Thomas Reilly
Encyclopedia
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.
He was one of three candidates who sought the Democratic
nomination for governor of Massachusetts
in the 2006 election
. Former U.S. Assistant Attorney General
Deval Patrick
won the party's nomination and the general election, defeating Reilly and businessman Chris Gabrieli
.
, described himself as a "misguided youth" the year his father, Mortimer "Murty" Reilly, was found dead at home from a heart attack
when Reilly was 16. Reilly was arrested for public drunkenness when he was 20. By age 22, he was focused with driving ambition, much to the credit of his friend Wayne Budd
's father, an ex-Marine turned policeman in Springfield who took him under his wing and encouraged him to go to school.
Reilly attended Cathedral High School
in Springfield, Massachusetts
. He graduated in 1959. After graduating high school, he went off to college in Nova Scotia
at St. Francis Xavier University
. He stayed there only a year, transferring to American International College
in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he graduated on June 7, 1964. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
In July 1966, Reilly married Ruth Gammons (b. 1941), now a retired schoolteacher. The couple have three daughters: Leslie (b. 1968), Meaghan (b. 1973) and Kyle (b. 1980).
Reilly moved to Washington, D.C.
and worked for two years with the Central Intelligence Agency
. For one year, Reilly lived in Dearborn, Michigan
, where he worked with the Ford Motor Company
as a Labor Relations Representative until 1967. Reilly attended Boston College Law School
and received his JD
in June 1970.
Reilly worked for two years as a prosecutor in the state Attorney General's civil rights
division. He worked for four years as a Suffolk County prosecutor
. In 1976, Reilly and Budd formed “Budd and Reilly”, a Boston-based law firm. The firm became the largest minority-dominated firm in New England
.
District Attorney
Scott Harshbarger
's administration as First Assistant District Attorney. In 1990, Reilly was elected Middlesex County District Attorney. He was reelected for a second term.
Reilly ran for attorney general in 1998
against state Senator Lois Pines
and won the Democratic Primary. He defeated Republican Brad Bailey in the November election. He was reelected for a second term in 2002
.
On November 30, 2005 Reilly said that he was conducting an investigation of Sony BMG over their use of the XCP Digital Rights Management DRM
on Sony audio CDs. See 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal
.
In January 2006, Reilly came under fire for allegedly impeding an investigation into an October 2005 automobile crash which left two Southborough, Massachusetts
teens dead, and another teen injured.
Reilly has come under fire from gun rights advocates for allegedly abusing his regulatory authority for political purposes (see Gun Owners Action League article).
On January 24, 2006, Reilly officially kicked off his first gubernatorial campaign in Springfield at his alma mater American International College
(see Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006
). He finished third in the primary on September 19, 2006. His opponent, Deval Patrick, went on to win the general election.
Massachusetts Attorney General
The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The office of Attorney-General was abolished in 1843 and re-established in 1849. The current Attorney General is Martha Coakley....
. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts
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...
to Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
immigrant
Immigration to the United States
Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...
parents.
He was one of three candidates who sought the Democratic
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...
nomination for 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 the 2006 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...
. Former U.S. 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...
Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick 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...
won the party's nomination and the general election, defeating Reilly and businessman 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:...
.
Early life
Reilly, a native of Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield, 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...
, described himself as a "misguided youth" the year his father, Mortimer "Murty" Reilly, was found dead at home from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
when Reilly was 16. Reilly was arrested for public drunkenness when he was 20. By age 22, he was focused with driving ambition, much to the credit of his friend Wayne Budd
Wayne Budd
Wayne Budd is senior executive vice president and general counsel, U.S., of John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., a division of Manulife Financial. He joined Hancock in 2000 and directs all of the company's legal activities.Before joining Hancock, Mr...
's father, an ex-Marine turned policeman in Springfield who took him under his wing and encouraged him to go to school.
Reilly attended Cathedral High School
Cathedral High School (Springfield, Massachusetts)
Cathedral High School is a Catholic co-educational college-preparatory High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Opened in 1883 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph at the diocese's Saint Michael's Cathedral, its current facility has been at 260 Surrey Road since 1959 in one of the city's residential...
in Springfield, Massachusetts
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...
. He graduated in 1959. After graduating high school, he went off to college in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
at St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University is a post-secondary institution located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The school was founded in 1853, but did not offer degrees until 1868. The university has approximately 5000 students.-History:...
. He stayed there only a year, transferring to American International College
American International College
American International College is a private, co-educational liberal-arts college located in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts.-History:...
in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he graduated on June 7, 1964. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
In July 1966, Reilly married Ruth Gammons (b. 1941), now a retired schoolteacher. The couple have three daughters: Leslie (b. 1968), Meaghan (b. 1973) and Kyle (b. 1980).
Reilly moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and worked for two years with the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. For one year, Reilly lived in Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
, where he worked with the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
as a Labor Relations Representative until 1967. Reilly attended 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 received his JD
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...
in June 1970.
Reilly worked for two years as a prosecutor in the state Attorney General'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...
division. He worked for four years as a Suffolk County prosecutor
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
. In 1976, Reilly and Budd formed “Budd and Reilly”, a Boston-based law firm. The firm became the largest minority-dominated firm in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
Political career
Reilly left the law firm in 1983 to work in Middlesex CountyMiddlesex 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...
District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Scott Harshbarger
Scott Harshbarger
Luther Scott Harshbarger is a lawyer and a Democratic politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.-Education and early career:...
's administration as First Assistant District Attorney. In 1990, Reilly was elected Middlesex County District Attorney. He was reelected for a second term.
Reilly ran for attorney general in 1998
Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1998
The 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Acting Governor Paul Cellucci was elected to his first term as Governor of Massachusetts.-Governor:...
against state Senator Lois Pines
Lois Pines
Lois Pines is a Democratic politician from Massachusetts.She ran for Massachusetts Attorney General in 1998 against Thomas Reilly, also a Democrat. Pines has also served in the state legislature for a number of years. In 2002, Pines ran for Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor, but lost in the...
and won the Democratic Primary. He defeated Republican Brad Bailey in the November election. He was reelected for a second term in 2002
Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2002
The Massachusetts gubernatorial election of 2002 was held on November 5, 2002. Businessman Mitt Romney was elected to a four-year term, to be served from January 2, 2003 until January 4, 2007. Every four years, Massachusetts holds state-wide elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney...
.
On November 30, 2005 Reilly said that he was conducting an investigation of Sony BMG over their use of the XCP Digital Rights Management DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
on Sony audio CDs. See 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal
2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal
The Sony BMG CD copy protection rootkit scandal concerns the copy protection measures included by Sony BMG on Compact Discs in 2005. Sony BMG included the Extended Copy Protection and MediaMax CD-3 software on music CDs. XCP was put on 52 titles and MediaMax was put on 50 titles...
.
In January 2006, Reilly came under fire for allegedly impeding an investigation into an October 2005 automobile crash which left two Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough is an affluent town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. Its population was 9,767 at the 2010...
teens dead, and another teen injured.
Reilly has come under fire from gun rights advocates for allegedly abusing his regulatory authority for political purposes (see Gun Owners Action League article).
On January 24, 2006, Reilly officially kicked off his first gubernatorial campaign in Springfield at his alma mater American International College
American International College
American International College is a private, co-educational liberal-arts college located in the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts.-History:...
(see Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006
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...
). He finished third in the primary on September 19, 2006. His opponent, Deval Patrick, went on to win the general election.