Paul Cellucci
Encyclopedia
Argeo Paul Cellucci is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 69th Governor of Massachusetts
and US Ambassador to Canada.
into an Italian-American political family and graduated from Boston College
and Boston College Law School
and the private Hudson Catholic High School
. He and his wife Jan have two daughters, Kate and Anne (who is married to a Canadian hockey player, Craig Adams
). He served in the United States Army Reserve
from 1970 to 1978.
He is a Republican
, and holds the distinction of never having lost an election over his three decades in elected office in overwhelmingly Democratic Massachusetts. He served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from 1977 to 1985. He then became a member of the Massachusetts Senate
, serving from 1985 to 1991. From 1991 to 1999 he was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
, becoming the Acting Governor of Massachusetts
in 1997 upon the resignation of William Weld
.
. He had successfully fought off a challenge from State Treasurer Joe Malone in the September primary. He was officially sworn in as the 69th Governor of Massachusetts
on January 7, 1999.
Cellucci was a fiscally conservative, anti-tax Governor who had the ability to work in a bipartisan fashion with an overwhelmingly Democratic State Legislature. In 2001, the libertarian
Cato Institute
, in its fifth biennial fiscal policy report card, gave Cellucci an "A" grade and said he "earned the distinction of having the best record of reducing taxes and restraining spending growth" among the nation's 50 governors. Governor Cellucci spearheaded the statewide initiative to reduce the state income tax from 5.95% to 5%, which was approved 59% to 41% by the voters of Massachusetts in November 2000.
Cellucci was also successful in maintaining the state's high education standards for its public schools. Those standards, which required students to pass exams in basic Math and English to receive a high school diploma, were a major piece of the Education Reform Act of 1993 and were phased in over time. The teachers unions wanted to weaken the standards just as they were about to take effect, but Cellucci worked with Speaker of the House Thomas Finneran and Senate President Thomas Birmingham, both Democrats, to hold the line on this issue. The standards have remained in effect and in its June 4, 2007 report card on "No Child Left Behind," Time Magazine found that Massachusetts students score the best on the federal tests.
The biggest controversy during Cellucci's tenure was the huge cost overruns on the "Big Dig
" – an enormous project to replace the elevated central artery highway in Boston with an underground tunnel. Cellucci removed the project manager, Jim Kerasiotes, and put his Secretary of Administration and Finance, Andrew Natsios, in charge of the project.
Cellucci took a conservative approach to crime, and in 1998 he signed into law one of the toughest gun control measures in the United States. He supported Roe v. Wade
and abortion rights, which did not always make him popular with the Catholic Church. When he was Lt. Governor, Cardinal Bernard Law "disinvited" him from speaking at the commencement of his alma mater, Hudson Catholic High School.
Cellucci appointed many women to high ranking positions, including Margaret H. Marshall as the first female Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Marshall's appointment marked the first time a woman headed a branch of government in Massachusetts history. He was succeeded by Jane Swift, whom he had asked to be his running mate in the 1998 gubernatorial election. Swift became the first woman in Massachusetts history to occupy the Governor's Office.
On April 10, 2001, Cellucci resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to Canada, being appointed by President George W. Bush
. This made him the second consecutive Massachusetts governor to resign in order to assume an ambassadorship: his predecessor William Weld resigned after being nominated to be Ambassador to Mexico by President Clinton
. (Weld was never confirmed by the United States Senate
, however, and hence never served as Ambassador.)
, Cellucci presented his credentials as the 20th United States Ambassador to Canada to Governor General
Adrienne Clarkson
.
His four-year tenure would be a historical and controversial period in the United States – Canadian relations. On September 14, 2001, three days after the terrorist attacks on United States soil, Ambassador Cellucci thanked Canada for its overwhelming support and sympathy, including their role in Operation Yellow Ribbon
, at a memorial in front of 100,000 people on Parliament Hill
in Ottawa
. He would mention the operation and the memorial service quite often during the days and months that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The months and years that followed the attacks would see extraordinary cooperation between the United States and Canada on the Smart Border Agreement, on their law enforcement and intelligence agencies to stop terrorist attacks in North America, and in Afghanistan
in the war against the Taliban.
On March 25, 2003 at a speech to the Economic Club of Toronto, Cellucci faced controversy when he criticized Canadian opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
. He argued that America was waging war for its own security, and that the United States would "never hesitate" to support Canada if it faced a security threat . This wording was considered especially unfortunate by some since the United States did in fact delay years before joining the British Empire in both World Wars I
and II
in Europe. The Globe and Mail
reported Cellucci's remarks under the front-page headline U.S. rebukes Canada and Canadian nationalist Mel Hurtig
called him "ill-mannered, obnoxious, [and] arrogant".
