Thomas D. Ritter

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Thomas D. Ritter
Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives
In office
January 1993 – January 1999
Preceded byRichard J. Balducci
Succeeded byMoira K. Lyons
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
In office
January 1981 – January 1999
Preceded byGeorge J. Ritter
Succeeded byBarnaby W. Horton
Constituency6th district (1981-1983)
2nd district (1983-1999)
Personal details
Born
Thomas Drummond Ritter

(1952-11-24) November 24, 1952 (age 69)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.[1]
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Christine E. Keller
ChildrenMatthew Ritter
ResidenceHartford, Connecticut
EducationAmherst College (BA)
University of Connecticut (JD)

Thomas Drummond Ritter[2] (born November 24, 1952)[3] is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and retired politician from Connecticut who was the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1993-1998.

Early life and education[]

Ritter attended Amherst College and later the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Family[]

Ritter’s wife Christine E. Keller is an appellate court judge. Both his father and his brother are former lawmakers.[4] His son Matthew Ritter is also a lawyer and State Representative as well as the current Majority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives.[5]

Political career[]

Ritter served on the Hartford Democratic Town Committee from 1975 to 1980 and was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1980 to 1998. He was speaker from 1993-1998.[1]

Ritter and Moira K. Lyons are the only three term Speakers in history of the Connecticut House of Representatives.[6]

Ritter sits on the UCONN board of directors.[4] In 2019 he became the acting chair of the board when chairman Kruger stepped down.[7] Kruger has named West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor as his preferred permanent successor over Ritter, writing that "it’s time for the University board to be led by a woman.”[8] Some have cited emoluments as a potential risk of his chairmanship.[9]

Legal career[]

Ritter is currently a partner at the law firm of Brown Rudnick.[10] Prior to joining the firm, he worked as an attorney for the Hartford Corporation Counsel and was in private practice for many years.[10] Freedom of information act requests for communications between Ritter and his client the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority where at the center of a Connecticut Supreme Court case in 2016.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Ritter bio (click name)
  2. ^ University of Connecticut (Class of 1977) Commencement
  3. ^ HOUSE DISTRICT 2 - Hartford Courant, September 6, 1996
  4. ^ a b Pazniokas, Mark. "Two political veterans — Tom Ritter and Shari Cantor — on short list as next chair of the UConn board of trustees". courant.com. The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Biography". ct.gov. Connecticut Democratic Party. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  6. ^ Pazniokas, Mark. "The 2020 race for CT House majority leader is on". ctmirror.org. CT Mirror. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  7. ^ Green, Rick. "Kruger steps down as chair of UConn trustees; Ritter will serve as interim leader". courant.com. The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  8. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (April 12, 2019). "Two political veterans — Tom Ritter and Shari Cantor — on short list as next chair of the UConn board of trustees". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  9. ^ Powell, Chris. "'Emoluments' a risk if Ritter chairs UConn trustees". theday.com. The Day. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Thomas D. Ritter Partner". brownrudnick.com. brownrudnick. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  11. ^ Pazniokas, Mark. "CT Supreme Court rules in FOI case involving Ritter, CRRA". ctmirror.org. CT Mirror. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
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