Deval Patrick

Deval Patrick Laurdine ( born July 31, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party and, since January 2007, the 71st Governor of Massachusetts. He is the first African American in the Office of the Governor of Massachusetts and the second elections in certain Afro-American governor in the United States at all (two more came into office without election ).

Despite the opposition of his father, saxophonist Pat Patrick, he attended Milton Academy in Milton until 1974 and in 1978 moved to Harvard College. Deval worked after graduation initially for one year at the United Nations in Africa and worked from 1994 to 1997 as assistant to the U.S. Attorney General ( Attorney General ) for civil rights under President Bill Clinton. He then worked as a lawyer and businessman in Massachusetts. He is married to Diane Patrick and lives in Milton since 1989. The couple have two daughters.

In the gubernatorial election in Massachusetts on November 7, 2006, he sat down with 56 percent of the vote against his Republican rival Kerry Healey (36 percent) by. He thus entered the successor of not more candidates win Republican, and later presidential candidate Mitt Romney. January 4, 2007 Patrick was sworn in as governor of the state. He quickly gained across the U.S. political stature, but his approval ratings verschlechtertern clearly than during the first term of office came to the state budget in crisis and burst through unpopular tax increases in the amount of one billion U.S. dollars.

In the gubernatorial election in November 2010, he suggested in generally poor conditions for officials of the Democratic Party with a vote share of around 49 percent of the Republican Charlie Baker, which reached 42 percent, and has been confirmed for a second term as governor. Following the resignation of U.S. Senator John Kerry, who was appointed Secretary of State by President Obama in January 2013, he appointed in his capacity as governor his former chief of staff, the African American Mo Cowan, the new senator and caused quite an interim solution, so a few months later no incumbent standing for election at the regular election.

Deval Patrick announced to seek re-election again in the gubernatorial election in 2014. His second term ends in January 2015. Through its political future Patrick has been no clarity, but it will again in 2016 as a possible candidate for the U.S. presidency or as a future U.S. Federal Attorney General. In July 2013 moved the previous Chairman of the Democrats in Massachusetts, John E. Walsh, at the tip of the Political Action Committee Patricks what the speculation further inflaming and urged him to a denial in regard to the U.S. presidency.