Today, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) will deliver the Commencement address to the Class of 2009 and receive an honorary degree. Patrick is the current governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is the second African-American elected as a governor in the United States.
Patrick was born in 1956 and grew up on the south side of Chicago with his older sister and mother.
Through A Better Chance, a nonprofit that assists gifted African-American students, Patrick received a scholarship and attended Milton Academy in Milton, Mass. for high school.
After his high school graduation, Patrick attended Harvard University as the first in his family to go to college. He graduated with degrees in English and American literature in 1978.
Following his college graduation, Patrick spent a year working with the United Nations in the Darfur region of Sudan in Africa before enrolling at Harvard Law School. After receiving his law degree, Patrick served as partner in the law firm of Hill & Barlow in Boston before being appointed as the assistant attorney general for civil rights, the nation's top civil rights post, by former President Bill Clinton. The position allowed Patrick to show his capability in handling a number of issues, including prosecution of hate crimes and employment discrimination.
In 1997, he returned to private law practice in Boston and, soon after, began serving as the first chairperson of Texaco's Equality and Fairness Task Force, creating a model aimed at fostering a fair workplace. He later served numerous roles within The Coca-Cola Company, starting in 2001 as the executive vice president and general counsel.
In 2005, Patrick announced his candidacy for governor, though he was originally seen as somewhat of a dark-horse candidate in the 2006 Democratic primary. On Nov. 7, 2006, he won the gubernatorial race 20 percentage points ahead of the second-place finisher.
Breaking tradition, he delivered his inaugural address outdoors on the State House steps to a larger public audience than in previous years, intending to signal a more accessible government.
Since assuming office, Patrick has overseen the implementation of a statewide universal health insurance program developed by the previous administration, supported the Cape Wind energy project, and stood up for illegal immigrant rights regarding public housing and in-state tuition at public universities.
Patrick has two adult daughters and currently lives in Milton with his wife. Early last month, he confirmed plans to run for reelection as governor in the next election.
