Baldacci, John E. (John Elias), 1955-

John Elias Baldacci (born January 30, 1955) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Maine's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 2003 and as the 73rd Governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011.

Born in Bangor, Maine, he worked in the family business, Mama Baldacci's restaurant, as a child. He graduated from Bangor High School and received a B.A. from the University of Maine at Orono. Baldacci was first elected to public office in 1978 at the age of 23, when he served on the Bangor City Council. He continued in politics, winning election to the Maine Senate in 1982 from a Bangor-area district. He was reelected two times, serving a total of 12 years. In 1994, following the retirement of his cousin, U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell, Baldacci won election to the U.S. House, replacing Olympia Snowe, who had moved on to Mitchell's open Senate seat. He served on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Transportation Committee and committed himself to acting in the best interest of his home state and the people who lived there.

In 2002, Baldacci was elected Governor of Maine. In his first term, Governor Baldacci made the health, education, and well-being of Mainers his top priorities, and he drew on his strong sense of community spirit to serve the people of Maine. In his second term he focused on private sector job growth, growing personal income, and property tax relief. On May 6, 2009, Baldacci signed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in Maine. This made him the first governor ever in the U.S. to sign a same-sex marriage bill into law where it was not previously court-ordered. He left office in 2011, having never lost an election.

Baldacci currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the non-partisan Northeast-Midwest Institute, a Washington-based, private, nonprofit, and nonpartisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states.