Parris Glendening

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Prince George's County, Maryland Executive (1982–1994) Governor of Maryland (1995–2003)
Parris Glendening
59^th Governor of Maryland
Preceded by	William Donald Schaefer
Succeeded by	Robert Ehrlich
Born	June 11, 1942 The Bronx, New York City
Political party	Democratic
Religion	Catholic
Spouse	Lynne Shaw, divorced Frances Hughes, divorced Jennifer Crawford

Parris Nelson Glendening (born June 11, 1942), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 59^th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1995 to 2003. He was also County Executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 1982-1994.

1 Early life and career
2 Governor of Maryland
3 2002 Gubernatorial election
4 Life after the governorship
5 References

[edit] Early life and career

Glendening was born and raised Roman Catholic in the Bronx, New York City, but also spent much of his youth in the state of Florida. Growing up in poverty, Glendening sought a scholarship to Broward Community College. Other financial aid later enabled him to attend Florida State University, where he received a bachelor's degree (1964), a master's degree (1965), and a Ph.D. (1967), becoming the youngest student in FSU history to receive a doctorate in political science and urban administration. Upon graduation, he began a career as a professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he taught Government and Politics for 27 years. In 1984, he co-authored Pragmatic Federalism: An Intergovernmental View of American Government, a textbook used in over 400 colleges and universities.

Glendening's career in public service began in 1973 as a city councilman in the town of Hyattsville, Maryland. He was elected to the county council of Prince George's County, Maryland in 1974 and twice served as council Chair. In 1982, he was elected County Executive of Prince George's County, and was the first county executive in Maryland history to be elected to three terms (1982-1994). Under Glendening's leadership, Prince George's County was selected as an "All America County" by the National Civic League, and City and State Magazine named him the "Most Valuable County Official" in the nation.

Glendening had a homosexual brother, Bruce, who died of AIDS in 1992.

[edit] Governor of Maryland

In 1994, Glendening was elected to his first term as Governor of Maryland, edging out Ellen Sauerbrey by only 5993 votes in a state that is overwhelmingly Democratic. The victory was disputed, and the result was challenged in court. The court refused to overturn Glendening's tentative win, and Glendening became the first Maryland Governor elected from the Washington, D.C., region in over 100 years. In 1998, Governor Glendening won re-election to a second term by a solid but not overwhelming margin--again beating Sauerbrey, who announced she would make no further runs for the office.

Glendening came into office amid misteps and minor scandals stemming from his tenure as County Executive of Prince George's county. His approval rating was as low as 18% in the spring of 1995. His early administration was marked by tax reform. From 1994 to 1998 he cut or lowered over 50 Maryland taxes including the state income tax. In addition, Glendening was the sitting governor when the Washington Redskins (who play in Landover) and the Baltimore Ravens arrived in the state, though he was not directly responsible for either move.

During Glendening's second term, serious environmental issues concerning the Chesapeake Bay and the overdevelopment of rural areas prompted him to focus on issues of growth and environmental stewardship. Glendening is widely recognized as a pioneer in land development issues and is credited for coining the phrase "Smart Growth."

The final years of his second term as Governor were plagued by a marital crisis (see below) and a $2 billion state budget deficit. There were also rumors of corruption and signs of ineffectiveness (which can be attributed to unpopular gay civil union legislation and a state legislative redistricting plan that was quickly overturned by the courts). The rural areas of Maryland—largely Republican—had long criticized Glendening for what they perceived as overzealous environmental regulations as well as ignoring their budgetary needs (bridges, highways, etc.).

Governor Glendening halted executions in Maryland by executive order on May 9, 2002, but the subsequent governor, Robert Ehrlich (R), resumed executions in 2004. (See Capital punishment in Maryland.)

On January 25, 2002, Glendening divorced his wife and married one of his deputy chiefs of staff, Jennifer Crawford, making her Glendening's third wife. Crawford was 35 at the time, considerably younger than the then-59-year-old Glendening, and she was pregnant at their wedding. She gave birth to a baby girl, Bri, on August 18, marking the first time since 1879 that a Maryland governor had a baby born during his term of office.

[edit] 2002 Gubernatorial election

During the 2002 Maryland governor election, Glendening was not eligible to run due to term limits. His lieutenant governor, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, was nominated by the Democrats to run. Townsend was damaged during the election by wide criticism by rural voters, especially farmers, directed at Glendening for what they considered overzealous environmental legislation that significantly raised the cost of participating in agribusiness.

Townsend lost the election 48% to 52% to Republican U.S. Congressman Robert Ehrlich. The Republicans relied in large part on rural counties and low minority turnout—due to Townsend's unpopular choice for her lieutenant governor, a retired white Admiral, Charles R. Larson, who had changed parties only weeks before—for Ehrlich to achieve his victory in November 2002, taking office in January 2003.

Not only did Townsend lose the race for governor, but also Glendening's hand-picked candidate for comptroller, John T. Willis, lost to the incumbent, Glendening nemesis William Donald Schaefer (D).

[edit] Life after the governorship

Glendening left office in January 2003 with low approval ratings, and he largely stayed out of the limelight. He and his successor, Robert Ehrlich, informally agreed not to criticize one another. Glendening quietly continued his advocacy work for Smart Growth.

Glendening broke his 3.5-year silence in late August 2006, when he endorsed Democrat Kweisi Mfume for U.S. Senate. (Mfume eventually lost the Democratic primary to Congressman Ben Cardin.)

[edit] References

Maryland State Archives. Parris N. Glendening. Accessed June 17, 2004. [1]

Preceded by: Lawrence Hogan	Prince George's County, Maryland Executive 1982—1994	Succeeded by: Wayne K. Curry
Preceded by: William Donald Schaefer	Governor of Maryland 1995—2003	Succeeded by: Robert Ehrlich