He also earned the ire of many Canadians for his repeated support for Canada joining the U.S. missile defence
program, and for urging Canada to increase defense spending. These statements, frequently perceived as implied trade threats, caused Cellucci to be sarcastically christened "the U.S. ambassador-turned-proconsul
" by former Liberal
cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy
in an opinion piece titled Say no to missile defence published on April 29, 2003 in The Globe and Mail
. Canada has since declined to participate in the U.S. missile defence program.
Cellucci officially resigned his Ambassadorship on March 17, 2005. One indication of opinion in Canada of Cellucci's tenure was provided by CBC Television
's resident satirist Rick Mercer
who promoted on his program, Monday Report
, that week a fictitious Paul Cellucci Farewell Special entitled Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Ass.
of his time as ambassador. In the book, he praises Canada as "a truly great nation", but also has some criticism for the governments of former Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien
and Paul Martin
. While the frosty relations were due to the Canadian government's opposition to President Bush's policies, there has also been criticism of Chrétien for tolerating anti-American outbursts from his aide, while Martin attempted to paint his opponent as pro-American during the 2004 Canadian federal election.
On September 23, 2005, shortly after an interview where then-U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins
stirred controversy over comments he made on the case of Maher Arar
, Cellucci gave an interview in which explained his position on the Arar case. While he was Ambassador, Cellucci had declined to participate into the inquiry into the Americans' "extraordinary rendition
" of Arar to Syria and the possible role of Canadian officials in the rendition, being consistent with the Bush administration's position that nothing improper had been done. Cellucci's comments in the 2005 interview were seen as a rebuke to Wilkins. Cellucci acknowledged, "Part of the unfairness was that we took a Canadian citizen, shipped him to a third country without consulting with Canada," apparently exonerating Canadian officials. Cellucci did point out that as a result of the Canadian Government's protest about Arar, the United States and Canada exchanged letters, in which each undertook to notify the other country if either government was going to remove, involuntarily, a National of the other country to a third country. While each country retains all rights to do what is in its security interests, Cellucci believes that as a practical matter, this makes it highly unlikely that anything like the Arar situation will happen again.
The same interview revealed that Cellucci, as a private citizen, also had second thoughts about the stance he had taken as Ambassador on the Invasion of Iraq. During the lead-up to the Invasion of Iraq, Cellucci had put pressure on Canada to join in the invasion, based on the American and UK assertions that Saddam's administration possessed a dangerous arsenal of Weapons of Mass Destruction
. But in 2005 Cellucci acknowledged: "We’re not always right, and on that particular one it looks like we weren’t right, although we know at some point in the past he did have these weapons."
Cellucci has said that after thirty-five years in public service he has no intentions of seeking further office. While he has no interest in serving as Vice President, he did not exclusively rule it out. He supported John McCain
's candidacy for president in 2008.
On January 6, 2011, Cellucci announced that he has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, and that it is progressing relatively slowly.
announced they had hired Cellucci. Magna chairman Frank Stronach
said Cellucci's role would be to help reform the U.S. regulations around horse racing.
Cellucci left Magna Entertainment in the Fall of 2006 and joined the Boston office of the law firm of McCarter & English, LLP, where he holds the title of Special Counsel.
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:...
and US Ambassador to Canada.
Early life and career
Cellucci was born in Hudson, MassachusettsHudson, Massachusetts
Hudson is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,063 at the 2010 census. The town is located in central Massachusetts, about a 40-minute drive, or about , west of Boston, and about a 20-minute drive, or about , northeast of Worcester.Before its...
into an Italian-American political family and graduated from Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School is one of the six professional graduate schools at Boston College. Located approximately 1.5 miles from the main Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Boston College Law School is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts.With approximately 800 students and...
and the private Hudson Catholic High School
Hudson Catholic High School (Hudson, Massachusetts)
Hudson Catholic High School was a coeducational Catholic school in Hudson, Massachusetts, USA. It is within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. On March 29, 2009, the parents and students were told that the high school would close in June, after it graduated its 50th class...
. He and his wife Jan have two daughters, Kate and Anne (who is married to a Canadian hockey player, Craig Adams
Craig Adams (hockey player)
Craig D. Adams is a Bruneian-born Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Adams was born in Seria, Brunei, but was raised in Calgary, Alberta, residing and playing hockey in the community of Lake Bonavista...
). He served in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
from 1970 to 1978.
