Jump to content

Patricia D. Jehlen

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patricia D. Jehlen
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
from the 2nd Middlesex district
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 12, 2005
Preceded byCharles E. Shannon, Jr.
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 27th Middlesex District
In office
2003–2005
Preceded byAlice Wolf
Succeeded byDenise Provost
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 30th Middlesex District
In office
1991–2003
Preceded byJoseph Mackey
Personal details
Born (1943-10-14) October 14, 1943 (age 81)
Austin, Texas
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceSomerville, Massachusetts
Alma materSwarthmore College
Harvard University
University of Massachusetts Boston

Patricia Deats Jehlen is a former teacher and current Massachusetts State Senator of the Democratic Party. She represents the Second Middlesex District, which includes Cambridge, Ward 7 Precinct 1, Ward 8 Precinct 1, Ward 10,[1] Medford, Somerville, Winchester, precincts 4 to 7.

She has been a Massachusetts State Senator since 2005. She was in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1991 to 2003.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

She was born October 14, 1943, in Austin, Texas, the first child of Paul Deats, a Methodist minister, and Ruth, a community activist and Girl Scout leader. She has two younger sisters, Carolyn and Fran, and a younger brother, Randy. The family moved to Massachusetts in 1950, when Paul took a job at the Boston University School of Theology.[3]

Jehlen later attended Swarthmore College, receiving a B.A. in history, and Harvard University, completing a master's degree in teaching. She later received a second master's degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston, in history. She currently taught a course in Health Politics and Public Policy at the Boston University School of Public Health. Jehlen began her career as a secondary school history teacher.

Somerville School Committee

[edit]

In 1976, Jehlen ran and was elected to the Somerville School Committee. She was on the school committee until 1991.

Massachusetts House of Representatives

[edit]

Jehlen served from 1991 to 2005 in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Massachusetts Senate

[edit]

The Massachusetts Senate seat for the 2nd Middlesex district became open on April 5, 2004, following the death of Senator Charlie Shannon. A special election was soon declared to fill his seat. Jehlen, whose state house district lay within the senate district vacated by Shannon, entered the race.[4][5] Jehlen staked out her position early as "the progressive", with the support of a plethora of unions and statewide and national progressive organizations, including MassEquality, SEIU, and Democracy for America. Although the race was considered wide open, with expectations that any of the four candidates could win, Jehlen won a substantial victory in the August 30th primary:[6][7]

  • 38% Pat Jehlen
  • 27% Joe Mackey
  • 22% Michael Callahan
  • 13% Paul Casey

She went on to defeat Republican candidate William White, Somerville alderman-at-large, in the general election on September 27, 2005, and was sworn in by Governor Mitt Romney on October 12.[8]

In the Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2014, Jehlen endorsed Don Berwick for Governor of Massachusetts[9]

In the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016, Jehlen endorsed Bernie Sanders.

In the 2016 democratic primary, Jehlen won against Leland Cheung, 80% to 20%

In 2025, Jehlen opposed construction of a two-building dorm at 401 Boston Ave. to house nearly 700 Tufts upperclassmen.[10]

See also

[edit]
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Patricia D. Jehlen.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Senator Patricia D. Jehlen". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  2. ^ "Patricia D. Jehlen". The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  3. ^ "About | Pat Jehlen". Archived from the original on 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  4. ^ "From victories to political turmoil, 2005 left its mark - Woburn, MA - Woburn Advocate". Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  5. ^ Ebbert, Stephanie (August 27, 2005). "Four Democrats vie for open Senate seat". The Boston Globe.
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ "Jehlen tops Democratic state Senate primary". The Boston Globe. August 31, 2005.
  8. ^ "A new senator Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine." The Boston Globe. October 13, 2005.
  9. ^ Shira Schoenberg (June 10, 2014). "Massachusetts House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano endorses Juliette Kayyem for governor". MassLive Politics. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  10. ^ "New Boston Avenue dorm faces growing opposition, final decision on site plan postponed". The Tufts Daily. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
Retrieved from "http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Patricia_D._Jehlen&oldid=1271918321"