Thomas Birmingham, Former MA State Senate President, Dead At 73

BOSTON, MA — Thomas Birmingham, former president of the Massachusetts State Senate and co-author of the state's 1993 education reform law, died Friday at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to the Boston Globe. He was 73.

Birmingham was president of the state Senate from 1996 until 2002.

Gov. Maura Healey released a statement following his death, calling Birmingham an "incredible public servant" who was "dedicated to moving Massachusetts forward."

"He had a towering intellect and curiosity, and an ability to connect with a range of people," Healy said in a tweet.

Birmingham was elected to the Senate in 1991, where he served as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Education. He later served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, according to his Pioneer Institute biography.

Birmingham was a distinguished senior fellow in education at the Pioneer Institute and previously worked as executive director of Citizen Schools Massachusetts.

Birmingham was born in Boston on Aug. 4, 1949, according to the Globe. He grew up in the third-floor apartment of a three-decker in Chelsea.

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said Birmingham governed with "sincere passion and intentionality."

"He loved where he came from, and wanted to make life better for the working people of this state," Driscoll said. "My condolences to his family and friends."