Rich’s Biography

Born and raised in Woburn, Rich and his wife Haley live together in their home on Winn Street with their daughter Harper Rose.

He is the son of Dick and Elaine Haggerty, brother to Meghan Needham and Erin Haggerty, brother-in-law to Jesse Needham and proud uncle to Madelyn and Jameson Needham.

Rich was officially sworn in as State Representative of the 30th Middlesex District on January 2nd, 2019 at the Massachusetts State House in Boston, MA.

Rich comes from a long line of public servants and community leaders. He is the great-grandson of J.D. Haggerty who founded the Woburn Daily Times in 1901 and the grandson of Edward Costello a career firefighter from Medford, MA. As the nephew of three public school teachers and a product of the public school system, Rich knows first-hand the importance of having a strong public education and the need to support our public school teachers. In his role as a business and community leader, Rich has effectively combined his real-world experience and passion for civic engagement to deliver results for his constituents.

As State Representative Rich serves as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, and serves on the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, along with the House Committee on Human Resources and Employee Engagement

Prior to his time in the Legislature Rich served as Woburn’s longest serving City Council President and was five times elected Alderman at Large.

Rich also serves on the Board of the Woburn Friends of VNA, is a Board member of the Middlesex County Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership and is an active member of the Woburn Historical Society.

Rich received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of New Hampshire in Political Science with a special concentration in Foreign Policy. He is also a proud graduate of Woburn High School.