Deval Patrick
Encyclopedia
Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts
. A member of the Democratic Party
, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General
under President
Bill Clinton
. He is the state's first African American
governor and the second African American to be elected governor of any US state.
Born and raised by a single mother on the South Side of Chicago
, Patrick won a scholarship to Milton Academy
in Massachusetts in the eighth grade. He went on to attend Harvard College
and Harvard Law School
, where he was President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
. After graduating he practiced law with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
. He later joined a Boston law firm, where he was named a partner at the age of 34. In 1994, President Bill Clinton
appointed Patrick Assistant Attorney General
for the Civil Rights Division
of the Department of Justice, where he worked on issues including racial profiling
and police misconduct
. Patrick returned to Boston in 1997 to work in private law. In the following years he worked as general counsel for Texaco
in New York City and Coca-Cola
in Atlanta, which were both facing large racial discrimination settlements.
When he announced his candidacy for the 2006 gubernatorial election
in Massachusetts, Patrick was initially seen as a dark horse candidate, but ultimately won the Democratic primary against veteran politicians Thomas Reilly
and Chris Gabrielli. He went on to defeat Republican Lieutanent Governor Kerry Healey
in the general election, and was inaugurated in January 2007. In his first term, Patrick oversaw the implementation of the state's 2006 health care reform
program, increased funding to education and life sciences, won a federal Race to the Top
education grant, passed an overhaul of state transportation industries to create the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, worked with the legislature to defend the legality of same-sex marriage
, and increased the state sales tax from 5% to 6.25%. Under Patrick, Massachusetts joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and greatly expanded services to veterans. His two legislative battles to implement casino gambling failed: he could not win the approval of the House of Representatives
in March 2008, and he vetoed a bill passed by the legislature in August 2010 for going too far.
Patrick was re-elected in the 2010 gubernatorial election
against Republican Charlie Baker
and Independent Tim Cahill. His second term began on January 6, 2011 and in an interview with the Boston Globe, Patrick declared he will not seek re-election in 2014.
, where his family resided in a two-bedroom apartment in Robert Taylor Homes
housing projects. In 1959, his father Laurdine "Pat" Patrick, a member of jazz musician Sun Ra
's band, left his wife Mae (née Wintersmith), Deval, and their daughter, Rhonda (who is one year Deval's senior) in order to play music in New York City
and because he had fathered a daughter by another woman. Deval reportedly had a strained relationship with his father, who opposed his choice of high school, but they eventually reconciled. Patrick was raised by his mother, Mae, who traces her roots to American slaves in the American South, in the state of Kentucky
. The family spent many months living on welfare
While Patrick was in middle school
, one of his teachers referred him to A Better Chance, a national non-profit organization
for identifying, recruiting and developing leaders among academically gifted minority students, which enabled him to attend Milton Academy
. Patrick graduated from Milton Academy in 1974. After high school, Patrick became the first person in his family to attend college. He graduated from Harvard College
with an A.B. cum laude in English and American literature in 1978. He then spent a year working with the United Nations
in Africa
. In 1979, Patrick returned to the United States and enrolled at Harvard Law School
. While in law school, Patrick was elected president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, where he first worked defending poor families in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
.
Patrick graduated from Harvard Law School with a J.D.
cum laude in 1982. He proceeded to fail the State Bar of California
exam twice but ended up passing the California bar on his third try. Patrick then served as a law clerk
to Judge Stephen Reinhardt
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
for one year. In 1983, he joined the staff of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
(LDF), where he worked on death penalty and voting rights cases. While at LDF, he met Bill Clinton, then the governor of Arkansas, when he sued Clinton in a voting case. In 1986, he joined the Boston law firm of Hill & Barlow and was named partner in 1990, at the age of 34. While at Hill & Barlow he managed high-profile engagements such as acting as Desiree Washington's attorney in her civil lawsuit against Mike Tyson
.
since 1989 and have two daughters, Sarah and Katherine. In July 2008, Katherine publicly announced that she is a lesbian
, and mentioned that her father did not know this while he was fighting against a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have banned same-sex marriage
. In a joint interview Patrick expressed support for his daughter and said he was proud of her. In addition to his Milton home, Patrick and his family own a home in the Berkshire County town of Richmond, Massachusetts
.
for the Civil Rights Division
, subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate
. As the head of the Civil Rights Division, Patrick worked on issues including racial profiling
, police misconduct
, fair lending enforcement, human trafficking
, prosecution of hate crime
, abortion clinic violence, discrimination based on gender and disability, and enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act. He led what was (before the September 11, 2001 attacks
) the largest federal criminal investigation in history as co-chair of the Task Force investigating the arsons of synagogue
s and Black churches in the South
in the mid-1990s. He had a key role as an adviser to post-apartheid South Africa
during this time and helped draft that country's civil rights
laws.
His tenure was not without controversy. Federal affirmative action
policy was under judicial and political review, and Patrick defended Clinton's policy. Patrick also enforced federal laws concerning treatment of incarcerated criminals, to the extent that one warden called him a "zealot." He has also been criticized for his role in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals
case Piscataway v. Taxman
, wherein, due to budget constraints, a white woman named Sharon Taxman was laid off rather than a black woman of allegedly "identical" qualifications, because the school wanted diversity on its teaching staff. Taxman sued and prevailed in US District Court, but Patrick encouraged the Justice Department
, which had supported Taxman in the Bush administration, to withdraw from the case. Taxman was subsequently rehired and eventually settled her suit.
. Working with employees at all levels, Patrick and his Task Force examined and reformed Texaco's complex corporate employment culture, and created a model for fostering an equitable workplace. After serving for nearly two years, he was appointed Vice President and General Counsel for the company in New York City
, leading the company’s global legal affairs. From 2000 to 2004, Patrick worked as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta
. He resigned in 2004, ending nearly 6 years of weekly commuting between Massachusetts and jobs out of state.
Some gay rights activists have criticized him for his tenure on the United Airlines
(UAL) board. During this time, the company originally fought an ordinance requiring that it offer domestic partnership
benefits but Patrick successfully encouraged UAL to offer such benefits to all employees, making it the first airline to do so.
From 2004 to 2006, he served on the board of directors of ACC Capital Holdings, the parent company of Ameriquest and Argent Mortgage. He joined the board at the request of Ameriquest's founder Roland Arnall. Deval Patrick was one of five board members of ACC Capital Holdings until he resigned in 2006. During his tenure on the board, Ameriquest and Argent originated over $80 billion dollars in subprime mortgages. He also served on the boards of Reebok
, Coca Cola, and the Ford Foundation
.
and Chris Gabrielli in the Democratic primary.
Patrick secured the nomination in the September 2006 primary
, winning 49% of the vote in a three-way race and carrying every county in the state.In the general election
, he faced Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey
, a Republican, Christy Mihos
, running as an Independent, and Grace Ross
, of the Green-Rainbow Party
.
, Independent Tim Cahill, and Green/Rainbow Jill Stein
. A Rasmussen Reports
poll released on September 28 showed Patrick leading Baker 47%-42%. Patrick won the general election by winning 48% of the votes to 42% for Baker on November 2, 2010.
. In his first meetings with the legislative leadership, he proposed his first action would be to hire 1000 new police officers and to expand full-day kindergarten statewide. He has since scaled back his original proposal and will hire only 250 officers due to the effects of the economic recession on the state's budget.
As part of the transition, Patrick created a series of working groups who held public meetings to advise him on various policy areas. The groups included a few names prominent in the election: Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charles D. Baker, Jr.
on Budget & Finance, a Weld administration finance advisor who is now the GOP candidate for governor; Center of Women and Enterprise founder and candidate in the Lieutenant Governor's primary Andrea Silbert on Economic Development; and gubernatorial primary candidate Chris Gabrieli
on PreK-12 Education.
, Deval Patrick and Tim Murray took the oath of office, and Patrick delivered his inaugural address, outdoors on the West Portico of the State House facing Boston Common
. This allowed a larger part of the public to witness and take part first hand in the event, and was intended to signal more open, transparent, and accessible government. The governor-elect was facing the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial
, just across Beacon Street, a memorial to the first black regiment in the U.S. Civil War
. He took his oath of office on the Mendi Bible
, which was given to then-Congressman John Quincy Adams
by the freed American slaves
from the ship La Amistad
in honor of his heritage.
A series of regional inaugural balls, seven in all, were held to bring the inauguration to the citizens of the Commonwealth. These celebrations took place on Cape Cod
, in Worcester
, Dartmouth
, Pittsfield
, Springfield
, and Boston
.
's death.
in Massachusetts, Patrick was initially seen as a dark horse candidate, but ultimately won the Democratic primary against veteran politicians Thomas Reilly
and Chris Gabrielli. He went on to defeat Republican Lieutanent Governor Kerry Healey
in the general election, and was inaugurated in January 2007. In his first term, Patrick oversaw the implementation of the state's 2006 health care reform
program, increased funding to education and life sciences, won a federal Race to the Top
education grant, passed an overhaul of state transportation industries to create the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, worked with the legislature to defend the legality of same-sex marriage
, and increased the state sales tax from 5% to 6.25%. Under Patrick, Massachusetts joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and greatly expanded services to veterans. His two legislative battles to implement casino gambling failed: he could not win the approval of the House of Representatives
in March 2008, and he vetoed a bill passed by the legislature in August 2010 for going too far.
During the 2006 Gubernatorial Election Patrick faced criticism for having once written letters to the parole board describing correspondence from Benjamin LaGuer
, a man convicted of a brutal eight-hour rape, as "thoughtful, insightful, eloquent, [and] humane". Patrick contributed $5,000 towards the DNA testing which linked LaGuer to the crime. Once the DNA test proved LaGuer's guilt, Patrick withdrew his support for the inmate's release.
In the early months of Patrick's administration, a series of decisions the governor later conceded as missteps brought substantial unfavorable press. These included spending almost $11,000 on drapery for the governor's state house suite, changing the state's customary car lease from a Ford Crown Victoria
to a Cadillac
, and hiring a staff assistant (who had previously helped chair his election campaign) for the Commonwealth's first lady at an annual salary of almost $75,000. Emerging from a weekend of working on the state's budget and calling for cuts in services to taxpayers, Patrick responded in a February 20, 2007 press conference that "I realize I cannot in good conscience ask the agencies to make those choices without being willing to make them myself"
Patrick subsequently reimbursed the Commonwealth for the cost of the drapery and furniture purchased for the state house, and the additional monthly difference in his car lease. First Lady Diane Patrick's staff assistant, Amy Gorin, resigned.
Later in the same month Patrick again came under fire, this time for contacting Citigroup
Executive Committee chair, and former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin
on behalf of the financially beleaguered mortgage company Ameriquest
, a subsidiary of ACC Capital Holdings, that had been accused of predatory lending practices and of which Patrick is a former board member. Both Citigroup and ACC Capital Holdings have substantial holdings in Massachusetts. Patrick attempted to deflect criticism claiming he was calling not as governor but as a private citizen. Later Patrick backed down, stating "I appreciate that I should not have made the call. I regret the mistake."
In December 2008, Patrick faced criticism from Massachusetts Republicans for the hiring of attorney and real estate
consultant Dana Harrell to the newly created position of state Director of Real Estate Services. Harrell is a neighbor of Deval Patrick in Milton, and he and his wife have contributed to the governor's election campaign and to the Democratic State Committee. The appointment to the $120,000-per-year position came at a time when the state faced a $1.4 billion revenue shortfall which may cause Patrick to layoff 1,000 state workers and cut state aid to towns and cities.
Patrick came to the defense of Presidential candidate Barack Obama
during the Democratic primary
when it was reported that a few key phrases from one of Obama's stump speech were very similar to words used during Patrick's own 2006 Massachusetts Gubernatorial run. The charges of plagiarism
were largely dismissed after Patrick explained that he had encouraged Obama to use the same quotes.
In August 2011, Patrick declared state of emergency
in Massachustts as the state was facing the arrival of Hurricane Irene
.
Patrick also committed a historic amount of public funds to Massachusetts schools, introducing legislation to tackle a persistent education gap among minority students, and winning the national Race to the Top competition. Patrick now supports a doubling of the number of charter schools in Massachusetts. In his first year in office, Patrick proposed making community college free to all Massachusetts high school graduates.
because of the fundamental principle that "citizens come before their government as equals". He worked with the state legislature to prevent a ballot measure eliminating same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, which protected the state's first-in-the-nation same-sex marriage allowance.
, who wanted to "reinstate the death penalty for felons convicted of killing a law enforcement officer, judge, prosecutor or corrections officer".
energy project, at a time when prominent Massachusetts politicians from Mitt Romney to Ted Kennedy
were working against it. Patrick proposed a bill that would streamline Massachusetts's permit appeals process for wind-energy projects. The Wind Energy Sitting Reform bill would reduce the permitting process from the current litigation limbo to nine to 19 months.
state chapter, has given Governor Patrick an "F" on gun rights.
law a signature achievement. Currently, over 98% of Massachusetts residents have health care insurance, more than any other state.
Patrick has made bringing down health care costs a priority in his second term and has proposed a number of reforms, including moving to a global payment system. In 2010, he successfully prodded health care insurance companies to negotiate with the state before introducing increases in premiums.
's recent path, and using it to invest in stem cell research at the University of Massachusetts
, creating a simultaneous boost to the commonwealth's institutions of public higher education. Patrick passed the Life Sciences Initiative, a $10 billion, multi-year initiative to invest in Massachusetts' life sciences industry. He was honored as Governor of the Year in 2008 by BIO, a biotech industry group.
a federal issue and has supported the McCain
-Kennedy
plan to tighten border control and create "pathway[s] to citizenship" for immigrants who have established lives in America.
Patrick proposed that the revenue generated would be spent to beef up local law enforcement, create a state gambling regulatory agency, repair roads and bridges ($200 million), gambling addiction treatment ($50 million) and the remainder would go towards property tax relief.
Patrick's plan faced strong opposition from Salvatore DiMasi
, the Speaker
of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
. DiMasi questioned the governor's projections of new jobs, revenues to be generated and was an opposed to what he referred to as a casino culture saying: "Do we want to usher in a casino culture– with rampant bankruptcies, crime and social ills– or do we want to create a better Massachusetts for all sectors of the society?" Casino gaming lobbying in Massachusetts has also received scrutiny for associations with the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
and efforts by the Mashpee Wampanoag people to secure rights to a casino outside of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
. In 2009 Governor Deval Patrick was among the top campaign contribution recipients from casino lobbying interests, and from financiers backing the Wampanoag casino interests.
On March 20, 2008 the Massachusetts House of Representatives rejected Patrick's casino bill by a vote of 108 to 46. Despite the overwhelming vote, questions were raised by critics of DiMasi as to the tactics he used to win. These included allegations that he promised a subsequent vote on a bill that would allow slot machines at the state's four racetracks and the pre-vote promotions of six lawmakers who had been thought to support the bill, but either abstained or voted against the bill. DiMasi denied that any promise had been made on the race track bill and denied that the promotions were connected to the casino bill vote.
Patrick's conduct was also criticized and his commitment to the bill questioned when it was revealed that he was not in the state on the day the bill was voted on in the legislature. As the bill was being voted down, Patrick was in New York City on personal business, finalizing a $1.35 million dollar deal with Broadway Books, an imprint of Random House
, to publish his autobiography.
By mid-2010, the house and senate passed a bill with plans for three resort-style casinos and two slot parlors. However, Patrick vetoed it as he previously stated that he would only accept one slot parlor. With a 2011 casino legislation plan pending, a Boston Globe investigative report revealed the governor violated his self-imposed policy of not accepting money from or meeting with lobbyists for the gambling industry by accepting more than $6,000 in campaign contributions and meeting with and attending fundraisers hosted by gaming lobbyists.
Patrick proposed raising the state gas tax by 19¢ per gallon to forestall Massachusetts Turnpike
toll and MBTA fare increases, fully fund Regional Transit Authority and Turnpike operations, and address part of the capital shortfall identified by the TFC, but this was defeated in the state legislature. Instead, a sales tax increase of 1.25% was passed, with part of that dedicated to transportation. This was enough to prevent the short-term toll and fare increases, but did not address the long-term funding gap.
Patrick has been a supporter of the South Coast Rail Link
project, which his administration advanced from planning to early construction.
|-
|-
|-
|-
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
. A member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General
United States Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an Assistant Attorney General.The President of the United States appoints individuals to the position of Assistant Attorney General with the advice and consent of the Senate...
under President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. He is the state's first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
governor and the second African American to be elected governor of any US state.
Born and raised by a single mother on the South Side of Chicago
South Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...
, Patrick won a scholarship to Milton Academy
Milton Academy
Milton Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered starting in 9th grade...
in Massachusetts in the eighth grade. He went on to attend Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, where he was President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau is the oldest student-run legal services office in the country, founded in 1913. Located at 23 Everett Street in Cambridge, MA, the Bureau's mission is to provide an important community service while giving student attorneys the opportunity to develop professional...
. After graduating he practiced law with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City....
. He later joined a Boston law firm, where he was named a partner at the age of 34. In 1994, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
appointed Patrick Assistant Attorney General
United States Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an Assistant Attorney General.The President of the United States appoints individuals to the position of Assistant Attorney General with the advice and consent of the Senate...
for the Civil Rights Division
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division was established on December 9, 1957, by...
of the Department of Justice, where he worked on issues including racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
and police misconduct
Police misconduct
Police misconduct refers to inappropriate actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Police misconduct can lead to a miscarriage of justice and sometimes involves discrimination...
. Patrick returned to Boston in 1997 to work in private law. In the following years he worked as general counsel for Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
in New York City and Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
in Atlanta, which were both facing large racial discrimination settlements.
When he announced his candidacy for the 2006 gubernatorial election
Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006
The Massachusetts gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. Former US Assistant Attorney General Deval Patrick was elected to a four-year term, from January 4, 2007 until January 6, 2011. In his first elected office, Patrick is the second African-American governor in the United...
in Massachusetts, Patrick was initially seen as a dark horse candidate, but ultimately won the Democratic primary against veteran politicians Thomas Reilly
Thomas Reilly
Thomas F. Reilly is an American attorney and politician who served as the 45th Massachusetts Attorney General. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant parents....
and Chris Gabrielli. He went on to defeat Republican Lieutanent Governor Kerry Healey
Kerry Healey
Kerry Murphy Healey was the 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. She served from 2003 to 2007 with Governor Mitt Romney. She was the 2006 Republican nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, losing to Democrat Deval Patrick in November 2006...
in the general election, and was inaugurated in January 2007. In his first term, Patrick oversaw the implementation of the state's 2006 health care reform
Massachusetts health care reform
The Massachusetts health care insurance reform law, enacted in 2006, mandates that nearly every resident of Massachusetts obtain a state-government-regulated minimum level of healthcare insurance coverage and provides free health care insurance for residents earning less than 150% of the federal...
program, increased funding to education and life sciences, won a federal Race to the Top
Race to the Top
Race to the Top, abbreviated R2T, RTTT or RTT, is a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competition designed to spur innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education...
education grant, passed an overhaul of state transportation industries to create the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, worked with the legislature to defend the legality of same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
Same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Massachusetts began on May 17, 2004, as a result of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts constitution to allow only heterosexual couples to marry...
, and increased the state sales tax from 5% to 6.25%. Under Patrick, Massachusetts joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and greatly expanded services to veterans. His two legislative battles to implement casino gambling failed: he could not win the approval of the House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in March 2008, and he vetoed a bill passed by the legislature in August 2010 for going too far.
Patrick was re-elected in the 2010 gubernatorial election
Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2010
The Massachusetts gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Deval Patrick was re-elected to a second term. Also competing were the Republican Party nominee, businessman Charlie Baker; independent candidate and State Treasurer Tim Cahill; and...
against Republican Charlie Baker
Charles D. Baker, Jr.
Charles Duane "Charlie" Baker, Jr. , is an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He was a cabinet official under two Massachusetts governors, spent ten years as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and was the Republican candidate in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial...
and Independent Tim Cahill. His second term began on January 6, 2011 and in an interview with the Boston Globe, Patrick declared he will not seek re-election in 2014.
Early life and education
Patrick was born on the South Side of ChicagoSouth Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...
, where his family resided in a two-bedroom apartment in Robert Taylor Homes
Robert Taylor Homes
Robert Taylor Homes was a housing project in the Bronzeville neighborhood of the South Side of Chicago, on State Street between Pershing Road and 54th Street alongside the Dan Ryan Expressway.-History:...
housing projects. In 1959, his father Laurdine "Pat" Patrick, a member of jazz musician Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
's band, left his wife Mae (née Wintersmith), Deval, and their daughter, Rhonda (who is one year Deval's senior) in order to play music in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and because he had fathered a daughter by another woman. Deval reportedly had a strained relationship with his father, who opposed his choice of high school, but they eventually reconciled. Patrick was raised by his mother, Mae, who traces her roots to American slaves in the American South, in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The family spent many months living on welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
While Patrick was in middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, one of his teachers referred him to A Better Chance, a national non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
for identifying, recruiting and developing leaders among academically gifted minority students, which enabled him to attend Milton Academy
Milton Academy
Milton Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered starting in 9th grade...
. Patrick graduated from Milton Academy in 1974. After high school, Patrick became the first person in his family to attend college. He graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
with an A.B. cum laude in English and American literature in 1978. He then spent a year working with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. In 1979, Patrick returned to the United States and enrolled at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. While in law school, Patrick was elected president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, where he first worked defending poor families in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
.
Patrick graduated from Harvard Law School with a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
cum laude in 1982. He proceeded to fail the State Bar of California
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
exam twice but ended up passing the California bar on his third try. Patrick then served as a law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
to Judge Stephen Reinhardt
Stephen Reinhardt
Stephen Roy Reinhardt is a circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, with chambers in Los Angeles, California. He was appointed in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter.-Education and practice:...
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
for one year. In 1983, he joined the staff of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City....
(LDF), where he worked on death penalty and voting rights cases. While at LDF, he met Bill Clinton, then the governor of Arkansas, when he sued Clinton in a voting case. In 1986, he joined the Boston law firm of Hill & Barlow and was named partner in 1990, at the age of 34. While at Hill & Barlow he managed high-profile engagements such as acting as Desiree Washington's attorney in her civil lawsuit against Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
.
Personal life
He and his wife, Diane Patrick (born 1951), a lawyer specializing in labor and employment law, married in 1984. They have lived in Milton, MassachusettsMilton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 27,003 at the 2010 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and architect Buckminster Fuller. Milton also has the highest percentage of...
since 1989 and have two daughters, Sarah and Katherine. In July 2008, Katherine publicly announced that she is a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, and mentioned that her father did not know this while he was fighting against a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have banned same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. In a joint interview Patrick expressed support for his daughter and said he was proud of her. In addition to his Milton home, Patrick and his family own a home in the Berkshire County town of Richmond, Massachusetts
Richmond, Massachusetts
Richmond is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,475 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.
Clinton Administration
In 1994, Clinton nominated Patrick Assistant Attorney GeneralUnited States Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an Assistant Attorney General.The President of the United States appoints individuals to the position of Assistant Attorney General with the advice and consent of the Senate...
for the Civil Rights Division
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division was established on December 9, 1957, by...
, subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. As the head of the Civil Rights Division, Patrick worked on issues including racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
, police misconduct
Police misconduct
Police misconduct refers to inappropriate actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Police misconduct can lead to a miscarriage of justice and sometimes involves discrimination...
, fair lending enforcement, human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
, prosecution of hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
, abortion clinic violence, discrimination based on gender and disability, and enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act. He led what was (before the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
) the largest federal criminal investigation in history as co-chair of the Task Force investigating the arsons of synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s and Black churches in the South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
in the mid-1990s. He had a key role as an adviser to post-apartheid South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
during this time and helped draft that country's civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
laws.
His tenure was not without controversy. Federal affirmative action
Affirmative action in the United States
In the United States, affirmative action refers to equal opportunity employment measures that Federal contractors and subcontractors are legally required to adopt. These measures are intended to prevent discrimination against employees or applicants for employment, on the basis of "color,...
policy was under judicial and political review, and Patrick defended Clinton's policy. Patrick also enforced federal laws concerning treatment of incarcerated criminals, to the extent that one warden called him a "zealot." He has also been criticized for his role in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
case Piscataway v. Taxman
Piscataway v. Taxman
Piscataway School Board v. Taxman, 91 F.3d 1547 was a racial discrimination case that began in 1989. The school board of Piscataway, New Jersey needed to eliminate a teaching position from a high schools Business Education department. Under New Jersey state law, tenured teachers have to be laid...
, wherein, due to budget constraints, a white woman named Sharon Taxman was laid off rather than a black woman of allegedly "identical" qualifications, because the school wanted diversity on its teaching staff. Taxman sued and prevailed in US District Court, but Patrick encouraged the Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, which had supported Taxman in the Bush administration, to withdraw from the case. Taxman was subsequently rehired and eventually settled her suit.
Business career
In 1997, Patrick returned to Boston to join the firm Day, Berry & Howard, and was appointed by the federal district court to serve as Chairman of Texaco's Equality and Fairness Task Force to oversee implementation of the terms of a race discrimination settlement at TexacoTexaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
. Working with employees at all levels, Patrick and his Task Force examined and reformed Texaco's complex corporate employment culture, and created a model for fostering an equitable workplace. After serving for nearly two years, he was appointed Vice President and General Counsel for the company in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, leading the company’s global legal affairs. From 2000 to 2004, Patrick worked as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. He resigned in 2004, ending nearly 6 years of weekly commuting between Massachusetts and jobs out of state.
Some gay rights activists have criticized him for his tenure on the United Airlines
UAL Corporation
UAL Corporation is the former name of United Continental Holdings an airline holding company, incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. UAL held a 100 percent controlling interest in United Air Lines, Inc., one of the world's largest air carriers, and is a founding member of...
(UAL) board. During this time, the company originally fought an ordinance requiring that it offer domestic partnership
Domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...
benefits but Patrick successfully encouraged UAL to offer such benefits to all employees, making it the first airline to do so.
From 2004 to 2006, he served on the board of directors of ACC Capital Holdings, the parent company of Ameriquest and Argent Mortgage. He joined the board at the request of Ameriquest's founder Roland Arnall. Deval Patrick was one of five board members of ACC Capital Holdings until he resigned in 2006. During his tenure on the board, Ameriquest and Argent originated over $80 billion dollars in subprime mortgages. He also served on the boards of Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
, Coca Cola, and the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
.
Campaign for Governor
In 2005, Patrick announced his candidacy for Governor of Massachusetts. He was at first seen as a dark horse candidate, facing veteran Massachusetts campaigners Thomas "Tom" ReillyThomas Reilly
Thomas F. Reilly is an American attorney and politician who served as the 45th Massachusetts Attorney General. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant parents....
and Chris Gabrielli in the Democratic primary.
Patrick secured the nomination in the September 2006 primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, winning 49% of the vote in a three-way race and carrying every county in the state.In the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, he faced Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey
Kerry Healey
Kerry Murphy Healey was the 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. She served from 2003 to 2007 with Governor Mitt Romney. She was the 2006 Republican nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, losing to Democrat Deval Patrick in November 2006...
, a Republican, Christy Mihos
Christy Mihos
Christy P. Mihos is an American politician and businessman from the U.S. commonwealth of Massachusetts. He was an Independent candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 2006 and ran again as a Republican in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election...
, running as an Independent, and Grace Ross
Grace Ross
Grace Ross, is a Massachusetts activist. Ross was a Democratic candidate for governor of Massachusetts in 2010 until she left the race, citing a lack of signatures. She is from Worcester, Massachusetts...
, of the Green-Rainbow Party
Green-Rainbow Party
The Green-Rainbow Party is a political party in Massachusetts. It is the Massachusetts state affiliate of the Green Party of the United States.-Establishment of official party status:...
.
2010 Campaign for re-election
On April 2, 2009, Patrick confirmed that alongside Lt. Governor Timothy Murray, he would run for re-election as Governor of Massachusetts. On June 5, 2010, he was renominated by the Democrats and ran against Republican Charlie BakerCharles D. Baker, Jr.
Charles Duane "Charlie" Baker, Jr. , is an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He was a cabinet official under two Massachusetts governors, spent ten years as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and was the Republican candidate in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial...
, Independent Tim Cahill, and Green/Rainbow Jill Stein
Jill Stein
Jill Stein is an American physician, activist, co-chair of the Green-Rainbow Party and candidate for President of the United States in 2012. Stein was a candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in the 2002 and the 2010 gubernatorial elections. Stein is a resident of Lexington, Massachusetts and a...
. A Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and...
poll released on September 28 showed Patrick leading Baker 47%-42%. Patrick won the general election by winning 48% of the votes to 42% for Baker on November 2, 2010.
2006 Transition
Before taking office, Patrick named a transition team headed by lawyer Michael Angelini, bank executive Ronald Homer, and Weld administration economic affairs secretary Gloria Cordes LarsonGloria Cordes Larson
Gloria Cordes Larson is a former politician and lawyer based in Boston. As of July 1, 2007, she was the first woman to be selected President of Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. Larson, a Southerner, received her bachelor's degree from Vassar College and her J.D. from the University of...
. In his first meetings with the legislative leadership, he proposed his first action would be to hire 1000 new police officers and to expand full-day kindergarten statewide. He has since scaled back his original proposal and will hire only 250 officers due to the effects of the economic recession on the state's budget.
As part of the transition, Patrick created a series of working groups who held public meetings to advise him on various policy areas. The groups included a few names prominent in the election: Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charles D. Baker, Jr.
Charles D. Baker, Jr.
Charles Duane "Charlie" Baker, Jr. , is an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He was a cabinet official under two Massachusetts governors, spent ten years as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and was the Republican candidate in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial...
on Budget & Finance, a Weld administration finance advisor who is now the GOP candidate for governor; Center of Women and Enterprise founder and candidate in the Lieutenant Governor's primary Andrea Silbert on Economic Development; and gubernatorial primary candidate Chris Gabrieli
Chris Gabrieli
Chris Gabrieli is an American businessman and a leading national education reformer. He is currently driving the movement to reform the school calendar.-Biography:...
on PreK-12 Education.
Inauguration
Breaking with the tradition of being inaugurated in the House Chamber of the Massachusetts State HouseMassachusetts State House
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the "New" State House, is the state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in Boston in the neighborhood Beacon Hill...
, Deval Patrick and Tim Murray took the oath of office, and Patrick delivered his inaugural address, outdoors on the West Portico of the State House facing Boston Common
Boston Common
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
. This allowed a larger part of the public to witness and take part first hand in the event, and was intended to signal more open, transparent, and accessible government. The governor-elect was facing the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial
Robert Gould Shaw
Robert Gould Shaw was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As colonel, he commanded the all-black 54th Regiment, which entered the war in 1863. He was killed in the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina...
, just across Beacon Street, a memorial to the first black regiment in the U.S. Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He took his oath of office on the Mendi Bible
Mendi Bible
The Mendi Bible is a Bible presented to John Quincy Adams in 1841 by a group of freed African slaves who had mutinied on the schooner La Amistad.Adams, a former President of the United States and a then-U.S...
, which was given to then-Congressman John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
by the freed American slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
from the ship La Amistad
La Amistad
La Amistad was a ship notable as the scene of a revolt by African captives being transported from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba. It was a 19th-century two-masted schooner built in Spain and owned by a Spaniard living in Cuba...
in honor of his heritage.
A series of regional inaugural balls, seven in all, were held to bring the inauguration to the citizens of the Commonwealth. These celebrations took place on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, in Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Dartmouth is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States established in 1664. The population was 30,665 at the 2000 census. It is the location of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth....
, Pittsfield
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Appointment of Interim Senator
On September 24, 2009, Patrick appointed Paul G. Kirk as the interim U.S. senator in the wake of Ted KennedyTed Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
's death.
Tenure
When he announced his candidacy for the 2006 gubernatorial electionMassachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006
The Massachusetts gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. Former US Assistant Attorney General Deval Patrick was elected to a four-year term, from January 4, 2007 until January 6, 2011. In his first elected office, Patrick is the second African-American governor in the United...
in Massachusetts, Patrick was initially seen as a dark horse candidate, but ultimately won the Democratic primary against veteran politicians Thomas Reilly
Thomas Reilly
Thomas F. Reilly is an American attorney and politician who served as the 45th Massachusetts Attorney General. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant parents....
and Chris Gabrielli. He went on to defeat Republican Lieutanent Governor Kerry Healey
Kerry Healey
Kerry Murphy Healey was the 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. She served from 2003 to 2007 with Governor Mitt Romney. She was the 2006 Republican nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, losing to Democrat Deval Patrick in November 2006...
in the general election, and was inaugurated in January 2007. In his first term, Patrick oversaw the implementation of the state's 2006 health care reform
Massachusetts health care reform
The Massachusetts health care insurance reform law, enacted in 2006, mandates that nearly every resident of Massachusetts obtain a state-government-regulated minimum level of healthcare insurance coverage and provides free health care insurance for residents earning less than 150% of the federal...
program, increased funding to education and life sciences, won a federal Race to the Top
Race to the Top
Race to the Top, abbreviated R2T, RTTT or RTT, is a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competition designed to spur innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education...
education grant, passed an overhaul of state transportation industries to create the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, worked with the legislature to defend the legality of same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
Same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Massachusetts began on May 17, 2004, as a result of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts constitution to allow only heterosexual couples to marry...
, and increased the state sales tax from 5% to 6.25%. Under Patrick, Massachusetts joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and greatly expanded services to veterans. His two legislative battles to implement casino gambling failed: he could not win the approval of the House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in March 2008, and he vetoed a bill passed by the legislature in August 2010 for going too far.
During the 2006 Gubernatorial Election Patrick faced criticism for having once written letters to the parole board describing correspondence from Benjamin LaGuer
Benjamin LaGuer
Benjamin LaGuer is a convicted rapist serving a life sentence in Massachusetts. He has not acknowledged the crime for which he was convicted, claiming innocence. His case achieved prominence in the late 1980s when reporting by John King discovered a juror who said that other members of the...
, a man convicted of a brutal eight-hour rape, as "thoughtful, insightful, eloquent, [and] humane". Patrick contributed $5,000 towards the DNA testing which linked LaGuer to the crime. Once the DNA test proved LaGuer's guilt, Patrick withdrew his support for the inmate's release.
In the early months of Patrick's administration, a series of decisions the governor later conceded as missteps brought substantial unfavorable press. These included spending almost $11,000 on drapery for the governor's state house suite, changing the state's customary car lease from a Ford Crown Victoria
Ford Crown Victoria
-1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...
to a Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
, and hiring a staff assistant (who had previously helped chair his election campaign) for the Commonwealth's first lady at an annual salary of almost $75,000. Emerging from a weekend of working on the state's budget and calling for cuts in services to taxpayers, Patrick responded in a February 20, 2007 press conference that "I realize I cannot in good conscience ask the agencies to make those choices without being willing to make them myself"
Patrick subsequently reimbursed the Commonwealth for the cost of the drapery and furniture purchased for the state house, and the additional monthly difference in his car lease. First Lady Diane Patrick's staff assistant, Amy Gorin, resigned.
Later in the same month Patrick again came under fire, this time for contacting Citigroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
Executive Committee chair, and former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin
Robert Rubin
Robert Edward Rubin served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during both the first and second Clinton administrations. Before his government service, he spent 26 years at Goldman Sachs eventually serving as a member of the Board, and Co-Chairman from 1990-1992...
on behalf of the financially beleaguered mortgage company Ameriquest
Ameriquest
ACC Capital Holdings was a national mortgage lender based in Orange, California. The company is the largest privately held retail mortgage lender in the United States and the largest subprime lender by volume...
, a subsidiary of ACC Capital Holdings, that had been accused of predatory lending practices and of which Patrick is a former board member. Both Citigroup and ACC Capital Holdings have substantial holdings in Massachusetts. Patrick attempted to deflect criticism claiming he was calling not as governor but as a private citizen. Later Patrick backed down, stating "I appreciate that I should not have made the call. I regret the mistake."
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
consultant Dana Harrell to the newly created position of state Director of Real Estate Services. Harrell is a neighbor of Deval Patrick in Milton, and he and his wife have contributed to the governor's election campaign and to the Democratic State Committee. The appointment to the $120,000-per-year position came at a time when the state faced a $1.4 billion revenue shortfall which may cause Patrick to layoff 1,000 state workers and cut state aid to towns and cities.
Patrick came to the defense of Presidential candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
during the Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
when it was reported that a few key phrases from one of Obama's stump speech were very similar to words used during Patrick's own 2006 Massachusetts Gubernatorial run. The charges of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
were largely dismissed after Patrick explained that he had encouraged Obama to use the same quotes.
In August 2011, Patrick declared state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
in Massachustts as the state was facing the arrival of Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene (2011)
Hurricane Irene was a large and powerful Atlantic hurricane that left extensive flood and wind damage along its path through the Caribbean, the United States East Coast and as far north as Atlantic Canada in 2011...
.
Cabinet
| The Patrick Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Term |
| Governor Governor of Massachusetts The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:... |
Deval Patrick | 2007 – present |
| Lieutenant Governor | Tim Murray | 2007 – present |
| Secretaries of Executive Departments | ||
| Health and Human Services | JudyAnn Bigby JudyAnn Bigby JudyAnn Bigby is the current Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Prior to becoming Secretary, Bigby was a primary care physician and medical director of Community Health Programs at Brigham and Women's Hospital... |
2007 – present |
| Energy and Environmental Affairs | Ian Bowles Ian Bowles Ian A. Bowles is an American environmentalist, politician, and political aide who served as Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs from 2007 to 2011.... |
2007 – 2011 |
| Rick Sullivan Rick Sullivan Richard K. "Rick" Sullivan, Jr. is an American politician who is the current Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the former Mayor of Westfield, Massachusetts.... |
2011 – present | |
| Public Safety | Kevin M. Burke Kevin M. Burke Kevin M. Burke is an American attorney and politician who served as Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety from 2007 to 2010,... |
2007 – 2010 |
| Mary Elizabeth Heffernan Mary Elizabeth Heffernan Mary Elizabeth Heffernan is an American attorney and the current Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety. She previously served as the Undersecretary of Criminal Justice from 2007 to 2010... |
2010 – present | |
| Labor and Workforce Development | Suzanne Bump | 2007 – 2010 |
| Joanne F. Goldstein | 2010 – present | |
| Transportation and Public Works (until 2009) | Bernard Cohen | 2007 – 2009 |
| Jim Aloisi | 2009 | |
| Department of Transportation (from 2009) | Jeffrey B. Mullan | 2009 – 2011 |
| Richard A. Davey | 2011 – present | |
| Administration and Finance | Leslie Kirwan Leslie Kirwan Leslie A. Kirwan is an American government official and college administrator who currently serves as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean for Administration and Finance at Harvard University.-Early life:... |
2007 – 2009 |
| Jay Gonzalez Jay Gonzalez Jay Gonzalez is the Secretary of Adminsitration and Finances for the state of Massachusetts under incumbent governor Deval Patrick. Gonzalez was appointed to the position after the resignation of Leslie Kirwan in the fall of 2009. Before working for the government, Gonzalez worked as an attorney at... |
2009 – present | |
| Education (created in 2008) | Paul Reville | 2008 – present |
| Housing and Economic Development | Dan O'Connell | 2007 – 2009 |
| Greg Bialecki Greg Bialecki Greg Bialecki has been the Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development since he was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick in 2009. Prior to serving as secretary, Bialecki was Undersecretary of Business Development and spent twenty years as a real estate and environmental attorney at... |
2009 – present | |
| Elder Affairs | Jennifer Davis Carey | 2007 |
| Michael E. Festa Mike Festa Mike Festa is the former President of the Carroll Center for the Blind, located in Newton, Massachusetts. The Carroll Center provides educational services, vocational and social rehabilitation, mobility, essential skills and technology training for those who are blind or visually impaired. He is... |
2007 – 2009 | |
| Ann L. Hartstein | 2009 – present | |
| Veterans' Services | Thomas G. Kelley Thomas G. Kelley -External links:* at the Pritzker Military Library... |
2007 – 2011 |
| Coleman Nee | 2011 – Present | |
| Special Advisors | ||
| Education | Dana Mohler-Faria Dana Mohler-Faria Dana Mohler-Faria is the current president of Bridgewater State University and a member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education... |
2007 – 2008 |
Education
Throughout his term in office, Patrick has made achieving “world-class public education” a main priority of his administration.Patrick also committed a historic amount of public funds to Massachusetts schools, introducing legislation to tackle a persistent education gap among minority students, and winning the national Race to the Top competition. Patrick now supports a doubling of the number of charter schools in Massachusetts. In his first year in office, Patrick proposed making community college free to all Massachusetts high school graduates.
Same-sex marriage
Patrick favored the legalizing of same-sex marriageSame-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
because of the fundamental principle that "citizens come before their government as equals". He worked with the state legislature to prevent a ballot measure eliminating same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, which protected the state's first-in-the-nation same-sex marriage allowance.
Death penalty
Patrick opposes the death penalty, saying that "the death penalty does not work. It hasn't worked in actually deterring crime, and it won't work for Massachusetts." This position had put him at odds with ex-Lt. Governor Kerry HealeyKerry Healey
Kerry Murphy Healey was the 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. She served from 2003 to 2007 with Governor Mitt Romney. She was the 2006 Republican nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, losing to Democrat Deval Patrick in November 2006...
, who wanted to "reinstate the death penalty for felons convicted of killing a law enforcement officer, judge, prosecutor or corrections officer".
Energy policy
Patrick was an early supporter of the Cape WindCape Wind
The Cape Wind Project is an approved offshore wind farm, on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound off Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, proposed by a private developer, Cape Wind Associates, the brainchild of Jim Gordon and a Limited Liability Company set up as a joint business venture...
energy project, at a time when prominent Massachusetts politicians from Mitt Romney to Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
were working against it. Patrick proposed a bill that would streamline Massachusetts's permit appeals process for wind-energy projects. The Wind Energy Sitting Reform bill would reduce the permitting process from the current litigation limbo to nine to 19 months.
Firearms
In 2010 Governor Deval Patrick pushed for legislation to limit the purchase of firearms, citing a series of gun violence incidents and violent crime in Boston. Gun Owners' Action League, the official National Rifle AssociationNational Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
state chapter, has given Governor Patrick an "F" on gun rights.
Health care
Patrick has made implementing the state's 2006 health care reformHealth care reform
Health care reform is a general rubric used for discussing major health policy creation or changes—for the most part, governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place...
law a signature achievement. Currently, over 98% of Massachusetts residents have health care insurance, more than any other state.
Patrick has made bringing down health care costs a priority in his second term and has proposed a number of reforms, including moving to a global payment system. In 2010, he successfully prodded health care insurance companies to negotiate with the state before introducing increases in premiums.
Life Sciences
Patrick is a proponent of stem cell research and was critical of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for vetoing a stem cell bill. He proposes creating a bonding bill similar to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's recent path, and using it to invest in stem cell research at the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
, creating a simultaneous boost to the commonwealth's institutions of public higher education. Patrick passed the Life Sciences Initiative, a $10 billion, multi-year initiative to invest in Massachusetts' life sciences industry. He was honored as Governor of the Year in 2008 by BIO, a biotech industry group.
Illegal immigration
Patrick has called immigrationImmigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
a federal issue and has supported the McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
-Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
plan to tighten border control and create "pathway[s] to citizenship" for immigrants who have established lives in America.
Casino gambling
Patrick submitted a bill that would allow the construction and operation of three resort-style casinos in the state. He argued that these casinos would generate $2 billion for the state economy and add $400 million in annual casino revenue and $200 million in fees per license to the state coffers as well as add $50 million to $80 million in sales, meal, and hotel taxes. He also touted that the casinos would create 30,000 construction jobs and 20,000 permanent jobs.Patrick proposed that the revenue generated would be spent to beef up local law enforcement, create a state gambling regulatory agency, repair roads and bridges ($200 million), gambling addiction treatment ($50 million) and the remainder would go towards property tax relief.
Patrick's plan faced strong opposition from Salvatore DiMasi
Salvatore DiMasi
Salvatore F. "Sal" DiMasi is a former Democratic state representative in Massachusetts. The former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives originally joined the state legislature in 1979, as a member of the Democratic Party...
, the Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
. DiMasi questioned the governor's projections of new jobs, revenues to be generated and was an opposed to what he referred to as a casino culture saying: "Do we want to usher in a casino culture– with rampant bankruptcies, crime and social ills– or do we want to create a better Massachusetts for all sectors of the society?" Casino gaming lobbying in Massachusetts has also received scrutiny for associations with the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
The Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal is a United States political scandal relating to the work performed by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Grover Norquist and Michael Scanlon on Indian casino gambling interests for an estimated $85 million in fees. Abramoff and Scanlon...
and efforts by the Mashpee Wampanoag people to secure rights to a casino outside of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is a 1988 United States federal law that establishes the jurisdictional framework that governs Indian gaming. There was no federal gaming structure before this act...
. In 2009 Governor Deval Patrick was among the top campaign contribution recipients from casino lobbying interests, and from financiers backing the Wampanoag casino interests.
On March 20, 2008 the Massachusetts House of Representatives rejected Patrick's casino bill by a vote of 108 to 46. Despite the overwhelming vote, questions were raised by critics of DiMasi as to the tactics he used to win. These included allegations that he promised a subsequent vote on a bill that would allow slot machines at the state's four racetracks and the pre-vote promotions of six lawmakers who had been thought to support the bill, but either abstained or voted against the bill. DiMasi denied that any promise had been made on the race track bill and denied that the promotions were connected to the casino bill vote.
Patrick's conduct was also criticized and his commitment to the bill questioned when it was revealed that he was not in the state on the day the bill was voted on in the legislature. As the bill was being voted down, Patrick was in New York City on personal business, finalizing a $1.35 million dollar deal with Broadway Books, an imprint of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, to publish his autobiography.
By mid-2010, the house and senate passed a bill with plans for three resort-style casinos and two slot parlors. However, Patrick vetoed it as he previously stated that he would only accept one slot parlor. With a 2011 casino legislation plan pending, a Boston Globe investigative report revealed the governor violated his self-imposed policy of not accepting money from or meeting with lobbyists for the gambling industry by accepting more than $6,000 in campaign contributions and meeting with and attending fundraisers hosted by gaming lobbyists.
Transportation
The legislatively chartered Transportation Finance Commission (TFC) reported in 2007 that over the next 20 years there would be $15–$19 billion gap between revenues and necessary expenditures, just to maintain existing transportation system in Massachusetts. The Commission identified several reforms and revenue options to close the gap. The Patrick Administration lobbied for and passed a major transportation reform bill, which incorporated many of the TFC-recommended reforms, and which created the Massachusetts Department of Transportation by merging smaller transportation agencies.Patrick proposed raising the state gas tax by 19¢ per gallon to forestall Massachusetts Turnpike
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
toll and MBTA fare increases, fully fund Regional Transit Authority and Turnpike operations, and address part of the capital shortfall identified by the TFC, but this was defeated in the state legislature. Instead, a sales tax increase of 1.25% was passed, with part of that dedicated to transportation. This was enough to prevent the short-term toll and fare increases, but did not address the long-term funding gap.
Patrick has been a supporter of the South Coast Rail Link
South Coast Rail Link
South Coast Rail is a project to build a new branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, upon discontinued rail lines. The line has been proposed to restore service through the towns of Taunton, Berkley, Fall River, Freetown, and New Bedford, on the south coast of Massachusetts. When finished, it...
project, which his administration advanced from planning to early construction.
Electoral history
External links
- Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick official Massachusetts government site
- Deval Patrick for Governor official campaign site
- Transcript of Patrick's 2006 acceptance speech The Boston GlobeThe Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, November 8, 2006
|-
|-
|-
|-