It can be said that the Harringtons are to Salem what the Kennedys are to Massachusetts.

Both families came out of Ireland to establish deep roots in New England from which emerged a distinguished tradition of public service. The Kennedys gave us three U.S. senators and a president; the Harringtons produced a police chief, a judge, legislators, college presidents, two mayors of Salem, a congressman and a president of the Massachusetts Senate.

Kevin B. Harrington, who presided over the Senate from 1970 to 1978, died Thanksgiving morning at 79 years of age. A great student of history, he was one of the shrewdest politicians the North Shore has ever known.

Like his cousin, Michael, who served as the region's representative in Congress for most of the 1970s, Kevin Harrington always relished the friends made and knowledge gained through a life in politics. A voracious reader of history, he took great delight in telling behind-the-scenes tales of life on Beacon Hill.

He passed his love for public service on to his son, Neil, who was elected city councilor and mayor in Salem, and now serves as town manager in Salisbury.

Kevin Harrington was considered a likely candidate for governor in 1978 when questions that surfaced about a $2,000 campaign contribution from a firm involved in a construction scandal years earlier, ended his political career. Yet the incident — he never admitted to nor was formally accused of any wrongdoing, and the popular theory was that he'd taken the fall rather than implicate a close friend who'd actually received the money — did nothing to diminish the high esteem in which he was held by friends and colleagues.

Therese Murray, who holds the Senate presidency now, recalled Harrington last week as "one of the commonwealth's most dedicated public servants," adding, "He will be remembered for his leadership, commitment to public education, and, most importantly, his devotion to his constituents."

Indeed, it's unlikely North Shore commuters would be threatened with having to bear the brunt of the Big Dig's costs via increased tolls on the Tobin Bridge and harbor tunnels today, had it the kind of clout it wielded in the early 1970s when Harrington was Senate president and Lynn's Tom McGee was speaker of the house.

Harrington's greatest contributions were in the area of education. Though his family recalls him as "a poor student in school," he was a teacher and coach for many years, and spearheaded the state's first major education reform initiative in the 1960s when he co-chaired the Willis-Harrington Commission. Locally, his advocacy on behalf of Salem State enabled it to grow from a small teachers' college at the corner of Lafayette Street and Loring Avenue into a major institution of public higher education spread over several locations in South Salem.

Many say the recent election of Barack Obama as president has convinced people that politics can be a noble calling once again. But generations of Kennedys and Harringtons have never doubted the fact they could make a difference by running for and serving in public office.