Philip Lester Bartlett II (born September 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. 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 ...

, he served in the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...

from 2004 to 2012, representing the 6th district (

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

, Westbrook and his hometown of Gorham). In November 2014, Bartlett was elected Chairman of the

Maine Democratic Party The Maine Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Maine. After the Civil War, Democrats were a minor player in a political scene dominated by the Republican Party. However, during the 1950s, Edmund Muskie l ...

Early life and career

Raised in Gorham, Bartlett attended Gorham public schools, graduating from Gorham High School in 1994. He was an active

boy scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

throughout his youth, attaining the rank of

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

. On leaving high school, he went to

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

, majoring in economics and political science. Following Tufts, he attended

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 class ...

, where he earned a J.D. and served as president of the ''Harvard Journal on Legislation''. Admitted to practice law in Maine and Massachusetts, he spent the year following his law school graduation clerking for Leigh Saufley, chief justice of the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

. He is today a lawyer specializing in

workers' compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...

with the firm of Scaccia, Lenkowski, Aranson & Bartlett in

Sanford, Maine Sanford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,982 in the 2020 census, making it the seventh largest municipality in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale. The city ...

In politics

In 2004, at the age of 28, Bartlett ran for the Maine Senate in the 6th district. He won the Democratic primary election held on June 8, 2004, taking 59% of the vote against Gorham resident Edward Needham. In the general election held on November 2, he faced incumbent Sen. Carolyn Gilman, a Republican from Westbrook, defeating her by 53% to 47% – a margin of 1,168 votes. He won re-election in 2006, 2008 and 2010. Bartlett served as senate majority leader in the 124th Legislature (2009–10), losing the position following the 2010 election that saw Republicans take back the senate majority.

Term limit A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

s prevented him from seeking a fifth term in 2012. Bartlett was elected to a four-year term on the Democratic National Committee at the Maine Democratic Party Convention on June 2, 2012.

Personal

Bartlett has been involved in numerous civic associations, serving as president of the Gorham Historical Society and the Baxter Memorial Library Association. He has also served on the boards of the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, the Gorham Economic Development Corporation, the Gorham Recreation Advisory Board and the Cumberland County Human Services Advisory Committee. He attends the First Parish Congregational Church in Gorham. Bartlett is openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

. He has one daughter.

References

External links

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Phil 1976 births 21st-century American politicians Gay politicians Harvard Law School alumni LGBT state legislators in Maine Living people Maine Democratic Party chairs Maine lawyers Maine state senators Politicians from Gorham, Maine Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni Gorham High School (Maine) alumni