Christopher S. "Chris" Friend (born December 21, 1972) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 chemist

Chemist

A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...

 and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 who represents the 137th Assembly District of the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

. He is a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 and represents parts of Schuyler

Schuyler County, New York

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,224 people, 7,374 households, and 5,191 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile . There were 9,181 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...

 and Chemung

Chemung County, New York

Chemung County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Chemung County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 88,830. Its name is derived from the name of a Delaware Indian village . Its...

 Counties.

A native of Big Flats

Big Flats, New York

Big Flats, New York may refer to:* Big Flats , New York in Chemung County* Big Flats , New York, a Census-Designated Place within the Town of Big Flats...

 and a 1991 graduate of Horseheads High School

Horseheads High School

Horseheads High School is a public institution for secondary education in the rural town of Horseheads, New York. The current principal is Karen Donahue, and the current assistant principals are Dan Busek and Michael McCawley.The communities of the Town and Village of Horseheads, Big Flats, Elmira...

, he completed a B.S. in chemistry at 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...

 before earning Master's

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 and Ph.D.

Ph.D.

A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 degrees in chemistry at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He was named a National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...

 IGERT

NSF-GRF

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program is an annual grant awarded by the National Science Foundation to approximately 2,000 doctoral-level students in the natural, social, and engineering sciences at US institutions...

 Fellow and has published more than 20 scientific papers and symposia.

In 2006, he was elected to the Chemung County Legislature. In 2010, he won election to the State Assembly after winning Republican and Conservative

Conservative Party of New York

The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....

 party primaries against Chemung

Chemung, New York

Chemung is a town in Chemung County, New York, USA. The population was 2,665 at the 2000 census. The town name is derived from the river flowing through it, which means in the native dialect, "Big Horn."...

 Town Supervisor

Town supervisor

Town Supervisor is an elective legislative position in New York towns. Supervisors sit on the town board, where they preside over town board meetings and vote on all matters with no more legal weight than that of any other board member .Towns may adopt local laws that allow them to provide for an...

 George Richter, the endorsed candidate, who later endorsed Friend. The seat had become vacant after former Assemblyman Tom O'Mara

Tom O'Mara

Thomas F. "Tom" O'Mara is a Republican member of the New York State Senate, representing the 53rd senate district, which includes all of Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben and Yates counties, and a portion of Tompkins County .O'Mara was raised in Horseheads, New York. He holds a B.A...

 ran successfully for the New York State Senate

New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

.

Friend resides in Big Flats with his wife Renée and their four children: Brianna, Joshua, Ashley, and Elijah.

External links

• New York State Assembly website