Background
Hickey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to William T. Hickey, a funeral director and embalmer, and Margaret (Kedian) Hickey. In 1959, he graduated from the New England Institute of Embalming and Funeral Directing and joined his father in a family business, the William T. Hickey & Son Funeral Home at 175 Huron Avenue in Cambridge.
Career
A Democrat, he served five terms (1963–1972) representing the 3rd Middlesex District in Cambridge in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He served as Deputy State Treasurer of Massachusetts from 1972–1980. He was a graduate of the Cambridge Public School system.
Hickey"s father established the William T. Hickey Funeral Home in Cambridge in 1934.
In 1951 at the young age of thirteen he met a Cambridge City Councillor by the name of Edward J. "Eddie" Sullivan. Through this friendship he became interested in a life of public service.
On June 4, 1960, Hickey married Patricia Eileen Hughes at Saint Peter"s Church in Cambridge. They have three daughters, Sheila, Margaret and Patricia, and currently have five grandchildren, Timothy, Abigail, Meaghan, Colin and Liam.
In 1962 Hickey ran for Representative from the 3rd Middlesex District.
In 1964, Robert Q. Crane as State Treasurer replacing John T. Driscoll. Also in 1964, Thaddeus Buczko as State Auditor replacing Thomas J. Buckley. In 1967, John F.X. Davoren replacing Kevin H. White as Secretary of State.
In 1969, Robert H. Quinn replacing Elliot Richardson as Attorney General.
Hickey served on the following House committees: Committee on Cities, Committee on Counties, Committee on Federal Financial Assistance, and the Committee On Ways and Means. Additionally, he served on the Special Commission on Mental Health.
In 1968, Representative Hickey attended the Democratic National Convention at The Stockyard in Chicago with the Massachusetts Delegation to support Hubert H. Humphrey and Edmund Muskie. In 1972 Hickey left the House and was appointed Deputy State Treasurer, a post he held until 1980, returning full-time as President and owner of the William T. Hickey & Son Funeral Home in Cambridge.
Recent Hickey has retired from public service.
The Hickey"s spend their winters in Deerfield Beach, Florida. On October 19, 2005, Representative Hickey attended The 375th Anniversary of the General Court of Massachusetts.
Membership
Representative Hickey took his oath of office on January 1, 1963 at the age of 24, being the youngest member of the Legislature. Notable members of the Class of 1963 included: Congressman Joseph Doctorate. Early of Worcester, Governor Michael South. Dukakis who became the Democratic nominee for President in 1988, David M. Bartley who became Speaker of the Massachusetts House, and Thomas West. McGee who would also go on to become Speaker. He voted to replace four of the constitutional offices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.