Joseph M. Suggs Jr. (born August 1, 1940)[1] is an American politician who served as Connecticut State Treasurer from 1993 to 1995.[2]
Joseph M. Suggs Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Connecticut State Treasurer | |
| In office March 3, 1993 – 1995 | |
| Governor | Lowell Weicker |
| Preceded by | Francisco L. Borges |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Burnham |
| Mayor of Bloomfield, Connecticut | |
| In office 1989–1993 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 1, 1940 Hartford, Connecticut, US |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Residence | Bloomfield, Connecticut |
| Alma mater | University of Hartford (BS) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Biography
editSuggs was appointed to the office of state treasurer by the Connecticut General Assembly to complete the term of Francisco L. Borges, who had resigned to accept a finance job in the private sector. Suggs lost the 1994 general election for treasurer to Republican state representative Christopher Burnham. A Democrat, Suggs had served as mayor of Bloomfield, Connecticut, from 1989 to 1993.[3] He was the town's first African American mayor and the only Black mayor of a suburban Connecticut town at the time.[4] In 1998, Suggs sought the Democratic nomination for Connecticut's 1st congressional district, losing the primary to John B. Larson.[5] In 2018, he narrowly lost a special election for the Connecticut House of Representatives.[6]
Suggs worked 27 years as a laboratory supervisor for Monsanto, retiring in 1993. He supported the development of PET plastic bottles now widely used in the beverage industry.[3] Born in Hartford and raised in Coventry, he served in the US Air Force and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Hartford in 1978.[1] He has served on the boards of the University of Hartford and Saint Francis Hospital and as co-chair of the Council of Institutional Investors. He was recognized twice by the NAACP as one of the 100 Most Influential Blacks of Connecticut. He is currently a business consultant.[7][3]
Personal life
editSuggs is a widower (his wife Mary died in 1989) with three children: Ronald, Rosemary, and Felicia.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Four for the 1st: The Democratic Primary Candidates in the 1st Congressional District". Hartford Courant. September 6, 1998. p. C1.
- ^ "Connecticut State Treasurers". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Joseph M. Suggs, Jr, Biographical Sketch" (PDF). CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. n.d. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Green, Rick (March 24, 1991). "Mayor about Town - Everywhere Bloomfield looks, Joseph M. Suggs Jr. is there, listening to his town's concerns". Hartford Courant. p. 153. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ Pazniokas, Mark (September 16, 1998). "Larson win primary: Former senator stages comeback in 1st District". Hartford Courant. p. 32. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ Pazniokas, Mark (January 10, 2018). "Gibson defeats Suggs in special House election". The CT Mirror. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ Pazniokas, Mark (September 12, 1998). "Fund-raising brings just a trickle". Hartford Courant. p. 19. Retrieved December 28, 2021.