Paul F. Tucker is an American politician, lawyer and law enforcement officer currently serving as the District Attorney of Essex County, Massachusetts since 2023. 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 ...

, Tucker served as the State Representative for

Massachusetts House of Representatives' 7th Essex district Massachusetts House of Representatives' 7th Essex district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers the city of Salem in Essex County. Democrat Paul Tucke ...

from 2014 to 2022. Tucker formerly served as Chief of the

Salem Police Department Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

before being elected to public office.

Early life, education, and career

Tucker graduated from Salem High School in 1976, where he played basketball. Tucker went on to graduate from

Salem State University Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore and is part of the state university system in Massa ...

with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. Tucker worked as a campus police officer until later joining the Nashua, New Hampshire Police Department. In 1983, Tucker joined the

as a patrol officer. While working at the

, Tucker earned a master's degree in Criminal Justice from

Anna Maria College Anna Maria College is a private Roman Catholic college in Paxton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1946 as a women's college, but has been coeducational since 1973. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. History Anna Maria ...

in 1992. Tucker held multiple positions in the

, including detective, chief of detectives, and Chief of Police. Tucker also attended the FBI National Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and directed th
North Shore Drug Task Force
Tucker attended night classes at the

Massachusetts School of Law The Massachusetts School of Law (MSLAW) is a private law school in Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1988 and claims that its design and curriculum were influenced by the medical school educational model and legal scholars. Althou ...

, earning a juris doctor in 2000. Tucker has since taught Criminal Justice courses at

Endicott College Endicott College is a private college in Beverly, Massachusetts. History Endicott College was founded as Endicott Junior College in 1939 by Eleanor Tupper and her husband, George O. Bierkoe. Originally a two-year women’s college, its miss ...

and

. In 2014, Tucker resigned as Chief of the

, and was elected as the State Representative for the

, covering the city of Salem. In 2022, Tucker was elected as the District Attorney of Essex County, and has held this office since January 2, 2023.

Massachusetts House of Representatives

Tucker was first elected to serve as the State Representative for

, which encompasses the city of Salem, Massachusetts, on November 4, 2014, as a member of the

. Tucker defeated

Libertarian party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties * Outline of libertarianism ...

candidate Daniel Morris with 84% of the vote in the general election. Tucker was then re-elected essentially unopposed in both primary and general elections in 2016, 2018, and 2020. While a State Representative, Tucker served as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy. Tucker also sat on numerous committees, including the Joint Committee on Education, on the Judiciary, on Public Safety and Homeland Security, on Ways and Means, on Education, on Transportation, on Municipalities and Regional Government, and on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.

References

Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Politicians from Salem, Massachusetts Living people American municipal police chiefs 21st-century American politicians Year of birth missing (living people) District attorneys in Essex County, Massachusetts {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub