Coakley, Martha, 1953-

<p>Martha Mary Coakley (born July 14, 1953) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and former Attorney General of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from 1999 to 2007.</p>

<p>Coakley was the Democratic nominee in the 2010 special election to fill the United States Senate seat long held by Ted Kennedy (and held in the interim by Paul G. Kirk). Coakley was defeated 52% to 47% by Republican Scott Brown in what was widely considered an upset. She won reelection as Attorney General in the 2010 general election. Coakley was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2014 but lost to Republican Charlie Baker. Coakley is now a lobbyist for the e-cigarette company Juul.</p>

<p>Coakley was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Edward J. and Phyllis E. Coakley. Her father was a World War II veteran, Korean War veteran, and small business owner. Her mother was a homemaker. When Coakley was one year old, she and her parents moved to North Adams. There, she attended St. Joseph's School and Drury High School, graduating in June 1971.</p>

<p>Former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is of counsel in Foley Hoag's Litigation Department. She focuses her practice on government and internal investigations, litigation, and data privacy and security. Martha has substantial experience in civil and criminal litigation in all state and federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court. She has performed extensive grand jury work and defended federal grand juries and has considerable experience conducting complex investigations.</p>

<p>As the first female Attorney General of Massachusetts, Martha has been a national leader in addressing the economic crisis by holding banks accountable and keeping residents in their homes; protected civil rights as the first Attorney General to successfully challenge the Defense of Marriage Act; investigated fraud and corruption; championed major initiatives to address health care and energy costs; and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars back for the taxpayers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She served as Attorney General from 2007-2015.</p>