John F. Tierney

John F. Tierney (born September 18, 1951) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1997 to 2015.

He is a Democrat who represented the state's MA's 6th congressional district, which includes the state's North Shore and Cape Ann.

Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Tierney graduated from Salem State College and Suffolk University Law School.

John F. Tierney was born September 18, 1951, in Salem, Massachusetts.

His mother, Doris H. (née Gelineau) Tierney, was a Salem native who worked a split shift at the New England Telephone Company, where she remained for 42 years.

His father, Albert R. Tierney, was a bookkeeper for Nabisco and a local fuel company.

Tierney was one of three children, along with his brother Michael A. and sister Catherine.

His father was of Irish descent and his mother was of half French-Canadian and half Irish ancestry.

He moved with his family to his grandmother's home when he was five years old.

He began working at the Kernwood Country Club in Salem as a caddie when he was 8 and soon adopted a paper route.

He later attended Salem High School.

When he was young, Tierney campaigned for his uncle, a Peabody ward councilor, and he ascribes his political interest in part to this experience.

Tierney attended Salem State College, majoring in political science.

While in college he performed work study, while also stocking shelves at a grocery store, working in sales at a clothing store, and performing deliveries.

For three years he was president of his class, and his final year he served as President of the Salem State Student Government Association (SGA).

As SGA president Tierney responded to racial incidents on campus by organizing a school-wide meeting leading to several days of discussion.

He graduated in 1973, and returned in 2009 to give a commencement address, receiving an honorary degree.

While working as a law office clerk and a State House janitor, Tierney attended Suffolk University Law School.

He worked in private law and served on the Salem Chamber of Commerce from 1976 to 1997.

Tierney graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1976, and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar.

Tierney served on the Salem Chamber of Commerce from 1976 to 1997, becoming the organization's president in 1995.

Tierney worked as a solo practitioner until 1981, when he became a partner at the North Shore community law firm Tierney, Kalis, & Lucas.

Tierney first ran for the House of Representatives in 1994 against Republican incumbent Peter G. Torkildsen, losing by a small margin.

Tierney first ran for Congress in 1994 against one-term Republican incumbent Peter G. Torkildsen, having won a competitive Democratic primary with a plurality of 33.8 percent.

He ran on a platform promoting a stronger federal focus on drug abuse, federal aid to promote after-school programs, consideration of means testing for Social Security, and single-payer health care.

A primary issue in the campaign was crime: Tierney criticized Torkildsen for his vote against a 1994 crime bill, and advocated stronger gun control, while Torkildsen criticized Tierney's positions on gun control and drug legalization.

Tierney was defeated in the general election by 4%.

He defeated Torkildsen in a rematch in 1996.

A liberal member of Congress, Tierney voted along with other Democratic Representatives from Massachusetts.

He sat on the House Committee on Education and Labor, where his priorities included green energy and increased college access.

Tierney successfully ran for Congress in 1996, defeating Torkildsen by a narrow margin and increasing his margin in a 1998 rematch.

Over the next five elections, Tierney won with over 68% of the vote.

Tierney remained at the firm until taking office in 1997.

From 1998 to 2010, Tierney comfortably won re-election in each cycle.

He co-authored several pieces of legislation, including the Green Jobs Act of 2007 and the College Affordability and Accountability Act of 2008.

He is the former chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, where he helped establish the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He faced tougher challenges after his wife Patrice was convicted of felony tax fraud in 2010, narrowly defeating his Republican opponent in 2012.

In 2010, he faced a stronger challenge from Republican candidate Bill Hudak, after his wife Patrice was convicted of felony tax fraud; he won with 57% of the vote.

In the 2014 election, he lost the Democratic primary to Seth Moulton, who went on to hold the seat in the general election.

In February 2016, Tierney was appointed the executive director of the Council for a Livable World and the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, the council's affiliated education and research organization.