Jonathan Hecht is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 29th Middlesex district from 2009 to 2021.
Jon Hecht | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 29th Middlesex district | |
| In office January 7, 2009 – January 6, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Rachel Kaprielian |
| Succeeded by | Steve Owens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jonathan Hecht Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lora Sabin |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Stanford University (AB) Harvard University (JD) Tufts University (MA) |
Early life and education
editBorn in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Hecht spent his youth in Belmont, attending Belmont Public Schools. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Stanford University in 1981, a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1988, and a Master of Arts in law and diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1990.[1][2][3]
Career
editHecht was a New York City attorney before working as a program officer for human rights and governance for the Ford Foundation in Beijing from 1990 to 1994. He was a research fellow and law lecturer in East Asian legal studies at Harvard Law School from 1994 to 1998. He co-founded the China Law Center at Yale Law School in 1999 and was its deputy director until 2006.[1][2]
A former board member of the Arsenal Center for the Arts, Hecht won a seat on the Watertown Town Council in 2005, later serving as chair the council's budget, economic development, and rules committees.[1]
Elected as a Democrat to the 29th Middlesex District seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2008, Hecht is Vice Chair of the Elder Affairs Committee and a member of the House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight and the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. He is a member of the Mental Health Caucus, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Caucus, and Urban Parks Caucus.[1]
In December 2011, Hecht was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the special election to replace Steven Tolman in the Massachusetts Senate, but lost to state representative Will Brownsberger in the primary election.[4]
Personal life
editHecht and his wife Lora Sabin, a public health economist at Boston University School of Public Health, reside in Watertown and have four children.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Member Profile - Jonathan Hecht". Massachusetts General Court. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ a b "Jonathan Hecht". Yale Law School. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System".
- ^ Tucker, Franklin; Breitrose, Charlie (December 14, 2011). "Why Will Won: Staying Close to Home Pays Off for Brownsberger". Belmont Patch. Belmont, MA.