Mark O'Keefe (born July 10, 1952) is an American soldier and politician. He is a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Early life and career

Mark David O'Keefe was born in

Pittston, Pennsylvania Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated between Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city gained prominence in the late 19th an ...

. In 1970, he graduated from Bishop Egan High School in

Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania Fairless Hills is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The CDP is located within c. The population was 9,046 at the 2020 census. That is up from 8,466 at the 2010 census. History Fairless Hills as it is ...

. O'Keefe served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as a paratrooper from 1971 to 1973. In 1977, he received his bachelor's degree in environmental studies from

California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

and his master's degree in environmental studies from

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

in 1984. O'Keefe worked for the Montana Department of Natural Resources. O'Keefe married Lucy Bliss Dayton, daughter of

Bruce Dayton Bruce Bliss Dayton (August 16, 1918 – November 13, 2015) was an American retail executive, businessman, heir to the Dayton's Company fortune, and philanthropist. Dayton was the last surviving member of the five Dayton brothers – all grands ...

and great-granddaughter of

George Dayton George Draper Dayton (March 6, 1857 – February 18, 1938) was an American businessman and philanthropist, most famous for being the founder of Dayton's department store, which later became Target Corporation. Life and career Dayton was born ...

on September 24, 1983. O'Keefe lives with his wife and family in

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

. He was also a consultant concerning natural resources and politician campaigns.

Political career

O'Keefe served in the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

from 1988 to 1992 and was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. From 1992 to 2000, he served as Montana State Auditor. In his run for auditor in 1992, he defeated Representative Fred Thomas, receiving 55% of the vote. In the November General Election 2000, O'Keefe ran for

Governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of MontanaMontana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Montana National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

against the Republican candidate

Judy Martz Judith Helen Martz (née Morstein; July 28, 1943 – October 30, 2017) was an American Republican Party politician, businesswoman, and Olympian speed skater who served as the 22nd governor of Montana from 2001 to 2005. She was the first and only ...

and lost the election to Martz.Montana Standard-Mark O'Keefe-biography
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References

1952 births Living people California State University, Sacramento alumni Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Military personnel from Pennsylvania People from Pittston, Pennsylvania Politicians from Helena, Montana University of Montana alumni {{Montana-politician-stub