He is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and holds the distinction of never having lost an election over his three decades in elected office in overwhelmingly Democratic Massachusetts. He served as a member 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...
from 1977 to 1985. He then became a member of the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
, serving from 1985 to 1991. From 1991 to 1999 he was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts...
, becoming the Acting Governor of Massachusetts
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:...
in 1997 upon the resignation of William Weld
William Weld
William Floyd Weld is a former governor of the US state of Massachusetts. He served as that state's 68th governor from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...
.
Governor of Massachusetts
On November 3, 1998, Paul Cellucci was elected as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, narrowly defeating Democratic attorney general Scott HarshbargerScott Harshbarger
Luther Scott Harshbarger is a lawyer and a Democratic politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.-Education and early career:...
. He had successfully fought off a challenge from State Treasurer Joe Malone in the September primary. He was officially sworn in as the 69th Governor of Massachusetts
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:...
on January 7, 1999.
Cellucci was a fiscally conservative, anti-tax Governor who had the ability to work in a bipartisan fashion with an overwhelmingly Democratic State Legislature. In 2001, the libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
, in its fifth biennial fiscal policy report card, gave Cellucci an "A" grade and said he "earned the distinction of having the best record of reducing taxes and restraining spending growth" among the nation's 50 governors. Governor Cellucci spearheaded the statewide initiative to reduce the state income tax from 5.95% to 5%, which was approved 59% to 41% by the voters of Massachusetts in November 2000.
Cellucci was also successful in maintaining the state's high education standards for its public schools. Those standards, which required students to pass exams in basic Math and English to receive a high school diploma, were a major piece of the Education Reform Act of 1993 and were phased in over time. The teachers unions wanted to weaken the standards just as they were about to take effect, but Cellucci worked with Speaker of the House Thomas Finneran and Senate President Thomas Birmingham, both Democrats, to hold the line on this issue. The standards have remained in effect and in its June 4, 2007 report card on "No Child Left Behind," Time Magazine found that Massachusetts students score the best on the federal tests.
The biggest controversy during Cellucci's tenure was the huge cost overruns on the "Big Dig
Big Dig
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project , known unofficially as the Big Dig and as the Big Dug since completion, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery , the chief highway through the heart of the city, into a 3.5-mile tunnel...
" – an enormous project to replace the elevated central artery highway in Boston with an underground tunnel. Cellucci removed the project manager, Jim Kerasiotes, and put his Secretary of Administration and Finance, Andrew Natsios, in charge of the project.
Cellucci took a conservative approach to crime, and in 1998 he signed into law one of the toughest gun control measures in the United States. He supported Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
and abortion rights, which did not always make him popular with the Catholic Church. When he was Lt. Governor, Cardinal Bernard Law "disinvited" him from speaking at the commencement of his alma mater, Hudson Catholic High School.
Cellucci appointed many women to high ranking positions, including Margaret H. Marshall as the first female Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Marshall's appointment marked the first time a woman headed a branch of government in Massachusetts history. He was succeeded by Jane Swift, whom he had asked to be his running mate in the 1998 gubernatorial election. Swift became the first woman in Massachusetts history to occupy the Governor's Office.
On April 10, 2001, Cellucci resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to Canada, being appointed by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. This made him the second consecutive Massachusetts governor to resign in order to assume an ambassadorship: his predecessor William Weld resigned after being nominated to be Ambassador to Mexico by President 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...
. (Weld was never 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...
, however, and hence never served as Ambassador.)
