The Cool Moose: Robert J. Healey, Jr.—Beyond the Beard chronicles Robert Healey’s life, focusing on his humorous, sometimes disruptive, and often misunderstood third party candidacies. Over a 30-year span, with the possible exception of Mayor Vincent Cianci, no political figure garnered more consistent attention throughout Rhode Island (and beyond) than Robert J. Healey, Jr., widely known as “The Cool Moose.” 

From 1982 to 2016, Healey’s unconventional appearance, head-turning campaigns, and candid informative commentary drew inquiring looks, incited spontaneous laughter, and ultimately caused political and personal reflection. Though he lost almost every political contest he entered, he drew wide attention and conveyed a core message that resonated with parties across the political spectrum. Robert Healey made people think, and challenged them to act.

Author Lawrence W. Verria traces Robert Healey’s ascendance to the forefront of Rhode Island politics. From his earliest days as an elementary school-yard loner to his years as a celebrated statewide individualist, the work revisits Healey’s shock value antics, deep reasoning, and life’s purpose. The manuscript offers an in-depth account of his entertaining campaigns, but ultimately focuses on his private struggles, professional record, and political reckoning. The product of extensive research, the work reveals the essence of this complex, controversial, and compelling political third-party candidate.