The John Joseph Moakley Archive has a broad range of papers and other material from the congressman’s life and work. Scrapbooks of Joe Moakley from the 1940s and 1950s offer glimpses into his life during and shortly after World War II. Press clippings, miscellaneous papers, and campaign materials document his service in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate. These resources illustrate his early commitment to the environment, particularly Boston Harbor and its islands. Moakley championed bread-and-butter issues such as fair housing, economic development, and veterans’ benefits. His participation in the painful desegregation/forced busing controversy that galvanized Boston in the 1970s also is recorded.

Joe Moakley’s congressional career from 1972 to 2002 is recorded in files, videos, photographs, and citations. The Archives has constituent service and policy files; reports of the Congressman’s legislative and voting records; and documents related to his campaigns. Congressman Moakley’s interest and advocacy for international human rights, dating from a constituent service issue in the early 1980s, are demonstrated through materials that include the declassified files of the Moakley Commission, which investigated the murders in El Salvador of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter. Other documents reflect Moakley’s service as chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee and his role in congressional law making, as well as his promotion of the combined "Third Harbor Tunnel" and "Big Dig" project, the largest public works project in U.S. history.