Dean, Howard, 1948-

<p>Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 2009. Dean was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election. His implementation of the fifty-state strategy as head of the DNC is credited with the Democratic victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Afterward, he became a political commentator and consultant to McKenna Long & Aldridge, a law and lobbying firm.</p>

<p>Before entering politics, Dean earned his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1978. Dean served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1983 to 1986 and as Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1987 to 1991. Both were part-time positions that enabled him to continue practicing medicine. In 1991, Dean became governor of Vermont when Richard A. Snelling died in office. Dean was subsequently elected to five two-year terms, serving from 1991 to 2003, making him the second longest-serving governor in Vermont history, after Thomas Chittenden (1778–1789 and 1790–1797). Dean served as chairman of the National Governors Association from 1994 to 1995; during his term, Vermont paid off much of its public debt and had a balanced budget 11 times, lowering income taxes twice. Dean also oversaw the expansion of the "Dr. Dynasaur" program, which ensures universal health care for children and pregnant women in the state. He is a noted staunch supporter of universal health care.</p>

<p>Dean denounced the 2003 invasion of Iraq and called on Democrats to oppose the Bush administration. In the 2004 election, Dean was the top fundraiser and front runner, prior to the Iowa caucus, for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Although he lost the nomination to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, Dean pioneered Internet-based fundraising and grassroots organizing, which is centered on mass appeal to small donors which is more cost efficient than the more expensive contacting of fewer potential larger donors, and promotes active participatory democracy among the general public. In 2004, Dean founded Democracy for America, a progressive political action committee. He was later elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee in February 2005. As chairman of the party, Dean created and employed the 50 State Strategy that attempted to make Democrats competitive in normally conservative states often dismissed in the past as "solid red". The success of the strategy became apparent after the 2006 midterm elections, where Democrats took back the House and picked up seats in the Senate from normally Republican states such as Missouri and Montana. In the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama used the 50 state strategy as the backbone of his candidacy.</p>

<p>Governor Howard Dean, former DNC Chairman, presidential candidate, six term Governor and physician, currently works as an independent consultant focusing on the areas of health care, early childhood development, alternative energy and the expansion of grassroots politics around the world.</p>

<p>Dean serves as a MSNBC contributor and is a strategic consultant for Dentons Law firm that has offices on five continents. Dean is also the founder of Democracy for America, a progressive online organization with one million members nation wide. DFA works to elect more progressive candidates to local, state and national office by providing the tools to create change.</p>

<p>He has extensive experience in Southeastern Europe including in Ukraine, Moldova, and the Balkans. He has also has an extensive knowledge of Iraqi and Iranian affairs, and has spent time in China and Myanmar. He has been active in anti human trafficking efforts in Asia and in the United States. He lectures frequently in Europe, and is currently teaching a course on the Politics of American Foreign Policy at the Jackson Institute at Yale.</p>

HOWARD DEAN, M.D., was born in New York City and grew up in East Hampton, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1971 and his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1978. Upon completing his residency at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, he went on to practice internal medicine in Shelburne, Vermont. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1983 to 1985. He was elected lieutenant governor of Vermont in 1986 and was reelected in 1988 and 1990. He became governor upon the death of Governor Richard A. Snelling on August 14, 1991. Elected to a full term in November 1992, he was reelected in November 1994, November 1996, November 1998, and November 2000. A past chairman of the National Governors Association, the Democratic Governors’ Association, and the New England Governors’ Conference, he also served on the National Education Goals Panel and was co-chair of NGA’s Task Force on Health Care. Although Dean was unsuccessful in his bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, he went on to win the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee three months after the general election.