John Lynch
Encyclopedia
John H. Lynch is the 80th and current Governor
of New Hampshire
. Lynch was first elected in 2004 and has been re-elected every two years since. On September 15, 2011, Lynch announced he would not seek a fifth two-year term in 2012
.
, the fifth of William and Margaret Lynch's six children. He attended local schools prior to earning his undergraduate degree
from the University of New Hampshire
in 1974, an MBA from Harvard Business School
, and a Juris Doctor
degree from Georgetown University Law Center
.
Prior to his election, Lynch's career included work as Director of Admissions at Harvard Business School
, CEO of Knoll Inc.
, a national furniture manufacturer, and president of The Lynch Group, a business consulting firm in Manchester, New Hampshire
. Lynch was serving as Chairman of the University System of New Hampshire
Board of Trustees when he announced he would run for governor.
While CEO of Knoll Inc., he transformed the $50 million a year losses into a profit of nearly $240 million. Under his leadership, Knoll created new jobs, gave factory workers annual bonuses, established a scholarship program for the children of employees, created retirement
plans for employees who didn’t have any, and gave workers stock in the company.
He and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch
, a pediatrician at Concord Hospital
and a Childhood Obesity Activist, live in Hopkinton, New Hampshire
. They have three children, Jacqueline, Julia and Hayden. Jacqu the eldest, recently graduated from Bucknell University. Julia currently attends Dartmouth College
in New Hampshire. Hayden currently attends Brooks School
in North Andover, Massachusetts
.
by a narrow margin. Lynch was the first challenger to defeat a one-term incumbent in the state in 78 years. He was sworn in on January 6, 2005.
Lynch was elected to a second two-year term by a 74-26 margin over Republican Jim Coburn
. Lynch's 74 percent share of the vote was the largest margin of victory ever in a New Hampshire gubernatorial race.
Lynch was elected to a third two-year term in 2008 by a 70-28 over Republican state senator Joe Kenney
.
Governor Lynch won a historic fourth term on November 2, 2010. According to the Concord Monitor "When he begins his fourth two-year term in January, Lynch will become the state's longest-serving governor in nearly two centuries. John Taylor Gilman was the last governor to serve longer than six years, serving 14 one-year terms as governor between 1794 and 1816. (The state switched to two-year terms in 1877)"
After his successful re-election in 2006, his approval rating rose to 79 percent in November and his disapproval rating dropped to 17 percent. This made him the second most popular governor in the nation behind John Hoeven
. The latest poll released April 23, 2009 by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found 70 percent of New Hampshire adults approve of how Lynch is handling his job as governor.
April 2010 polling by Rasmussen reports that Lynch's approval ratings stand at 59%.
hit New Hampshire, Lynch cut spending while preserving essential services. In 2008, New Hampshire won the "Most Livable State Award" for the fifth consecutive year.
In his second term, Lynch supported efforts to help small businesses better afford health insurance for their workers; to join a regional effort to fight global warming
; to help more young people graduate from high school; and to build New Hampshire's economy. Under Lynch, New Hampshire offered a research-and-development tax credit to encourage businesses to innovate; a new tax credit focused on bringing jobs to the struggling North Country; and a job training fund to help workers and businesses compete globally. Lynch is currently working to bring New Hampshire in line with the Renewable Energy Act.
Lynch has worked with the Attorney General, police chiefs from across New Hampshire and lawmakers to pass sex offender
laws; increased the state police; and increased the number of state prosecutors. New Hampshire was rated the "Safest State" in the Nation in 2008 and 2009. New Hampshire again boasts the nation’s lowest murder rate and the second-lowest rates for aggravated assault, according to CQ Press. Lynch issued the following statement after the announcement of the award in 2009:
In April 2006, Lynch was awarded the National Chairman of Volunteers Award for Volunteer Excellence by the American Red Cross
, mainly due to his leadership during the 2005 floods
.
On June 3, 2009, Lynch signed a same-sex marriage
bill into law, despite being personally opposed to gay marriages, making New Hampshire the fifth state in the U.S. to allow such unions.
and the Democratic Governors Association
.
, Lynch formally endorsed Barack Obama
for President. His wife, Susan, endorsed Hillary Clinton during the New Hampshire Primary and served as national Co-Chairwoman of "Hillary for President". "As a mother and as a pediatrician, I share Hillary Clinton’s commitment to fighting for children and families. We face big challenges, and I believe Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to deliver the changes we need," Dr. Lynch said in a statement shortly before an appearance with Clinton. During the 2004 presidential election, Dr. Lynch supported Former Vermont
Governor Howard Dean
for President and was a member of "Doctors for Dean".
