Shortly afterward, she began volunteering in local Republican campaigns, and in 1958 she became a member of the Republican committee for Wellesley, Massachusetts, a position she held for eight years. She graduated in 1956, forming a law office with fellow law school graduates. Heckler went on to Boston College School of Law, where she was the only woman in her class. The marriage ended in 1985 after she left Congress. Theirs would be a commuter marriage that eventually produced three children: Belinda, Alison, and John Jr. She graduated from Albertus Magnus College in 1953, marrying John Heckler, an investment banker, in 1954. She was the only child of John O’Shaughnessy, a hotel doorman, and Bridget McKeon O’Shaughnessy, Irish-Catholic immigrants. Margaret Mary O’Shaughnessy was born on June 21, 1931, in Flushing, New York. “Her seniority and bargaining ability were weakened by these frequent moves,” observed a colleague, “and she was forced most often to carry her agenda directly to the House Floor.” 1 Such activity may have been due to the fact that Heckler was a moderate Republican from one of the nation’s most liberal and Democratic states. Heckler served eight restless terms in the House, as she was frequently mentioned for state office while moving through six standing committees.
