Matthew P. Denn (born February 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician from New Castle County, Delaware.[1] He served as the 45th attorney general of Delaware from 2015 until 2019. Denn previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Delaware from 2009 to 2015, and was the Insurance Commissioner of Delaware from 2005 to 2009. After leaving public office, Denn joined the global law firm DLA Piper as Managing Partner of the firm's Wilmington office.[2]
Matthew Denn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 45th Attorney General of Delaware | |
| In office January 6, 2015 – January 1, 2019 | |
| Governor | Jack Markell John Carney |
| Preceded by | Beau Biden |
| Succeeded by | Kathy Jennings |
| 25th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware | |
| In office January 20, 2009 – January 6, 2015 | |
| Governor | Jack Markell |
| Preceded by | John Carney |
| Succeeded by | Bethany Hall-Long |
| Insurance Commissioner of Delaware | |
| In office January 4, 2005 – January 4, 2009 | |
| Governor | Ruth Ann Minner |
| Preceded by | Donna Lee Williams |
| Succeeded by | Karen Stewart |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 9, 1966 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Michele |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) Yale University (JD) |
Early life and education
editDenn was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Morton Denn, a Professor Emeritus of chemical engineering at the City College of New York, and Marilyn Denn. He grew up in suburban Hockessin and attended H.B. du Pont Middle School. He later moved to California with his family during high school.[3] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, and he received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1991.
Professional career
editReturning to Delaware in 1991, Denn worked for two years with Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, providing pro bono legal services to the underserved and underrepresented.[4] Entering private practice, Denn became a partner with the law firm of Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor in 2000. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Young Lawyers Section of the Delaware State Bar Association. [citation needed]
In 1998, Denn was appointed by Governor Tom Carper to serve as chairman of the Child Protection Accountability Commission,[4] formed following the death of a four year old whose abuse and neglect went undetected by a state investigation.[5] Under Denn's leadership, the commission lobbied to for caseload standards and career ladders for child protection workers, working to prevent inexperience and high turnover from compromising child safety.[6]
Political career
editDenn served as Governor Ruth Ann Minner's legal counsel from 2001 through 2003, writing legislation including the Patient's Bill of Rights and the Emergency Health Powers Act.[4][7]
In 1998, Denn ran for a seat in the Delaware State Senate against incumbent Republican Bob Connor. He lost that race but was elected State Insurance Commissioner in 2004, defeating Karen Weldin Stewart in the Democratic primary race, and later defeating Republican Party candidate, Dave Ennis, a member of Delaware General Assembly, in the general election. Denn served as Insurance Commissioner from January 4, 2005, until January 4, 2009.
Denn was elected Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 2008, winning 61 percent of the vote to defeat Republican opponent State Senator Charlie Copeland. Another Democratic candidate, Wilmington City Council President Ted Blunt, ended his campaign in spring 2008, allowing Denn to avoid a primary contest. He took office in a ceremony just after midnight on January 20, 2009.[8] As Lieutenant Governor, Denn focused on issues affecting children.[9]
In 2014, Denn was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, and he defeated Republican nominee Ted Kittila in the November general election.[10] He served until 2019 and did not seek reelection.[11]
Personal life
editDenn lives in Newark, Delaware with his wife, Michele, and their twin sons. He is Jewish.[12]
Electoral history
edit| Election results | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % |
| 1996 | State Senate | General | Matthew P. Denn | Democratic | 6,632 | 45.7% | Robert T. Connor | Republican | 7,860 | 54.2% | ||||
| 2004 | Insurance Commissioner | Primary | Matthew P. Denn | Democratic | 18,436 | 58% | Karen Weldin Stewart | Democratic | 13,363 | 42% | ||||
| 2004 | Insurance Commissioner | General | Matthew P. Denn | Democratic | 182,619 | 53% | David H. Ennis | Republican | 163,027 | 47% | ||||
| 2008 | Lieutenant Governor | General | Matthew P. Denn | Democratic | 236,741 | 61% | Charles L. Copeland | Republican | 149,222 | 39% | Peter Cullen | Blue Enigma | 1,681 | 0.5% |
| 2012 | Lieutenant Governor | General | Matthew P. Denn | Democratic | 238,957 | 61.6% | Cheryl "Sher" Valenzuela | Republican | 143,978 | 37.1% | Margaret McKeown | Libertarian | 5,206 | 1.3% |
| 2014 | Attorney General | General | Matthew P. Denn | Democratic | 121,410 | 52.8% | Theodore A. Kittila | Republican | 90,257 | 39.2% | Catherine Damavandi | Green | 10,599 | 4.6% |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Matt Denn - Candidate". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
- ^ "Former Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn joins DLA Piper's Litigation practice". Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "Matthew P. Denn, Esq". Leadership Delaware. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Matt Denn for Delaware Attorney General". Matt Denn for Delaware Attorney General. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "MARTIN V. STATE, 99C-01-275-CHT (DEL.SUPR. 1-17-2001)". Superior Court of Delaware, New Castle County. 17 January 2001. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
- ^ "Office of the Child Advocate of the State of Delaware". courts.delaware.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
- ^ "Official biography". Archived from the original on 2012-05-17.
- ^ "YouTube video". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
- ^ "Official website". Archived from the original on 2013-09-18.
- ^ Parra, Esteban (November 5, 2014). "Denn takes race for Attorney General". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE.
- ^ Bittle, Matt (December 16, 2018). "Matt Denn reflects as AG term ends". Delaware State News.
- ^ Mahtesian, Charles (24 August 2012). "The governor of Jewish outreach". POLITICO. Retrieved 2 April 2020.