Marty Meehan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 5th district
In office January 5, 1993 – July 1, 2007
Preceded by	Chester Atkins
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	December 30, 1956 (1956-12-30) (age 50) Lowell, Massachusetts
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ellen Meehan
Religion	Roman Catholic

Martin Thomas "Marty" Meehan (born December 30, 1956) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Massachusetts. A Democrat, Meehan has served in the United States House of Representatives since 1993 as the representative of Massachusetts's fifth congressional district. In July 2007, he will leave Congress to become Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1960x2792, 779 KB) Summary Official portrait of Marty Meehan. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... Massachusetts Congressional District 5 is a congressional district in northeastern Massachusetts. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Constitution, the supreme law of the land The United States Reports, the official reporter of the Supreme Court of the United States The law of the United States was originally largely derived from the common law of the system of English law, which was in force at... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      Politics of the United States takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Massachusetts Congressional District 5 is a congressional district in Massachusetts. ... The University of Massachusetts Lowell is one of five University of Massachusetts campuses. ...

Personal life and education

Meehan was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the oldest son in a family of seven children. He attended public schools in Lowell, graduating from Lowell High School in 1974. Meehan went on to the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education/political science. Later Meehan attended Suffolk University, graduating with a Master of Public Administration degree in 1981, and Suffolk University Law School, graduating with a Juris Doctor law degree in 1986. Meehan is a Roman Catholic. He has been married to Ellen T. Murphy, the former vice president at Lawrence General Hospital, since 1996, and they have two children together: Daniel Martin and Robert Francis. Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... Lowell High School is an American public high school in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts. ... The University of Massachusetts Lowell is one of five University of Massachusetts campuses. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A B.A. issused as a certificate A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ... Suffolk University is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, situated on Beacon Hill. ... The Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree is one of several master level professional public affairs degrees that provides training in public policy and project/program implementation (more recently known as public management). ... Suffolk University Law School is a private law school in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. ... Doctor of Law, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Juris Doctor (abbreviated J.D. or JD, from the Latin, Teacher of Law) is a professional degree in law offered by universities in a number of countries. ... A Law degree is the degree conferred on someone who successfully completes studies in law. ... Roman Catholicism in the United States has grown dramatically over the countrys history, from being a tiny minority faith during the time of the Thirteen Colonies to being the countrys largest profession of faith today. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Political career

Interspersed with his post-college studies, Meehan held a number of political positions. From 1978 to 1979 Meehan served on the staff to the mayor of Lowell. He was the press assistant to Representative James Shannon from 1979 to 1981 and the head research analyst for the Massachusetts Senate's joint committee on election laws from 1981 to 1984. James Michael Shannon (born April 4, 1952), also known as Jim Shannon, is a Democratic politician from Massachusetts. ... The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of Massachusetts. ...

After completing his law degree, Meehan served as director of public affairs to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth and Deputy Secretary of State for Securities and Corporations from 1986 to 1990. From 1987 to 1988, Meehan was a member of the faculty of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and Harvard Law School. From 1991 to 1992, Meehan was the First Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County. The current Secretary of the Commonwealth (Basically the Secretary of State) is William Galvin. ... The current Secretary of the Commonwealth (Basically the Secretary of State) is William Galvin. ... Harvard Law School, often referred to in shorthand as Harvard Law or HLS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. ... Middlesex County is a county located in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. ...

Meehan ran for the U.S. House in the 1992 election and was elected on November 3, 1992. He took office in January 1993. Meehan is generally considered to be a political liberal. Meehan is a prominent advocate for campaign finance reform and was one of the major sponsors of Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (called the "Shays-Meehan Bill" in the House and the "McCain-Feingold Bill" in the Senate). He has also been noted for his activism on gay rights issues; for example, Meehan is the chief sponsor of the measure repealing the don't ask, don't tell policy. The U.S. House election, 1992 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1992 which coincided with the election of Bill Clinton as President. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Campaign finance. ... The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ... LGBT rights Around the world · By country History · Groups · Activists Declaration of Montreal Same-sex relationships Marriage · Adoption Opposition · Persecution Violence This box:      Dont ask, dont tell is the common term for the U.S. military policy which implements Pub. ...

Meehan's campaign fund is among the largest campaign accounts of any House member, with $4,829,540 cash on hand reported in October 15, 2005. This is the result of raising more money than he spent in several campaigns since his first in 1992. is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the 2004 Congressional race, Meehan raised $3,170,733 and spent $459,977 of that, thus adding $2,710,756 to his cash on hand. His opponent, Tom Tierney raised $30,943 and spent $30,406. Overall, in the 2004 race, incumbents in the House of Representatives on average raised $1,122,505 compared to $192,964 for their challengers. ^[1]

Meehan was mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2004, if Massachusetts' junior senator, John Kerry, had been elected to the presidency. ^[2] The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... Al Gore (born December 11, 1943) is a Vietnam Veteran and the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. ...

