The ‘Tip’ in Boston’s Thomas P. ‘Tip’ O’Neill, Jr. Tunnel

If you have traveled I-93 through downtown Boston, you've no doubt traversed the Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill, Jr. Tunnel. The tunnel opened to motor vehicle traffic in 2003.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) says the "Tip" O'Neill Tunnel is 1.5 miles of underground roadway. "From Kneeland Street to Causeway Street, it connects to the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge," says MassDOT.

The tunnel project became known as the "Big Dig." It was also known for its tremendous cost overruns.

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So who was "Tip" O'Neill, and why did he get a prominent tunnel named after him?

Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. was born December 9, 1912, in North Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Democrat, "Tip" O'Neill served as the 47th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, the third-longest tenure in history and the longest uninterrupted tenure.

O'Neill represented Boston in the House from 1953 to 1987. Elected to Congress in 1952, O'Neill succeeded John F. Kennedy, who was elected to the U.S. Senate the same year.

A graduate of Boston College, O'Neill was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he served as Speaker from 1949 to 1952.

O'Neill was born into an Irish Catholic family in a middle-class section of North Cambridge. One of three children, O'Neill's mother died when he was nine months old.

"Tip" O'Neill was noted for his observation that "all politics is local" and that "It's easier to run for office than to run the office."

O'Neill married Mildred Miller in 1941, and the couple had five children. "Tip" died on January 5, 1994. He was 81.