publication of A Woman of Firsts: Margaret Heckler, Political Trailblazer with a talk and book signing by the author Kimberly Heckler. Burns Library is the repository for Margaret Heckler archives.

A Woman of Firsts offers a rare view into the behind-the-scenes world of American politics from the 1960s through the 1980s.

 The daughter of Irish immigrants, Margaret O’Shaughnessy Heckler (1931-2018) rose to become a congresswoman, presidential cabinet secretary, and ambassador. She mastered the seemingly unbeatable game of being a woman in a man's world and a Republican in a Democratic state, becoming a champion for others against all odds.

Following her graduation from Boston College Law in 1956, the sole woman in her class, Heckler became the only newly elected woman to Congress in 1966, representing Massachusett’s 10th district for eight consecutive terms. Her landmark legislation, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, gave women the right to credit in their own names for the first time in American history. As President Reagan’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Heckler was one of the most powerful women in America, responsible for the third-largest budget in the world. She took the lead in addressing the AIDS crisis and commissioned the Heckler Report to address racial inequities in health care. She was later appointed by Reagan as the first female ambassador to Ireland, a highly sought-after diplomatic post.

A Woman of Firsts is a tribute to a woman who helped break the glass ceiling and fought to provide equality and justice for millions of Americans.

Kimberly Heckler is a native Washingtonian and the daughter-in-law of Margaret Heckler. She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Library of Congress Women’s History and Gender Studies Group. Her passion for reading and writing has taken her on a ten-year journey of discovery through the publication of her debut book by Lyons Press, an imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of Rowman & Littlefield.

Light refreshments will be served following Kimberly Heckler’s talk. Copies of A Woman of Firsts will be available for sale and signing.

Presented by Boston College Libraries with support from the John and Ruth Galvin Fund This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome.