Marty Walsh currently serves as the United States secretary of labor under President Joe Biden. And as such, this makes Walsh the 12th-highest-raking government official in the United States.
In addition to his political and union careers, Walsh is quite famously a big sports fan. He's been noted as a season ticket holder for teams including the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins. His connections to the league the latter plays in, the NHL, could soon take a new twist.
Reportedly stepping down as labor secretary to take top position with the NHLPA
Marty Walsh is resigning as U.S. secretary of labor, according to Politico and CBS. Walsh is apparently headed for the National Hockey League Players' Association to be its new executive director. As the name might suggest, the NHLPA is the labor union for players in the National Hockey League.
Walsh would be succeeding Donald Fehr in the role. Fehr had previously led the Major League Baseball Players Association for more than a quarter of a century. Fehr's tenures in both roles would prove to be tumultuous ones. Including work stoppages in each case.
If he does indeed depart, Walsh would be the first official Biden Cabinet member to leave their role.
Though there was a change in the post of chief of staff, considered something of an unofficial Cabinet position. Walsh being the first to go could be a bit ironic. He was actually the last Cabinet member to be formally confirmed.
Then-President-elect Biden tapped Walsh to be his labor secretary in early 2021. Though his confirmation process was relatively smooth by today's standards, it was fairly slow-moving.
Ultimately, Walsh officially took office roughly two and a half months after he was announced as the nominee.
Previously, Walsh was a prominent political figure in Massachusetts. He was elected nine times as a member of the Democratic Party to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Along the way, he would become the chairman of its Committee on Ethics.
In 2013, Walsh was elected as mayor of Boston, technically a nonpartisan office. He would be re-elected in a landslide in 2017. Boston City Council President Kim Janey succeeded him on an interim basis after he left for the Labor Department. Michelle Wu was eventually elected as the new mayor.
Walsh is the second high-profile Massachusetts politician chosen to take over a sports organization in recent weeks. Former Republican Governor Charlie Baker is soon to become the new president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Is a first generation American
Marty Walsh was born to John and Mary Walsh. Both were immigrants from the Republic of Ireland. They married after arriving separately in the United States.
Much of the younger Walsh's childhood would be dominated by illness. For years, he battled Burkitt lymphoma, a form of lymphatic cancer.
Walsh eventually graduated from The Newman School. Followed later by Boston College's Woods College of Advancing Studies. He would become a prominent figure in labor relations in the Boston area. Including serving as president of the local Laborers' Union chapter.
