James F. McNulty papers
Solemn opening of the Waterworks, September, 1961.
Collection area: Political Affairs
Collection dates: 1925-2002
This collection documents the activities of James F. McNulty, who was a member of the Arizona State Senate from 1968 till 1975, and a member of The United States House of Representatives from 1982 to 1984. The political papers housed in this collection include materials from 1957-1985, such as McNulty’s various activities within the Democratic Party, which include correspondences, reports, minutes, pamphlets from the 1960 DNC and material associated with a 1962 national delegation to the USSR. The collection also comprises a wealth of documentation concerning McNulty’s various volunteering activities, his involvement in 4-H, Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona State Bar Association, Arizona State Board of Education, Catholic Church, the Cochise County Hospital Association and the Copper Queen Hospital Association, Health Systems Agency of Southern Arizona, Arizona State Hospital, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, the University of Arizona College of Law. It also includes personal materials, including the records of McNulty’s business (his legal files are closed until 2028), files relating to Cochise Junior College and DSET, personal and family material from 1953 to 1986. The “Photographs” subgroup contains official and unofficial photographs and postcards documenting McNulty’s 1962 visit to the USSR, a collection of photographs taken during McNulty’s time in the House of Representatives, and miscellaneous photos of McNulty in the military, at the University of Arizona, throughout his state political career. Also included are several collections of newspaper clippings and scrapbooks from 1943 to 1997, one collection specifically documenting McNulty’s stint in the U. S. House of Representatives, and another documenting the 1982 campaign for the House of Representatives. Also included are slides from various travels to Russia, Canada and the Southwest. Finally, there is a grouping of certificates and memorabilia reflecting McNulty’s dedication to his profession, politics, the University of Arizona and the state of Arizona.
James “Jim” F. McNulty, Jr. has been a resident of Arizona since 1946. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October 18, 1925. After graduating from Boston Latin School, he entered the United States Army, and served until the end of WWII. After WWII, McNulty entered the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona and attended the University of Arizona College of Law, graduating in 1951. After graduation, he joined the firm of Gentry and Gentry in Bisbee, Arizona.
McNulty married Jacqueline “Jackie” Boevers of Clinton, Arizona in 1950. They are the parents of three children, Michael, Cynthia, and Amy.
McNulty served as city attorney for Bisbee, Tombstone, and Huachuca City. He has been a member of the State Board of Education, the State Hospital Board, the Board of Governors at the state and county level, the Arizona Board of Regents, Catholic Charities, the Board of Visitors for the University of Arizona College of Law, and various volunteer and charitable organizations throughout Southeastern Arizona.
In 1968, McNulty was elected to the Arizona State Senate, where he served until 1975. While a member of the Senate, he won support from Republican leaders as well as his fellow Democrats. During his tenure in the Senate, McNulty was known for his high morals and honesty and enjoyed a reputation as an extremely effective legislator.
McNulty has long been active in the Democratic Party. He has served as County Chairman of Cochise County, Precinct Committee person, delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention, Arizona member of the National Democratic Party Platform Committee in 1960, Vice-chairperson of the Arizona Democratic Party, Southern Arizona Coordinator for the Carter/Mondale 1976 Presidential Campaign, and State Co-Chairman of the 1978 Babbitt for Governor Campaign Committee.
McNulty ran for the House of Representatives in 1976 but dropped out of the race when Morris Udall was defeated in his run for the White House and decided to retain his seat in the House. McNulty ran for the U.S. Senate in 1980 and was defeated. McNulty was successful in running for the House of Representatives in 1982, but was defeated in his re-election bid by Jim Kolbe. After his term in the House of Representatives, McNulty retired to private practice in Tucson, Arizona.
McNulty returned to Tucson in January, 1985 and became a partner with the firm of Bilby and Shoenhair which was merged into the firm of Snell and Wilmer in May, 1989. He was a senior partner in each firm. He served briefly in Guatemala with the Peace Corps. After the Peace Corps, he practiced law with the firm of brown and Bain in Tucson. He served as a member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar Board of Governors and was a member of the Arizona Bar Foundation, the American Bar Association, and the Pima County Bar Association. He passed away on June 30, 2009.
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