Currently he is working with former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva and a bipartisan group of representatives to Capitol Hill to reintroduce the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, legislation that would repeal the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay service members.^[3] Staff Sergeant Eric Alva was the first U.S. service member injured in the Iraq war. ...

Controversies

Meehan celebrates gaining enough votes to bring his campaign finance reform bill to the floor.

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Term limits

Meehan successfully ran for the House in 1992 on a platform of reform, including a commitment to pushing through term limits for members of the House. As part of that platform, Meehan made a pledge not to serve more than four terms. On the House floor in 1995 he scolded members who might go back on their promise to limit their tenure in office. "The best test of any politicians' credibility on term limits," he said, "is whether they are willing to put their careers where their mouths are and limit their own service." Despite his pledge, Meehan again ran for Congress in the year 2000, exceeding four terms. ^[4]

Post 9/11 criticism of President Bush

Meehan came under intense criticism in the days following the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001 when the Boston Herald reported that he criticized President Bush for not returning to Washington, D.C. sooner than he did after the attacks.^[5] Meehan was quoted as saying "I don't buy the notion Air Force One was a target ... That's just PR. That's just spin."^[6]. Lowell police posted a guard outside his congressional district after receiving reports of threatening phone calls. He later said his views were misrepresented, and that he believed Bush had done "an excellent job."^[7] A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... The Boston Herald is a tabloid newspaper (not to be confused with tabloid press periodicals), the smaller of the two big dailies in Boston, Massachusetts, with a daily circulation of 230,543 in September 2005. ...

Wikipedia editing

Main article: Congressional staffer edits to Wikipedia
Wikinews has news coverage related to this page: Congressional staff actions prompt Wikipedia investigation United States Department of Justice workers among government Wikipedia vandals The Congressional staffer edits to Wikipedia refers to a number of edits by Congressional staffers of the United States Congress to the Wikipedia biographies of their...

An unidentified individual operating through the U.S. House of Representatives' internet connection made several favorable edits as well as removing statements declaring Meehan's original campaign platform that included a promise not to run for more than four terms. Meehan's own chief of staff at the time, Matt Vogel, admitted to the press that he oversaw the edits and removal of the section that pointed out Meehan's decision not to step down from office after four terms.^[8]

Committee assignments and caucus memberships

Committee assignments

• House Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Military Personnel
  • Oversight and Investigations (Chairman)
• House Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
  • Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property
  • Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims

The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. ... House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel is a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee in the United States House of Representatives. ... House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee in the United States House of Representatives. ... U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, or (more commonly) the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security is a subcommittee within the House Judiciary Committee. ... The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law (CAL) is one of five subcommittees of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. ... United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, The Internets, and Intellectual Property. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Congressional caucuses

• Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus
• Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
• Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans
• Congressional Fire Services Caucus
• Congressional Human Rights Caucus
• Congressional Manufacturing Task Force (founder)
• Congressional Task Force on Tobacco and Health (co-chair)
• Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus
• Minor League Baseball Caucus
• National Guard & Reserve Components Congressional Members Organization
• Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition (co-chair)
• Sustainable Development Caucus (co-chair)

Retirement from Congress

On March 14, 2007, Meehan was named Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. On May 9, 2007, Meehan delivered an official resignation statement to the Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), indicating that he would leave his post on July 1 of the same year. ^[9] In response, Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) announced a September 4 primary and an October 16 special election to determine Meehan's successor. March 14 is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The University of Massachusetts Lowell is one of five University of Massachusetts campuses. ... The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress (ie: the House of Commons or House of Representatives). ... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician and the 71st and current Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. ... The U.S. state of Massachusetts will hold a special election to fill an upcoming vacancy in Massachusettss 5th congressional district. ...

References

1. ^ 2004 ELECTION OVERVIEW: Incumbent Advantage on http://www.opensecrets.org. Accessed 7 February 2006.
2. ^ Successors in the Wings on http://www.washingtonpost.com. Accessed 6 May 2007.
3. ^ progressiveu.org
4. ^ Catherine Edwards, The Promise of Term Limits, June 28, 1999. Accessed on 7 February 2006.
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ cnn.com
7. ^ wired.com
8. ^ Associated Press, Meehan staff are said to admit rewriting data
9. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070509/ap_on_go_co/meehan_resignation;_ylt=AgPKNRPqEMoJqC7mzIBmrNmyFz4D

February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

Wikinews has news related to:

Congressional staff actions prompt Wikipedia investigation

• U.S. Congressman Marty Meehan official House site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission - Martin T Meehan campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues - Marty Meehan issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Marty Meehan campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - Representative Martin T. 'Marty' Meehan (MA) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Marty Meehan profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Marty Meehan voting record
• Marty Meehan for Congress official campaign site
• Congress 'made Wikipedia changes' Matthew Davis, BBC News, February 9, 2006