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| Scott Harshbarger | |
|---|---|
| Name | Scott Harshbarger |
| Birth date | July 3, 1941 |
| Birth place | New York City, New York |
| Residence | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Harvard College, Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney, politician, advocate |
| Party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Ellen Harshbarger |
Scott Harshbarger is an American attorney and Democratic politician who served as the 41st Attorney General of Massachusetts and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts in 1998. He is known for consumer protection litigation, public advocacy on civil rights and environmental issues, and leadership roles in nonprofit and private sector organizations.
Harshbarger was born in New York City and raised in Brooklyn, attending public schools alongside peers from neighborhoods represented in histories of New York City Board of Education reforms and urban policy debates. He matriculated at Harvard College where he studied alongside students who later served in offices including the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and state governments across the United States. He continued to Harvard Law School, joining cohorts that produced alumni who became judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, clerks for the United States Supreme Court, and counsel in administrations such as the Clinton administration and the Obama administration.
After law school Harshbarger began practice in Boston, associating with firms that litigated before tribunals like the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He worked on consumer protection and civil rights matters that intersected with precedents from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and decisions by the United States Supreme Court. His early legal work connected him to legal advocates from organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Legal Services Corporation, and the Massachusetts Bar Association, and put him in contact with attorneys who later became prominent in state and federal offices, including the United States Attorney General and state attorneys general around the country.
Harshbarger entered elective politics in Massachusetts, winning a seat as Middlesex County district attorney and then campaigning statewide with platforms that drew comparisons to policies advanced by figures such as Michael Dukakis, Edward Kennedy, and Tip O'Neill. He engaged with constituencies linked to advocacy groups like the AARP, the Sierra Club, and labor organizations affiliated with the AFL–CIO. His political network included collaboration with local mayors from cities such as Boston, Cambridge, and Springfield, Massachusetts, and state legislators in the Massachusetts General Court.
As Attorney General he led enforcement actions involving industries regulated under statutes influenced by the Federal Trade Commission Act and state consumer protection laws shaped by legislative work in the Massachusetts State House. Harshbarger pursued cases against corporations with national reach similar to those litigated by other state attorneys general in actions paralleling suits involving entities like major tobacco companies and firms in the pharmaceutical industry. His office collaborated with counterparts in states including New York, California, and Texas on multistate investigations, and coordinated with federal entities such as the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Environmental Protection Agency on enforcement, consumer protection, and environmental litigation. He also prioritized civil rights enforcement, cooperating with agencies like the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and engaging in affirmative litigation influenced by precedents from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
In 1998 Harshbarger won the Democratic nomination for Governor of Massachusetts in a race that featured opponents with ties to the Massachusetts Democratic Party establishment, unions allied with the United Steelworkers, and endorsements from national actors including figures from the Clinton administration and policy groups tied to the Democratic Leadership Council. The general election pitted him against a challenger affiliated with networks connected to the Republican Party and national figures such as those active in the 1998 United States elections. Key campaign issues paralleled debates on health care reform promoted in forums like the Commonwealth Fund and budget strategies discussed by state treasurers and governors in organizations such as the National Governors Association. The campaign concluded with a defeat that reshaped Massachusetts politics leading into the administrations of later governors and influencing subsequent state policy debates in the Massachusetts State House.
After the 1998 campaign Harshbarger returned to private practice and nonprofit leadership, joining law firms and advocacy organizations that work on public interest litigation similar to cases handled by the Public Citizen and the National Consumer Law Center. He served on boards and advisory councils alongside former officials from the United Nations, the World Bank, and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation in roles focused on ethics, governance, and corporate accountability. He also took executive roles or counsel positions interacting with corporate compliance programs influenced by standards from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Sarbanes–Oxley Act, and worked with universities including Harvard University and Boston College on civic education and legal clinics.
Harshbarger resides in Massachusetts with family ties to community organizations in towns like Newton and Wellesley. His legacy is discussed in analyses by legal scholars from institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and the University of Michigan Law School and cited in histories of state attorneys general and consumer protection work alongside names like former attorneys general from New York and California. His career is referenced in accounts of Massachusetts politics alongside figures such as William Weld, Jane Swift, and Mitt Romney, and in studies of advocacy by organizations like the Center for Responsive Politics and the Brennan Center for Justice.
Category:Massachusetts lawyers Category:Massachusetts Democrats