Patricia McGovern
Encyclopedia
Patricia McGovern is an attorney
and former Democratic
Massachusetts
State Senator from Lawrence, Massachusetts
. She is currently the General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate and Community Affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
.
. She also studied at the Hague Academy of International Law
.
McGovern served in the Massachusetts Senate
for 12 years, from 1981 to 1993, and was the first woman to chair the powerful Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ways and Means. While the Chair of that Committee McGovern was the principal architect of the first serious effort in Massachusetts to enact a universal health insurance law. Under her stewardship, such a law was enacted in 1988 – with the controversial inclusion of a payroll tax – but the law was never implemented by the newly elected Governor of the Commonwealth, the Republican William Weld
, because of his opposition to the payroll tax. However, Michael Dukakis
used the enactment of the universal health care law on the campaign trail in his run for the U.S. Presidency, notwithstanding that McGovern had done most of the hard lifting in getting it enacted. This may parallel former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney
's use of the recently enacted Universal Health provisions in Massachusetts – this time with the controversial mandate that all citizens of the Commonwealth must purchase health insurance or be fined, and this time with most of the heavy lifting done by former State Senate President Robert Travaglini
– in his own quest for the Presidency.
In 1998 McGovern sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Massachusetts but lost to Scott Harshbarger
. She received 31 percent of the vote.
McGovern has also served as Executive Vice President for External Affairs at CareGroup Healthcare System and practiced law at the Boston law firm of Goulston & Storrs. In addition, she was the Executive Director of the Governor’s Committee on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice in the Executive Office of Public Safety, and has participated in a number of Blue Ribbon Committees and Commissions, including most recently the Transportation Finance Commission. She became senior vice president for corporate and community affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
and also became its general counsel in 2005.
The Senator Patricia McGovern Transportation Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts
is named for the former Senator. The center, which opened in 2005, is a bus and train station serving Lawrence and the neighboring towns of Andover
and North Andover
.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and former Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
State Senator from Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
. She is currently the General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate and Community Affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts is a major flagship teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. It was formed out of the 1996 merger of Beth Israel Hospital and New England Deaconess Hospital...
.
Biography
Patricia McGovern holds a bachelor's degree and law degree from Suffolk UniversitySuffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
. She also studied at the Hague Academy of International Law
Hague Academy of International Law
The Hague Academy of International Law is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands...
.
McGovern served in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
for 12 years, from 1981 to 1993, and was the first woman to chair the powerful Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ways and Means. While the Chair of that Committee McGovern was the principal architect of the first serious effort in Massachusetts to enact a universal health insurance law. Under her stewardship, such a law was enacted in 1988 – with the controversial inclusion of a payroll tax – but the law was never implemented by the newly elected Governor of the Commonwealth, the Republican William Weld
William Weld
William Floyd Weld is a former governor of the US state of Massachusetts. He served as that state's 68th governor from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...
, because of his opposition to the payroll tax. However, Michael Dukakis
Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
used the enactment of the universal health care law on the campaign trail in his run for the U.S. Presidency, notwithstanding that McGovern had done most of the hard lifting in getting it enacted. This may parallel former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
's use of the recently enacted Universal Health provisions in Massachusetts – this time with the controversial mandate that all citizens of the Commonwealth must purchase health insurance or be fined, and this time with most of the heavy lifting done by former State Senate President Robert Travaglini
Robert Travaglini
Robert E. Travaglini is a former President of the Massachusetts Senate. He represented the First Middlesex and Suffolk senatorial district, encompassing portions of Boston, Revere, Winthrop and Cambridge....
– in his own quest for the Presidency.
In 1998 McGovern sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Massachusetts but lost to Scott Harshbarger
Scott Harshbarger
Luther Scott Harshbarger is a lawyer and a Democratic politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.-Education and early career:...
. She received 31 percent of the vote.
McGovern has also served as Executive Vice President for External Affairs at CareGroup Healthcare System and practiced law at the Boston law firm of Goulston & Storrs. In addition, she was the Executive Director of the Governor’s Committee on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice in the Executive Office of Public Safety, and has participated in a number of Blue Ribbon Committees and Commissions, including most recently the Transportation Finance Commission. She became senior vice president for corporate and community affairs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts is a major flagship teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. It was formed out of the 1996 merger of Beth Israel Hospital and New England Deaconess Hospital...
and also became its general counsel in 2005.
The Senator Patricia McGovern Transportation Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
is named for the former Senator. The center, which opened in 2005, is a bus and train station serving Lawrence and the neighboring towns of Andover
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
and North Andover
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 ....
.