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Governor of New Hampshire
The Governor of the State of New Hampshire is the supreme executive magistrate of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.The governor is elected at the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Vermont, to hold...
of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Lynch was first elected in 2004 and has been re-elected every two years since. On September 15, 2011, Lynch announced he would not seek a fifth two-year term in 2012
New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2012
The 2012 New Hampshire gubernatorial election will take place on November 6, 2012.Four-term incumbent governor John Lynch is eligible to seek a fifth term but has publicly stated his intention to retire.-Candidates:...
.
Personal life and career
Lynch was born in Waltham, MassachusettsWaltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
, the fifth of William and Margaret Lynch's six children. He attended local schools prior to earning his undergraduate 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 the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
in 1974, an MBA from Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, and a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
.
Prior to his election, Lynch's career included work as Director of Admissions at Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, CEO of Knoll Inc.
Knoll (company)
Knoll is a design firm that produces office systems, seating, files and storage, tables and desks, textiles , and accessories for office and for the home. The company also manufactures furniture for the home by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll , Frank Gehry, Maya Lin and...
, a national furniture manufacturer, and president of The Lynch Group, a business consulting firm in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
. Lynch was serving as Chairman of the University System of New Hampshire
University System of New Hampshire
The University System of New Hampshire , established in 1963, is responsible for overseeing the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Keene State College, and Granite State College. The University System is the largest provider of post-secondary education in New Hampshire...
Board of Trustees when he announced he would run for governor.
While CEO of Knoll Inc., he transformed the $50 million a year losses into a profit of nearly $240 million. Under his leadership, Knoll created new jobs, gave factory workers annual bonuses, established a scholarship program for the children of employees, created retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
plans for employees who didn’t have any, and gave workers stock in the company.
He and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch
Susan Lynch (pediatrician)
Dr. Susan Lynch is a pediatrician who works as a pediatric lipid specialist in the Cholesterol Treatment Center at Concord Hospital in Concord, New Hampshire. She is the wife of John Lynch, the Democratic third-term Governor of New Hampshire. She has been the First Lady of New Hampshire since...
, a pediatrician at Concord Hospital
Concord Hospital (New Hampshire)
Concord Hospital is an acute-care hospital located in Concord, New Hampshire. It has a capacity of 295 beds and is a Level II trauma center.-History:The Concord Hospital Association was founded in 1884, to provide care to the poor and sick of the Concord area...
and a Childhood Obesity Activist, live in Hopkinton, New Hampshire
Hopkinton, New Hampshire
Hopkinton is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,589 at the 2010 census. It consists of three villages: Hopkinton, West Hopkinton, and Contoocook...
. They have three children, Jacqueline, Julia and Hayden. Jacqu the eldest, recently graduated from Bucknell University. Julia currently attends Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in New Hampshire. Hayden currently attends Brooks School
Brooks School
Brooks School is a private, co-educational, preparatory, secondary school in North Andover, Massachusetts on the shores of Lake Cochichewick.-History:...
in North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. North Andover is the home of Merrimack College, a private, Catholic four-year institution ....
.
Elections
A businessman and Democratic Party politician, Lynch was elected the 80th Governor of New Hampshire on November 2, 2004, defeating Republican incumbent Craig BensonCraig Benson
Craig R. Benson is an American politician and businessman. He served as Governor of New Hampshire from 2003 to 2005...
by a narrow margin. Lynch was the first challenger to defeat a one-term incumbent in the state in 78 years. He was sworn in on January 6, 2005.
Lynch was elected to a second two-year term by a 74-26 margin over Republican Jim Coburn
Jim Coburn
James B. "Jim" Coburn is an entrepreneur, former New Hampshire state representative, and a former Republican candidate for Governor of New Hampshire...
. Lynch's 74 percent share of the vote was the largest margin of victory ever in a New Hampshire gubernatorial race.
Lynch was elected to a third two-year term in 2008 by a 70-28 over Republican state senator Joe Kenney
Joseph Kenney
Joseph D. Kenney is a former Republican member of the New Hampshire Senate, representing the 3rd District from 2002 to 2008. Previously he was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1994 until 2002....
.
Governor Lynch won a historic fourth term on November 2, 2010. According to the Concord Monitor "When he begins his fourth two-year term in January, Lynch will become the state's longest-serving governor in nearly two centuries. John Taylor Gilman was the last governor to serve longer than six years, serving 14 one-year terms as governor between 1794 and 1816. (The state switched to two-year terms in 1877)"
Job approval ratings
In a Survey USA Governor's Ratings poll released on December 20, 2005, Lynch was ranked as the most popular of all Democratic incumbents, with 69 percent approval versus 21 percent disapproval. As of February 2008, he had an approval rating of 73 percent, one of the highest such ratings in the country. As of June 20, 2008 his approval rating was 57 percent good or excellent and 11 percent poor.After his successful re-election in 2006, his approval rating rose to 79 percent in November and his disapproval rating dropped to 17 percent. This made him the second most popular governor in the nation behind John Hoeven
John Hoeven
John Henry Hoeven III is the junior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Republican Party. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Kent Conrad retires from the Senate in January 2013.Hoeven served as the 31st Governor of North Dakota,...
. The latest poll released April 23, 2009 by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found 70 percent of New Hampshire adults approve of how Lynch is handling his job as governor.
April 2010 polling by Rasmussen reports that Lynch's approval ratings stand at 59%.
Work as Governor
As governor, Lynch has refused to enact a Sales or Income Tax for New Hampshire, in spite of the fact that such broadbased taxes had the support of the Democratic majority in the NH house. He has increased the state's Rainy Day reserve fund to record levels. When the national economic downturnGlobal recession
A global recession is a period of global economic slowdown. The International Monetary Fund takes many factors into account when defining a global recession, but it states that global economic growth of 3 percent or less is "equivalent to a global recession".By this measure, four periods since...
hit New Hampshire, Lynch cut spending while preserving essential services. In 2008, New Hampshire won the "Most Livable State Award" for the fifth consecutive year.
In his second term, Lynch supported efforts to help small businesses better afford health insurance for their workers; to join a regional effort to fight global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
; to help more young people graduate from high school; and to build New Hampshire's economy. Under Lynch, New Hampshire offered a research-and-development tax credit to encourage businesses to innovate; a new tax credit focused on bringing jobs to the struggling North Country; and a job training fund to help workers and businesses compete globally. Lynch is currently working to bring New Hampshire in line with the Renewable Energy Act.
Lynch has worked with the Attorney General, police chiefs from across New Hampshire and lawmakers to pass sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
laws; increased the state police; and increased the number of state prosecutors. New Hampshire was rated the "Safest State" in the Nation in 2008 and 2009. New Hampshire again boasts the nation’s lowest murder rate and the second-lowest rates for aggravated assault, according to CQ Press. Lynch issued the following statement after the announcement of the award in 2009:
In April 2006, Lynch was awarded the National Chairman of Volunteers Award for Volunteer Excellence by the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, mainly due to his leadership during the 2005 floods
Northeast U.S. flooding of October 2005
In October 2005, remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy and Subtropical Depression Twenty-Two merged with incoming continental cold fronts to produce torrential rains over interior New England, as well as over parts of New Jersey and New York. Particularly hard hit was the state of New Hampshire, which...
.
On June 3, 2009, Lynch signed a same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
bill into law, despite being personally opposed to gay marriages, making New Hampshire the fifth state in the U.S. to allow such unions.
Organizations
As Governor, Lynch is a member of both the National Governors AssociationNational Governors Association
The National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...
and the Democratic Governors Association
Democratic Governors Association
The Democratic Governors Association is a Washington, D.C. based 527 organization founded in 1983, consisting of U.S. state and territorial governors affiliated with the Democratic Party. The mission of the organization is to provide party support to the election and re-election of Democratic...
.
2008 presidential election
Lynch, one of eight superdelegates from New Hampshire, remained neutral during the 2008 primary to "focus on being a good host to the primary", according to a statement by spokesman Colin Manning. At an event on June 27, 2008 in Unity, New HampshireUnity, New Hampshire
Unity is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,671 at the 2010 census. The town includes the villages of Unity, East Unity, Quaker City, and West Unity.- Geography :...
, Lynch formally endorsed Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for President. His wife, Susan, endorsed Hillary Clinton during the New Hampshire Primary and served as national Co-Chairwoman of "Hillary for President". "As a mother and as a pediatrician, I share Hillary Clinton’s commitment to fighting for children and families. We face big challenges, and I believe Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to deliver the changes we need," Dr. Lynch said in a statement shortly before an appearance with Clinton. During the 2004 presidential election, Dr. Lynch supported Former Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
Governor Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
for President and was a member of "Doctors for Dean".
Electoral history
External links
- New Hampshire Governor John Lynch official state site
- John Lynch for New Hampshire official campaign site
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