John P. McDonough (born July 7, 1950) is an American politician from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He served as

Secretary of State of Maryland The secretary of state of Maryland is charged with the administrative and record-keeping functions of the state government of the U.S. state of Maryland. The secretary of state also holds custody of the Seal of Maryland. Unlike in many states, ...

– a position appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate – from July 16, 2008 to January 21, 2015. The Secretary of State is one of the state's six constitutional officers, along with the Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General and Treasurer.

Early life and education

McDonough was born in

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and moved to

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

in 1952. He graduated from

Bladensburg High School Bladensburg High School is a public high school located in Bladensburg, Maryland, United States. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district. The school serves: the towns of Blad ...

in 1968, and

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in 1972 with a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. McDonough received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the

University of Maryland School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S. Its location places Maryland ...

in 1977 and was admitted to the

Maryland State Bar Association The Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Maryland. The association pursues the following mission: "to effectively represent Maryland’s lawyers, to provide member services, and to promote profes ...

that same year. After serving as a legislative aide for the Prince George's County Council from 1970 to 1974, and the Chief of Staff for the Prince George's County Executive from 1974 to 1978, McDonough practiced law as an associate and partner in various firms from 1979 to 2005, including the firm of O'Malley, Miles, Nylen & Gilmore where he was a managing partner for ten years. McDonough was a member of the

Maryland Stadium Authority The Maryland Stadium Authority, MSA, was created by Chapter 283, Acts of 1986 Maryland General Assembly. Its initial mission was to return the National Football League (NFL) to Baltimore. Maryland sought a new football team after former Baltimore ...

from 1986 to 1994. He served as vice chair of the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee from 1998 to 2000 and served as its Counsel from 2000 to 2008.

Secretary of State

Governor

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...

appointed McDonough as Secretary of State of Maryland on July 16, 2008. As Secretary of State, McDonough oversaw the registration of notaries and charitable organizations and served as the governor's liaison for labor relations. He served as the chair of the Governor's Subcabinet for International Affairs and was on the Board of State Canvassers. Secretary McDonough was active with the

National Association of Secretaries of State The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), founded in 1904, is the oldest non-partisan professional organization of public officials in the United States, composed of the secretaries of state of U.S. states and territories. Currentl ...

, having served on the Executive Board, as Co-chair of the International Relations Committee, and later as Chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.

Personal life

McDonough married Mary Lou Gober in 1972 and the couple has three daughters, Emily, Caitlin and Aisling. The family has lived in

Mitchellville, Maryland Mitchellville is an upper-class majority African-American unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 11,136. Geography Mitchellville is locate ...

, since 1979. Mary Lou serves as Director of Corrections for Prince George's County, Maryland. Daughter Caitlin McDonough served as Legislative Director to Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller Jr. from 2006 to 2012 and is married to Delegate Ben Barnes, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonough, John P. 1950 births Living people Secretaries of State of Maryland