Raised by very progressive parents, Rosemary McAuliffe was encouraged to have a fulfilling career. Her mother was American and her father was Irish, and both were very outspoken about women’s suffrage and women in politics. She initially planned to become a teacher and obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Regis College in 1949. Shortly after receiving her degree, however, she was inspired to enter the field of law by her sister, Alice, who had always wanted to become a lawyer. Soon after, Ms. McAuliffe attended New England Law School (now New England Law Boston) in Boston, MA, and received a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1954. She was admitted to practice in the state of Massachusetts in 1956 and subsequently ventured into private practice with her sister, where she excelled in general practice, estates, and probate law. In 1957, she was admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and in 1961, she was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States.
While practicing law throughout Boston, Ms. McAuliffe also served as a reading teacher for nearly three decades. In 1971, she received a Master of Education from Boston State College, and in 1981, she received a certificate of advanced graduate studies from Boston State College. She was also active with the World Affairs Council of America for 15 years and produced a weekly television show, “The Legal Line,” on Boston Public Access. For her accomplishments in law, Ms. McAuliffe received an honorary Doctor of Laws from New England Law Boston in 2002. Civically, she has served as the secretary of the Italian Historical Association of Massachusetts since 1988.
Contact Ms. McAuliffe: