John A. Danaher III
Encyclopedia
John A. Danaher III has been the Commissioner of the State of Connecticut Department of Public Safety
since March 2007. Mr. Danaher previously served as the 47th United States Attorney
for the District of Connecticut from May 2001 to November 2002 during which he supervised federal prosecutions of former Waterbury Mayor Philip Giordano
and former Bridgeport
Mayor Joseph Ganim.
firm of Day, Berry & Howard from 1981 to 1986 before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in July 1986. At the United States Attorney’s Office Mr. Danaher served as Assistant-in-Charge of the Hartford Office from January 1994 to April 2000 and Deputy United States Attorney from April 2000 to May 2001. He held the title of Senior Litigation Counsel from January 2003 until February 2007 when Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell
nominated Mr. Danaher to be Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.
in 1972; his master's degree in English from the University of Hartford
in 1977; and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law
in 1980.
, was a United States Senator from Connecticut from 1939 to 1945 and served as a circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Department of Public Safety
The Department of Public Safety , also called an Office of Public Safety, is a state or local government umbrella agency in the United States which serves to assist the certain agencies in their services by providing administrative, financial, and technical services and support for core public...
since March 2007. Mr. Danaher previously served as the 47th United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the District of Connecticut from May 2001 to November 2002 during which he supervised federal prosecutions of former Waterbury Mayor Philip Giordano
Philip Giordano
Philip Giordano is the former Republican mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, and a convicted sex offender. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela, to Italian parents and his family moved to the United States when he was two years old....
and former Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
Mayor Joseph Ganim.
Legal career
Mr. Danaher worked at the Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
firm of Day, Berry & Howard from 1981 to 1986 before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in July 1986. At the United States Attorney’s Office Mr. Danaher served as Assistant-in-Charge of the Hartford Office from January 1994 to April 2000 and Deputy United States Attorney from April 2000 to May 2001. He held the title of Senior Litigation Counsel from January 2003 until February 2007 when Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell
M. Jodi Rell
Mary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
nominated Mr. Danaher to be Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.
Education
Mr. Danaher received his bachelor's degree Fairfield UniversityFairfield University
Fairfield University is a private, co-educational undergraduate and master's level teaching-oriented university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942, and today is one of 28 member institutions of the...
in 1972; his master's degree in English from the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
in 1977; and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law
University of Connecticut School of Law
The University of Connecticut School of Law is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. The school was recently ranked forty-sixth out of the 190 American Bar Association-accredited law schools in the United States and is considered a Tier 1 school by U.S...
in 1980.
Personal
Mr. Danaher's grandfather, John A. DanaherJohn A. Danaher
John Anthony Danaher was a United States Senator from Connecticut.Born in Meriden, Connecticut, he attended the local schools and during the First World War served in the Student's Army Training Corps at Yale University and in the Officers' Reserve Corps...
, was a United States Senator from Connecticut from 1939 to 1945 and served as a circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a...