Tully was born on January 4, 1927, and died on November 1, 2015, in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Prior to his election to the state senate, Tully worked as a manufacturer's agent as was a member of the Dracut, Massachusetts Board of Selectmen.

[4] In 1988, Tully was found guilty of attempted extortion and mail fraud and sentenced to three years in federal prison in a case involving a land swap made with an auto dealership during his tenure as city manager.

[4] In 2011 he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after he took $12,000 worth of bribes from a Lowell landlord who was looking for the Registry of Motor Vehicles to renew its lease with him.

Tully reached out to the owner and told him that if he paid him he would pay off a state senator and help keep the Registry office open.