Bill Delahunt

Bill Delahunt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 10th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Gerry Studds
Succeeded by	William R. Keating
District Attorney of Norfolk County, Massachusetts
In office 1975–1996
Succeeded by	William R. Keating
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	divorced
Children	Kristin Delahunt Kara Mai Delahunt
Residence	Quincy, Massachusetts
Alma mater	Middlebury College, Boston College Law School
Occupation	attorney
Military service
Branch/service	United States Coast Guard
Years of service	1963-1971
Unit	Reserves

William D. Delahunt (born July 18, 1941) is the former U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 10th congressional district, serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Delahunt did not seek re-election in 2010, and will leave Congress in January 2011. He was replaced by Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating.

Early life, education and career

Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, Delahunt was educated at Thayer Academy, Middlebury College and Boston College Law School and later served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. He served a term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1973–75) before serving as district attorney of Norfolk County for more than 20 years. At Thayer Academy, he was in the same graduating class as John Martorano and James Martorano.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Europe(Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
  • Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
  • Task Force on Judicial Impeachment

Caucus memberships

• Co-chair of the bipartisan Coast Guard Caucus
• Co-chair of the House Older Americans Caucus
• Co-chair of the Congressional Working Group on Cuba

Delahunt is a member of the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee; Judiciary Committee; and also serves as co-chair of the bipartisan Coast Guard Caucus, House Older Americans Caucus, and the Congressional Working Group on Cuba.

As one of his first initiatives in Congress, he created the bipartisan caucus on the United States Coast Guard, which he now co-chairs with two other Coast Guard veterans, Reps. Howard Coble (R-NC) and Gene Taylor (D-MS). This has benefited his district through getting the problems of outpaced resources and security recognized at the ports of Massachusetts.

In November 2005, he met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and engineered a deal in which Venezuela would supply winter home heating oil at a 40 percent price reduction to thousands of low-income Massachusetts residents. The deal was carried out via the Venezuelan owned Citgo, and brought accusations that Delahunt was assisting an anti-American leader. Delahunt, however, has sometimes criticized Chavez, such as in a September 2006 letter expressing "profound disgust" at a speech given by Chavez to the United Nations, in which he personally attacked President George W. Bush. In the letter he urged that Chavez express disagreements "in a more constructive manner," and work with the US to solve problems such as drug trafficking.

In the 110th Congress, Delahunt serves as Chairman of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight.

He has been a consistent opponent of the war in Iraq. However, on March 10, 2010 he voted against a measure to bring troops home from Afghanistan.

Controversies

In February 2010, questions were raised about how Delahunt and the Norfolk County D.A.'s office had handled the case of Amy Bishop. Bishop was arrested in Huntsville, Alabama, after shooting six co-workers at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Reports linked Bishop to the shooting death of her brother in Braintree in 1986. At the time the state police and the medical examiner charged with investigating the shooting determined that no criminal charges were brought against Ms. Bishop.

In April 2010, Delahunt sponsored H.R. 5034 which was introduced in response to a series of concerns raised by a bipartisan group of 40 state Attorneys General for legislation to stop the erosion of state alcohol laws. A number of grassroots movements have risen to oppose it.

Political campaigns

File:Delahunt.jpg

Delahunt at a 2010 rally for William R. Keating in Quincy, MA

Delahunt was first elected after a primary battle against Philip W Johnston of Marshfield and Ian Bowles of Woods Hole. Johnston was initially declared the winner. A recount conducted in a handful of contested towns preserved Johnston's victory though by a narrower margin. Following the recount, Delahunt sought judicial review in the Massachusetts Superior Court and Judge Elizabeth Donvan conducted a de novo review of the contested ballots and declared Delahunt the victor by a 108-vote margin. The case appealed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which upheld the lower court ruling. The case is also noteworthy for the issue of "hanging chads" in punch-card voting machines.

In February 2010, Delahunt announced that was considering retirement from Congress at the end of his present term. His retirement was confirmed on March 4, 2010, by the Boston Globe.

Personal life

While Congress is in session, Delahunt lives in a rented house with fellow Democratic politicians George Miller, Chuck Schumer, and Richard Durbin. Delahunt and his wife, Katharina E. Delahunt, divorced in 1986. They have one daughter, Kristin, and adopted another, Kara Mai (née Nguyen Mai Tai Trang), from Vietnam in 1975.

External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Leader Pelosi's "30 Something" Working Group speeches