George Christian Jepsen
December 17, 1989, ''The New York Times'' (born November 23, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 24th

Attorney General of Connecticut The Connecticut Attorney General is the state attorney general of Connecticut. The Attorney General is elected to a four-year term. According to state statute, eligibility for the office requires being "an attorney at law of at least ten years ...

from 2011 to 2019. Jepsen was a

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of ...

from Connecticut's 27th Senate District, representing Stamford and part of Darien, and served in the Connecticut Senate from 1991 to 2003. During his time in the Senate, he served as Senate Majority Leader from 1997 to 2003. Prior to that, he served in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

from 1987 to 1991, representing part of Stamford in Connecticut's 148th House District. After leaving the State Senate, he became Chairman of the Connecticut State Democratic Party from 2003 to 2005.

Biography

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

graduate of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

, Jepsen earned his J.D. degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...

with honors and also earned a master's degree in public policy from the

Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

. To help pay for his education, he worked as a teaching fellow in constitutional law for former

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continu ...

prosecutor

Archibald Cox Archibald Cox Jr. (May 17, 1912 – May 29, 2004) was an American lawyer and law professor who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy and as a special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. During his career, he was ...

Professional career

Following graduation, Jepsen worked as staff counsel for the carpenter's union (UBC Local 210) for Western Connecticut. For nearly ten years, Jepsen negotiated contracts for wages and benefits, represented injured workers, ensured job safety, and advocated for different bidding practices. In private practice, Jepsen worked at some of Connecticut's top law firms. His legal experience included work with the

probate court A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

, estate planning, representing small business in contract negotiations, government compliance, and real estate transactions. He also defended individuals in the criminal courts and served as counsel to clients in the civil courts. Jepsen successfully worked on complex legal issues as part of a successful appellate team in a number of cases before the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, a ...

Political career

Connecticut General Assembly (1987–2003)

Jepsen served 16 years in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. ...

, first as State Representative from the 148th House District, and then as a State Senator from Connecticut's 27th Senate District, the last six as Majority Leader. As a legislator, Jepsen worked in a variety of a variety of areas including; clean energy, gun safety, & civil rights. Jepsen assisted in the development of laws that reformed HMO and insurance practices. As Senate Majority Leader, Jepsen worked to develop bills that protect Connecticut's natural assets. Jepsen co-authored the Open Space Trust Fund, an initiative that sets aside $10 million in funding for the purchase of open space. Jepsen worked to pass legislation to revitalize blighted areas in

brownfield In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land pre ...

s, including efforts to expand state financial assistance to re-developers. This was incentivized by tax credits to businesses that invested in redevelopment of contaminated properties in the state. Jepsen helped the passage of legislation to replace Connecticut's " Sooty Six" power plants with cleaner plants that have lower emissions. These six old coal-burning plants were contributing to Connecticut's unique air pollution problem and rise in

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

rates. This initiative also involved new funding to upgrade sewage treatment plants for cleaner rivers. As Senate Majority Leader, Jepsen became a national leader against the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...

. He helped pass landmark legislation prohibiting the sale or possession of assault weapons, mandating trigger locks, and necessitating tougher background checks. This work was nationally recognized by the

Brady Campaign Brady: United Against Gun Violence (formerly “Handgun Control, Inc”., the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control and again ...

and the

Million Mom March The Million Mom March was a rally held on Mother's Day, May 14, 2000 in the Washington, D.C. National Mall by the Million Mom March organization to call for stricter gun control. The march reportedly drew an estimated attendance of 500,000 to 7 ...

. As Senate Majority Leader, Jepsen worked to ban sexual orientation discrimination, to strengthen hate crime laws, and to expand Connecticut's living will laws. Jepsen supported health insurance reform to improve covered services for mental illness and emergency room conditions. He helped mandate that health insurers cover the costs of mammograms and birth control, and helped pass legislation to outlaw "drive-thru" mastectomies and child-birth deliveries, so insurers cover at least a 48-hour hospital stay.

Connecticut Attorney General election, 2010

Jepsen announced on January 6, 2010 that he would form an exploratory committee for Attorney General. On May 22, 2010 George Jepsen received the Democratic Party's endorsement for Attorney General. On July 12, 2010 George Jepsen announced he had qualified for public financing in the Citizens Election Program. On November 2, 2010, George Jepsen was elected as

Connecticut Attorney General election, 2014

Jepsen was reelected in 2014, defeating Republican challenger Kie Westby.

Electoral history

*Jepsen was also listed on the A Connecticut Party line. *Jepsen was also listed on the Working Families Party line; Fournier was also listed on the Independent Party line. *Jepsen was also listed on the Working Families Party line; Westby was also listed on the Independent Party line.

References

External links

Official website of Attorney General George Jepsen
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jepsen, George 1954 births 21st-century American politicians Connecticut Attorneys General Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Dartmouth College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Living people Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Politicians from Stamford, Connecticut Harvard Kennedy School alumni State political party chairs of Connecticut