Cabinet and administration
| The Cellucci Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|
| OFFICE | NAME | TERM |
| Acting 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:... |
Paul Cellucci | 1997 1999 |
| 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:... |
Paul Cellucci | 1999 2001 |
| Lt. Governor Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts... |
Paul Cellucci Jane M. Swift Jane M. Swift Jane Maria Swift is an American politician, who served as the 69th lieutenant governor from 1999 to 2003 and acting governor of Massachusetts from 2001 to 2003. She is the only woman to perform the duties of governor of Massachusetts, doing so from April 2001 to January 2003... |
1997 1999 1999 2001 |
| Secretary of Transportation | James Kerasiotes James Kerasiotes James J. Kerasiotes was the director of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the project manager of the Big Dig in Boston during the 1990s. He was asked to resign by Massachusetts governor Paul Celucci on April 11, 2000, because of cost over runs... Patrick J. Moynihan Kevin J. Sullivan Kevin J. Sullivan (mayor) Kevin J. Sullivan is an American politician who served as Mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts from 1986 to 1993, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation from 1999 to 2002, and Massachusetts Secretary of Administration and Finance from 2002 to 2003.... |
1997 1998 1998 1999 1999 2001 |
| Director of Housing & Community Development | Jane Wallis Gumble | 1997 2001 |
| Secretary of Environmental Affairs | Trudy Coxe Trudy Coxe Gertrude M. "Trudy" Coxe is an American environmental activist who is the current CEO of the Preservation Society of Newport County and the former Secretary of Environmental Affairs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.... Robert Durand Robert Durand Robert A. Durand is an American politician who served as the Secretary of Environmental Affairs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2003... |
1997 1998 1999 2001 |
| Director of Consumer Affairs | Jane M. Swift Jane M. Swift Jane Maria Swift is an American politician, who served as the 69th lieutenant governor from 1999 to 2003 and acting governor of Massachusetts from 2001 to 2003. She is the only woman to perform the duties of governor of Massachusetts, doing so from April 2001 to January 2003... Jennifer Davis Carey |
1997 1999 1999 2001 |
| Secretary of Health and Human Services | William D. O'Leary | 1997 2001 |
| Secretary of Elder Affairs | Franklin P. Ollivierre Lillian Glickman |
1997 1998 1998 2001 |
| Director of Labor & Workforce Development | Angelo R. Buonopane | 1997 2001 |
| Secretary of Administration & Finance | 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... Andrew Natsios Andrew Natsios Andrew S. Natsios is an American civil servant who has served in a number of Massachusetts and high level federal government positions. From 2001 to 2005 he served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and was appointed as Special Coordinator for International Disaster... Stephen Crosby |
1997 1998 1998 2000 2000 2001 |
| Secretary of Public Safety | Kathleen O'Toole Kathleen O'Toole Kathleen M. O'Toole is the Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, set up to ensure that the resources available to the Garda Síochána are used so as to achieve and maintain the highest levels of efficiency and effectiveness in its operation and administration, as measured by reference to the... Jane Perlov Jane Perlov Jane Perlov is an American law enforcement official who served as Chief of the Raleigh, North Carolina Police Department from 2001 to 2007 and Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety from 1998 to 2001.... |
1997 1998 1998 2001 |
U.S. Ambassador to Canada
On April 17, 2001, at the Citadel in Quebec CityQuebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Cellucci presented his credentials as the 20th United States Ambassador to Canada to Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation....
.
His four-year tenure would be a historical and controversial period in the United States – Canadian relations. On September 14, 2001, three days after the terrorist attacks on United States soil, Ambassador Cellucci thanked Canada for its overwhelming support and sympathy, including their role in Operation Yellow Ribbon
Operation Yellow Ribbon
Operation Yellow Ribbon was commenced by Transport Canada to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001. Canada’s goal was to ensure that potentially destructive air traffic be removed from U.S. airspace as quickly as possible, and away from...
, at a memorial in front of 100,000 people on Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. He would mention the operation and the memorial service quite often during the days and months that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The months and years that followed the attacks would see extraordinary cooperation between the United States and Canada on the Smart Border Agreement, on their law enforcement and intelligence agencies to stop terrorist attacks in North America, and in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in the war against the Taliban.
On March 25, 2003 at a speech to the Economic Club of Toronto, Cellucci faced controversy when he criticized Canadian opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. He argued that America was waging war for its own security, and that the United States would "never hesitate" to support Canada if it faced a security threat . This wording was considered especially unfortunate by some since the United States did in fact delay years before joining the British Empire in both World Wars I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Europe. The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
reported Cellucci's remarks under the front-page headline U.S. rebukes Canada and Canadian nationalist Mel Hurtig
Mel Hurtig
Mel Hurtig, is a Canadian publisher, author, political activist and former political candidate.He was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He is the former president of the Edmonton Art Gallery.-Businessman and Publisher:...
called him "ill-mannered, obnoxious, [and] arrogant".
He also earned the ire of many Canadians for his repeated support for Canada joining the U.S. missile defence
Missile defense
Missile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception and destruction of attacking missiles. Originally conceived as a defence against nuclear-armed Intercontinental ballistic missiles , its application has broadened to include shorter-ranged...
program, and for urging Canada to increase defense spending. These statements, frequently perceived as implied trade threats, caused Cellucci to be sarcastically christened "the U.S. ambassador-turned-proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
" by former Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM is a prominent Canadian politician, statesman and University President from Manitoba. He is best known for having served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien...
in an opinion piece titled Say no to missile defence published on April 29, 2003 in The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
. Canada has since declined to participate in the U.S. missile defence program.
