J. Joseph Curran, Jr.

J. Joseph Curran, Jr.
44th Attorney General of Maryland
In office January 21, 1987 – January 17, 2007
Preceded by	Stephen H. Sachs
Succeeded by	Douglas Gansler
4th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
In office January 19, 1983 – January 21, 1987
Governor	Harry Hughes
Preceded by	Samuel Bogley
Succeeded by	Melvin Steinberg
Personal details
Born	July 7, 1931 West Palm Beach, Florida
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Barbara Marie (Atkins) Curran
Profession	Attorney at law
Religion	Roman Catholic[1]

J. Joseph Curran, Jr. (born July 7, 1931) is an American politician and the longest serving elected Attorney General in Maryland history.^[2] His son-in-law, Martin J. O'Malley, is the former Governor of Maryland.

Background

Curran was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, the son of Catherine Mary (Clark) and Baltimore City Council member J. Joseph Curran, Sr.^[3][4] He attended Baltimore parochial schools. He graduated from Loyola High School and then from the University of Baltimore. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955. Curran returned to Baltimore and entered the University of Baltimore School of Law where he earned a LL.B. in 1959. Curran was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1959 and is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association.

Career

A Democrat, Curran previously served as the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1983–1987 under former Governor Harry R. Hughes. Prior to that, Curran was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1959–1963 and the Maryland Senate from 1963–1983.^[5]

As Attorney General

In 1986, Curran was elected Attorney General after serving four years as Lieutenant Governor with Governor Harry R. Hughes. In 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002, he won re-election. As Attorney General, Curran initiated statewide reform in the areas of consumer protection, criminal investigations, Medicaid fraud prosecution, securities regulation, antitrust enforcement, protection of children and teens, parents, seniors, protection of victims of domestic violence and sexual predators. He also worked to strengthen criminal laws against gun violence, prescription drug abuse, and was an opponent of slot machines and casino gambling.

• Children & Teens- Curran launched a variety of initiatives to help Maryland's children. To protect them against sexual predators, he backed a 2004 law making it a crime to solicit a minor by computer or other means to engage in unlawful sexual conduct. He also has proposed lifetime parole supervision for sex offenders and better notification to communities when sex offenders are released from prison. To reduce teen tobacco use, he led Maryland's participation in the landmark $206 billion national settlement with the tobacco industry, which garnered $4.4 billion for Maryland, and industry concessions on advertising and marketing cigarettes to teens. His office filed suits to stop unlawful Internet cigarette sales and the use of hip-hop themes to target youth, and has reached agreements with national cigarette retailers to prevent sales to youth.
• Prescription Drugs- Curran created a first-of-its-kind drug-pricing website, which allows consumers to compare retail prices charged by different pharmacies in Maryland for commonly used prescription drugs.^[6] He also has developed educational outreach materials to help seniors make good decisions about Medicare Part D, the complex new federal prescription drug benefit. His office also released a report on the growing problem of prescription drug abuse among Maryland teens and adults, and developed the blueprint for a prescription monitoring program to help law enforcement and health professionals reduce drug diversion and abuse and improve pharmaceutical therapy.
• Crime and Gun Violence- In a landmark 1990 case, Maryland v. Craig, Attorney General Curran successfully urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Maryland's law permitting victims of child abuse to testify via one-way television. Also before the Supreme Court, the Attorney General successfully litigated Maryland v. Wilson (1997). The Attorney General argued that police officers, who routinely conduct traffic stops that sometimes turn deadly, may order the passenger out of the car to allow the officer to safely process the traffic stop. Curran also championed efforts to reduce the epidemic of gun violence.^[7] He has worked for better laws and resources to help law enforcement keep guns out of the hands of criminals, including calling for restrictions on the ownership of handguns and establishing a firearms trafficking unit dedicated to the prosecution of persons who unlawfully purchase or attempt to purchase firearms.
• Slot-Machine & Casino Gambling- Curran was a consistent opponent of efforts to bring slot-machine and casino gambling to the State. After his comprehensive study, The House Never Loses and Maryland Cannot Win, he concluded that the costs of slot machines would far outweigh the benefits.^[8]

Retirement

Citing his age and his long career, Curran decided not to seek re-election in 2006, preventing any conflict of interest that might arise in having O'Malley as governor and his father-in-law as attorney general.^[9]

Family

J. Joseph Curran, Jr. is the brother of Martin "Mike" Curran who also served on the Baltimore City Council. Another brother, Robert W. Curran, is a current member of the City Council.^[10] Curran is married with four living children, three daughters and one son. His youngest daughter, Katie, is a state district court judge and the wife of former Governor Martin O'Malley, and his son, J. Joseph "Max" Curran, is a partner at the Saul Ewing law firm. His first cousin was Gerald Curran.^[11]

Awards and honors

• Distinguished Service Award, Mental Health Association of Maryland, 1989
• Special Achievement Award, Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, 1989
• Pro Bono Award, Maryland's Volunteer Lawyers Service, 1990
• Elected Official of the Year, Young Democrats of Maryland, 1990
• Achievement Award, American Cancer Society, 1991, 1995
• Award of Appreciation, State Board of Victim Services, 1992
• Certificate of Appreciation, House of Ruth, 1995, 1997
• Lawmaker of the Year, American Heart Association, 1995–96
• Advocate of the Year Award, Smoke Free Maryland, 1997
• Jack Lodge Award (protecting Maryland's citizens from the tobacco industry), 1997
• Outstanding Leadership Award, Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, 1997
• Breath of Life Award, American Lung Association of Maryland, 1999
• Robert C. Heeney Award, Criminal Law Section, Maryland State Bar Association, 2003
• Chesapeake Champion Award, Waterkeeper Alliance, 2005
• Kelley-Wyman Memorial Award, National Association of Attorneys General, 2006
• Lifetime Achievement Award, Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, Inc., 2006
• Access to Justice Award, Women's Law Center of Maryland, 2006
• Hopeline Law Enforcement Partnership Award, Verizon Wireless, and Verizon Foundation, 2006
• Public Service Award, American Legacy Foundation, 2007
• First Citizen Award, Maryland Senate, 2007.

References

1. "Maryland Attorneys General, 1657-". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved 28 March 2012. Democrat of Baltimore City. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, July 7, 1931. Son of J. Joseph Curran, Sr., and wife Catherine M. Curran. Married Barbara Marie Atkins. Roman Catholic.
2. John, Wagner (2006-05-08). "Curran To Conclude Generation Of Service". the Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
3. "Robert Curran, District 3: Baltimore City Council". baltimorecitycouncil.com.
4. "Councilman Robert Curran". councilmancurran.com.
5. "Attorney General: Former Attorneys General". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
6. "CURRAN UNVEILS PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICING WEBSITE TO HELP CONSUMERS SAVE MONEY BY COMPARISON SHOPPING". The Office of the Attorney General of Maryland. 2004-04-27. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
7. "MARYLAND GUN BAN IS HOTLY DEBATED". The New York Times. 1988-10-09. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
8. Libit, Howard; Greg Garland (2005-03-24). "Slots prey on weakest, foes warn Assembly". Chicago Tribune by the Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
9. Vogel, Steve (May 9, 2006). "Rally With a Retirement Twist". The Washington Post. p. B02. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
10. "District 3: Robert Curran". 2008 Baltimore City Council. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
11. Kelly, Jacques (28 March 2013). "Gerald J. Curran, state delegate". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 30 March 2013.