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Martha CoakleyAmerican politician and stateswoman, lawyer
Date of Birth: 14.07.1953
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Martha Coakley: A Career in Law and Politics
- Early Career
- Assistant District Attorney
- Louisa Woodward Trial
- Middlesex County District Attorney
- Attorney General of Massachusetts
- Political Campaigns
Martha Coakley: A Career in Law and Politics
Early Life and EducationMartha Coakley was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Edward and Phyllis Coakley. Her family moved to North Adams when she was one year old, where she attended St. Joseph's School and Drury High School, graduating in 1971.
Coakley went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Williams College in 1975. She then graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1979 with a Juris Doctorate degree.
Early Career
While attending law school, Coakley worked as a summer associate at the law firm Donovan & O'Connor in Adams, Massachusetts. After graduating from law school, she began practicing law in Boston, Massachusetts, first with the firm Parker, Coulter, Daley & White and later with Goodwin Procter.
Assistant District Attorney
In 1986, Coakley became an assistant district attorney in Lowell, Massachusetts. The following year, she was offered a position as a special attorney with the United States Department of Justice's Boston Organized Crime Strike Force. Coakley returned to the district attorney's office in 1989 and was appointed chief of the Child Abuse Unit two years later.
Louisa Woodward Trial
In 1997, Coakley, then District Attorney Tom Riley, and Gerard Leone led the prosecution of British au pair Louise Woodward, who was later convicted of the murder of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen of Newton, Massachusetts.
Middlesex County District Attorney
In 1999, Coakley was elected Middlesex County District Attorney, becoming the first woman to hold the office. She served in this role until 2007.
Attorney General of Massachusetts
In 2007, Coakley was elected Attorney General of Massachusetts, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office in 16 years. She served in this role until 2015.
Political Campaigns
In 2010, Coakley ran for the United States Senate as a Democrat, but lost to Republican Scott Brown. In 2014, she ran for Governor of Massachusetts, but lost to Republican Charlie Baker.
