Over 7,500 photographs document O'Neill's life and career, from his days at Boston College and in the Massachusetts State Legislature through his terms in Congress, as a member of the Democratic leadership, to the final tribute he received upon his retirement in 1986. The largest segment records O'Neill's tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives (1977-1986). As Speaker, O'Neill received numerous visitors to his Capitol office. His door seemed always open to presidents and colleagues, visiting dignitaries and constituents. There are images of O'Neill with Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan. Visiting heads of state include Margaret Thatcher, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, and several Prime Ministers of Ireland. Luncheons in the Speaker's dining room featured guests such as Bob Hope, Sophia Loren, and Carl Yastrzemski. Constituents from business executives to school children visited O'Neill and posed for photographs with him, either in the Speaker's office or on the Capitol steps. Events covered in the photographs highlight the Speaker's travels abroad, charity golf tournaments, and occasions spent with his family; these present a more candid view of O'Neill to balance the posed photographs taken at formal receptions, dinners, and meetings. This subseries also contains several photo albums highlighting various trips both abroad and domestic which the Speaker took as well as events he participated in, including two Presidential inaugurations.