William Delahunt

William David Delahunt (born July 18, 1941) is an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts.

He served a term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1973–75) before serving as district attorney of Norfolk County for more than 20 years.

Shortly before the announcement of his retirement, it was discovered that Delahunt, while serving as district attorney for Norfolk County, Massachusetts, had refused to file charges against Amy Bishop for shooting and killing her brother in 1986.

In 1996, Democratic Congressman Gerry Studds decided to retire.

On September 17, 1996, Delahunt won the Democratic primary election with a plurality of 38% of the vote.

He won the Plymouth County portion of the district, while losing the Norfolk County portion.

He narrowly defeated state legislator Philip W. Johnston of Marshfield by just 119 votes after a recount, which was conducted in a handful of contested towns.

Following the recount, Delahunt sought judicial review in the Massachusetts Superior Court.

After reviewing about 900 ballots, Judge Elizabeth B. Donovan declared Delahunt the victor.

The case was appealed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which upheld the lower court ruling.

The case is also noteworthy for the issue of "hanging chads" in punch-card voting machines.

On November 5, 1996, Delahunt defeated Republican state Representative Edward B. Teague III 54%–42%.

He won re-election six times with at least 32 percentage points.

He is a former U.S. Representative for MA's 10th congressional district, serving from 1997 to 2011.

He is a member of the Democratic Party.

In November 2005, he met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to arrange an assistance program in which Venezuela would supply winter home heating oil at a 40 percent price reduction to thousands of low-income Massachusetts residents.

The program, which has since been expanded to help 500,000 people across the U.S., was carried out via the Venezuelan owned Citgo, and brought accusations that Delahunt was assisting an anti-American leader.

Delahunt, however, has sometimes criticized Chavez, such as in a September 2006 letter expressing "profound disgust" at a speech given by Chavez to the United Nations, in which he personally attacked President George W. Bush.

In the letter he urged that Chavez express disagreements "in a more constructive manner."

Delahunt did not seek re-election in 2010, and left Congress in January 2011.

He was replaced by Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating.

He is currently an attorney with the firm of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott.

Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, Delahunt was educated at Thayer Academy, Middlebury College and Boston College Law School and later served as a radarman (RD3) in the United States Coast Guard Reserve.

Delahunt decided to run for Massachusetts's 10th congressional district.

His retirement was confirmed on March 4, 2010, by The Boston Globe.

On February 12, 2010, Bishop murdered three of her colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville after being denied tenure.

As one of his first initiatives in Congress, he created the bipartisan caucus on the United States Coast Guard, which he co-chaired with two other Coast Guard veterans, Reps. Howard Coble (R-NC) and Gene Taylor (D-MS).

This benefited his district through getting the problems of outpaced resources and security recognized at the ports of Massachusetts.

However, on March 10, 2010, he voted against a measure to bring troops home from Afghanistan.

Delahunt was a member of the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee; Judiciary Committee; and also served as co-chair of the bipartisan Coast Guard Caucus, House Older Americans Caucus, and the Congressional Working Group on Cuba.

Upon Delahunt's retirement, he formed the Delahunt Group, a lobbying firm ("multi-service consulting firm focused on Government Affairs, International Market Entry Strategies, Corporate and Development Advisory, Federal and State Funding, and Appropriations, Regulatory and Permitting Assistance, Public Policy Strategies and Public Relations").

Delahunt told the Cape Cod Times that he viewed it as an extension of his work in Congress.

As a legislator, he explained, he set policy at a macro level.

Now, he said: "we're taking that and bringing it down here to the communities, to encourage implementation. We're working with the private sector and the public sector in a way that's a win-win for everyone."

He told the Times he is particularly interested in work that encourages regional tourism and economic development."

Less than two months after leaving Congress, Delahunt lobbied on behalf of the Wampanoag people in Massachusetts to help them secure Indian gaming rights with the state legislature.

Delahunt filled a gap left by the Wampanoag's previous lobbyist Jack Abramoff following his conviction associated with the renowned Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal.

Delahunt received over $15,000 in campaign contributions from the Wampanoag and Abramoff prior to leaving office sparking criticisms from good government advocates and casino opponents.

In the 110th Congress, Delahunt served as Chairman of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight.

He was a consistent opponent of the war in Iraq.