Cellucci officially resigned his Ambassadorship on March 17, 2005. One indication of opinion in Canada of Cellucci's tenure was provided by CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
's resident satirist Rick Mercer
Rick Mercer
Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and blogger.Mercer first came to national attention in 1990, when he premiered his one man show Show Me the Button, I'll Push It, or Charles Lynch Must Die at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in...
who promoted on his program, Monday Report
Rick Mercer Report
Rick Mercer Report is a Canadian television comedy series which airs on CBC Television...
, that week a fictitious Paul Cellucci Farewell Special entitled Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Ass.
Post-ambassadorship
Since leaving his position as Ambassador, Cellucci has penned a book called Unquiet Diplomacy, a memoirMemoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
of his time as ambassador. In the book, he praises Canada as "a truly great nation", but also has some criticism for the governments of former Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
and Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
. While the frosty relations were due to the Canadian government's opposition to President Bush's policies, there has also been criticism of Chrétien for tolerating anti-American outbursts from his aide, while Martin attempted to paint his opponent as pro-American during the 2004 Canadian federal election.
On September 23, 2005, shortly after an interview where then-U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins
David Wilkins
David Horton Wilkins is an American attorney and a former U. S. Ambassador to Canada during the administration of President George W. Bush. Prior to the appointment, he practiced law for 30 years while serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives for 25 of those years. He was speaker of...
stirred controversy over comments he made on the case of Maher Arar
Maher Arar
Maher Arar is a telecommunications engineer with dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship who resides in Canada. Arar's story is frequently referred to as "extraordinary rendition" but the U.S. government insisted it was a case of deportation.Arar was detained during a layover at John F...
, Cellucci gave an interview in which explained his position on the Arar case. While he was Ambassador, Cellucci had declined to participate into the inquiry into the Americans' "extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
" of Arar to Syria and the possible role of Canadian officials in the rendition, being consistent with the Bush administration's position that nothing improper had been done. Cellucci's comments in the 2005 interview were seen as a rebuke to Wilkins. Cellucci acknowledged, "Part of the unfairness was that we took a Canadian citizen, shipped him to a third country without consulting with Canada," apparently exonerating Canadian officials. Cellucci did point out that as a result of the Canadian Government's protest about Arar, the United States and Canada exchanged letters, in which each undertook to notify the other country if either government was going to remove, involuntarily, a National of the other country to a third country. While each country retains all rights to do what is in its security interests, Cellucci believes that as a practical matter, this makes it highly unlikely that anything like the Arar situation will happen again.
The same interview revealed that Cellucci, as a private citizen, also had second thoughts about the stance he had taken as Ambassador on the Invasion of Iraq. During the lead-up to the Invasion of Iraq, Cellucci had put pressure on Canada to join in the invasion, based on the American and UK assertions that Saddam's administration possessed a dangerous arsenal of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
. But in 2005 Cellucci acknowledged: "We’re not always right, and on that particular one it looks like we weren’t right, although we know at some point in the past he did have these weapons."
Cellucci has said that after thirty-five years in public service he has no intentions of seeking further office. While he has no interest in serving as Vice President, he did not exclusively rule it out. He supported John 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....
's candidacy for president in 2008.
On January 6, 2011, Cellucci announced that he has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, and that it is progressing relatively slowly.
Private sector career
On March 18, 2005, the day after Cellucci had resigned from his ambassadorship, Magna Entertainment CorporationMagna International
Magna International Inc. , is an automotive supplier headquartered in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's largest automobile parts manufacturer, and one of the country's largest companies. It owns the Magna Steyr automobile production company of Austria....
announced they had hired Cellucci. Magna chairman Frank Stronach
Frank Stronach
Frank Stronach, CM is an Austrian-Canadian businessman. He is the founder of Magna International, an international automotive parts company based in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, and Magna Entertainment Corp., which specializes in horse-racing entertainment...
said Cellucci's role would be to help reform the U.S. regulations around horse racing.
Cellucci left Magna Entertainment in the Fall of 2006 and joined the Boston office of the law firm of McCarter & English, LLP, where he holds the title of Special Counsel.
External links
- Official Commonwealth of Massachusetts Governor Biography
- Cato Institute, Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2000, Cato InstituteCato InstituteThe Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
, Policy Analysis no. 391, February 12, 2001 - CBC news story of Cellucci's appointment as Ambassador, CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, February 13, 2001 - CBC news story about Cellucci's planned departure from Canada, CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, January 4, 2005 - Former U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci joins Magna Entertainment, CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, March 18, 2005