Which former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is linked to and said "All politics is local"?

The phrase, "all politics is local" is a common phrase used in U.S. politics. The former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr., (December 1912 – January 1994) is most closely associated with this phrase. He was the only Speaker to serve for five complete consecutive Congresses. He was the third longest-serving Speaker in U.S. American history.

Some critics and political experts have said that what O'Neill was attempting to convey with the phrase was that while the popular understanding of politics is one where politicians deal with large scale, grand ideas, what voters actually care about is what happens to them in their everyday lives and at their local level. So, if politicians want to appeal to their local bases of voters and get enough votes to remain in office, they must then both understand local concerns and act on them as required.

While large scale national and global political events (such as continental famine, global warming, international terrorism, war, etc.) are very important and require continued attention, politicians and governmental leaders should not forget how events at the regional or local levels usually reflect fundamental social and political issues, which ordinary people end up facing.