Anthony John "Toby" Moffett, Jr. (born August 18, 1944) was an American politician from the state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. A Democrat

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...

, Moffett served in the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 as the member from Connecticut's 6th congressional district

Connecticut's 6th congressional district

Connecticut's 6th congressional district is an obsolete district. It was created for a short time beginning in 1837 from the State's At-Large District. It was eliminated after the 1840 Census. It was reestablished in 1965 after the At-Large District was eliminated due to the Voting Rights Act of...

 from 1975 to 1983.

Early life and education

Moffett was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts

Holyoke, Massachusetts

Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...

. He attended Suffield Elementary School in Suffield, Connecticut and graduated from Suffield High School

Suffield High School

Suffield High School is located in West Suffield, Connecticut, a town in Hartford county that abuts the Massachusetts border.-History:The first Suffield High School building was constructed in 1939. It saw its first graduating class in 1940. A wing was added in 1956 to accommodate student growth...

. He received his Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree

Academic degree

An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...

 from Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

 in 1966 and studied in Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 from 1963 to 1964. He received his Master of Arts

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 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...

 in 1968.

Career

Moffett served as Director of the Office of Students and Youth in the Office of United States Commissioner of Education

Commissioner of Education

The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the National Bureau of Education, a former unit within the Department of the Interior in the United States...

 within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1969 to 1970, but quit to protest the Vietnam War

Opposition to the Vietnam War

The movement against US involvment in the in Vietnam War began in the United States with demonstrations in 1964 and grew in strength in later years. The US became polarized between those who advocated continued involvement in Vietnam, and those who wanted peace. Peace movements consisted largely of...

.

Aligned with consumer activist Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....

, Moffett founded the Connecticut Citizen Action Group

Connecticut Citizen Action Group

The Connecticut Citizen Action Group, or CCAG, is a public advocacy group prominent in Connecticut politics. Founded by politician and consumer advocate Ralph Nader and future Congressman Toby Moffett in 1970, CCAG seeks to promote social, economic, and environmental justice.The organization has...

 and parlayed this to a victory in 1974 for the seat vacated in the U.S. House of Representatives for Connecticut's 6th congressional district seat when Ella T. Grasso

Ella T. Grasso

Ella Grasso , born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, was an American politician, and first woman elected governor of Connecticut.-Biography:...

 ran for Governor. Moffett held the northwestern Connecticut seat until 1982. He was regarded as a liberal

Liberalism in the United States

Liberalism in the United States is a broad political philosophy centered on the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion for all belief systems, and the separation of church and state, right to due process...

 and an opponent of the oil industry. He was also closely aligned with trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

s. Moffett served as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources.

In 1982 Moffett challenged U.S. Senator

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...

 Lowell Weicker. While 1982 was a strong year for Democrats nationwide, Weicker was considered a moderate/liberal Republican

Rockefeller Republican

Rockefeller Republican refers to a faction of the United States Republican Party who held moderate to liberal views similar to those of Nelson Rockefeller...

 and defeated Moffett 52-46 percent. Moffett's protege, liberal State Senator

Connecticut Senate

The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...

 Bill Curry

Bill Curry (politician)

William E. Curry, Jr. has been a two-time Democratic nominee for Governor of Connecticut and a White House advisor in the administration of Bill Clinton.-Education and early political life:...

 also lost the 6th district seat to 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...

 Nancy Johnson.

Moffett attempted a political comeback in 1986 seeking to gain the Democratic nomination over incumbent Governor William O'Neill

William O'Neill (Connecticut politician)

William Atchison O'Neill was a twentieth century U.S. political figure, most notably as the 84th Governor of Connecticut from 1980 to 1991....

. That effort failed. Moffett later was a broadcaster on WVIT

WVIT

WVIT, virtual channel 30, is the NBC owned and operated television station for the state of Connecticut, licensed to New Britain. WVIT has its offices and studios located in West Hartford, and transmitter based in Farmington, Connecticut....

 Channel 30 in Hartford.

Moffett's final comeback effort was in 1990 when he moved to the town of Newtown

Newtown, Connecticut

Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 27,560 at the 2010 census. Newtown was founded in 1705 and incorporated in 1711.-Government:...

 to seek election to the open congressional seat in Connecticut's 5th congressional district

Connecticut's 5th congressional district

Connecticut's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the northwestern part of the state, the district runs from...

, which was being vacated by John G. Rowland

John G. Rowland

John Grosvenor Rowland was the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004; he is a member of the Republican Party. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them...

, who was running for governor. Moffett's opponent, Waterbury

Waterbury, Connecticut

Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...

 alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 Gary Franks

Gary Franks

Gary A. Franks was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut for six years, from 1991 until 1997. He was the first and to date only African-American elected to Congress from Connecticut.-Early life:...

 claimed that Moffett was far too liberal to represent conservative 5th district voters, and Franks won the election.

Moffett is now a Washington consultant and works with firms such as Monsanto Company. In 2004 he broke with Ralph Nader regarding his independent candidacy for president. Moffett was among those who coordinated a national effort on behalf of the Democrats to deny votes and ballot access

Ballot access

Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...

 to the Nader campaign. He also recently criticized the independent campaign of Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman

Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...

.

Egypt

Toby Moffett is one of Egypt's chief U.S. lobbyists

Arab lobby in the United States

The Arab lobby in the United States is a collection of formal and informal groups and professional lobbyists paid directly by Arab governments that lobby the public and government of the United States on behalf of Arab interests. and/or on behalf of Arab-American rights in the United...

. "we have always been very proud to represent Egypt," he said.

During the 2011 pro-democracy demonstrations in Egypt, it was suggested to Mr. Moffett that lobbying for the Mubarak government put him “on the wrong side." He responded, “I don’t feel that way at all... We feel honored to be on the scene while all this is happening.”

External links

• http://web.archive.org/web/20070926224554/http://www.stennis.gov/Congressional+Bios/anthonymoffett.htm
• The Moffett Group