Deval Patrick
A barrier-breaking governor who rose from Chicago's South Side to lead Massachusetts with a steady hand and a belief in optimistic government.
Born 1956 (age 70)·Governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015·Birthday: July 31·Baby Boomers
Biography
Deval Patrick's story is a distinctly American ascent. Raised in a struggling neighborhood, his trajectory was altered by a scholarship to Milton Academy and later Harvard, setting him on a path through corporate law and civil rights work at the Justice Department. His 2006 campaign for governor of Massachusetts was an unlikely success, making him only the second African-American elected governor in U.S. history. In office, he navigated the Great Recession, championed landmark healthcare cost control and renewable energy initiatives, and presided over a boom in the state's life sciences sector. Patrick governed with a calm, pragmatic demeanor, often speaking of 'generational responsibility' and aiming to bridge political divides, leaving office with high approval ratings and a legacy of competent, forward-looking leadership.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Deval was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Deval Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Deval's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Elected as the first African-American governor of Massachusetts, serving two terms from 2007 to 2015.
- Signed the 2012 Health Care Cost Containment Law, a model for controlling medical spending while improving quality.
- Oversaw the passage of the 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act, committing Massachusetts to sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
- Served as U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division under President Bill Clinton, overseeing key voting rights and police misconduct cases.
Did You Know?
He is a descendant of enslaved people who, after emancipation, took the surname 'Patrick' from their former owner.
As a college student, he lived and worked for a year in a rural Sudanese village through a UNICEF project.
He was a managing director at Bain Capital before running for governor.
He and his wife, Diane, were high school sweethearts.
“Hope is not a passive virtue. It is an active discipline.”
