John Phillip Marttila (October 18, 1940 – November 3, 2018) was a Democratic strategist and

political consultant Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tel ...

who had advised politicians and elected officials, including

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

Joe Biden, and Senator

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

. He served as a consultant for various domestic ballot initiatives and worked overseas for campaigns in Russia, Israel, Hungary and Greece. He was president of Marttila Strategies, a research firm based in

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and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Professional career

Originally from Detroit where he was born in 1940, Marttila moved to Boston in 1970 to run

Robert Drinan Robert Frederick Drinan (November 15, 1920 – January 28, 2007) was a Jesuit priest, lawyer, human rights activist, and Democratic U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Drinan left office to obey Pope John Paul II's prohibition on politica ...

's campaign for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. Drinan's successful congressional bid was a landmark victory in U.S. politics, as he was the first

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest to be elected as a voting member of Congress and he was elected on an anti-war platform during the U.S. conflict in Vietnam. In 1972, Marttila joined Joe Biden's campaign for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in Delaware against Republican

J. Caleb Boggs James Caleb Boggs (May 15, 1909 – March 26, 1993) was an American lawyer and politician from Claymont in New Castle County, Delaware. A member of the Republican Party, he was commonly known by his middle name, Caleb, frequently shortened ...

. Marttila was one of the few paid political consultants on Biden's 1972 campaign, in which advertising was primarily done through printed position papers that were hand-delivered. Marttila's company oversaw the strategy and advertising for the campaign. Biden won the election by 3,162 votes in an upset victory. Marttila continued to be a close political advisor to Biden throughout the Vice President’s career, including as a senior advisor in Biden's 2008 presidential campaign. Marttila was a senior advisor to Senator

, both on Kerry's senatorial campaigns, as well as for his bid for U.S. president in 2004. Marttila also advised Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's 2006 campaign and the

Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

. Marttila was the president of Marttila Strategies, a firm that specializes in strategic planning and opinion research. Much of that research focuses on health care in America. National health care clients have included IMS Health, PhRMA, The American Cancer Society, The Harvard School of Public Health, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Kaiser Family Foundation. He died on November 3, 2018 at the age of 78 from complications of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

References

External links

Marttila Strategies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marttila, John 1940 births 2018 deaths Politicians from Detroit Writers from Detroit American political writers American male non-fiction writers American businesspeople American political consultants American campaign managers Deaths from prostate cancer