James Shannon | |
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| 40thAttorney General of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1991 | |
| Governor | Michael Dukakis |
| Preceded by | Francis Bellotti |
| Succeeded by | Scott Harshbarger |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's5th district | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Tsongas |
| Succeeded by | Chester G. Atkins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Michael Shannon (1952-04-04)April 4, 1952 (age 73) Methuen, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Johns Hopkins University (BA) George Washington University (JD) |
James Michael Shannon (born April 4, 1952) is an AmericanDemocraticpolitician fromMassachusetts. He served in theU.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and later as theMassachusetts Attorney General.
Shannon was born on April 4, 1952, inMethuen, Massachusetts, and grew up inLawrence.[1] He graduated fromPhillips Academy in 1969 and received hisB.A. inpolitical science fromJohns Hopkins University in 1973.[2][3] He earned aJ.D. degree atGeorge Washington University Law School in 1975 and practiced law in Lawrence.[4][5]
In 1970 and 1971 Shannon was an intern in the office of CongressmanF. Bradford Morse.[6] From 1973 to 1975 he served on the staff of CongressmanMichael J. Harrington.[7] In 1976 he ran for theMassachusetts State Senate, losing the Democratic primary to incumbent William X. Wall by only eight votes.[8][9]
He was elected to theU.S. House of Representatives in1978, succeedingPaul E. Tsongas, who ran successfully for theUnited States Senate. Shannon was reelected in1980 and1982.
In 1981, he was selected to be one of the firstYoung Leaders of theFrench-American Foundation.[10]
When Senator Tsongas announced his retirement in 1984, Shannon entered the race to succeed him. He was defeated in the Democratic primary byLieutenant GovernorJohn Kerry, who went on to win the seat. Shannon served out the rest of his term in the House, leaving office in January 1985, at which point he was elected to theCommon Cause National Governing Board.
In1986, he was electedAttorney General of Massachusetts, defeatingEdward F. Harrington and serving from 1987 to 1991.[11][12] He was defeated for re-election in1990 byScott Harshbarger in the Democratic primary.[13]
In 2000 Shannon ledBill Bradley's presidential campaign in Massachusetts and was a Bradley delegate toDemocratic National Convention.[14][15]
He was elected president and Chief Executive Officer of the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) in 2002, and served until 2014.[16]
He became President of theInternational Electrotechnical Commission on 1 January 2017 for a three-year term.[17]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 5th congressional district 1979-1985 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forAttorney General of Massachusetts 1986 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Massachusetts 1987–1991 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
