| Harriette L. Chandler | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the First Worcester District | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Robert A. Bernstein |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 13th Worcester District | |
| In office 1995–2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Kevin O'Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | Robert Spellane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 20, 1937 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Burton Chandler |
| Residence | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Wellesley College Clark University Simmons College |
| Occupation | Management Consultant Politician |
Harriette L. Chandler (born December 20, 1937 in Baltimore, Maryland[1]) is the Massachusetts State Senator for the 1st Worcester district, which includes parts of the city of Worcester, where she resides, and the towns of Berlin, Boylston, Holden, Paxton, Princeton, and West Boylston, and parts of Clinton, and Northborough.[2] She is a Democrat who has served since January 2001. From 1995 to 2001 she was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Prior to serving in the Massachusetts legislature, she was a member of the Worcester school committee from 1991 to 1994. She is the first woman from Worcester to ever be elected to the Massachusetts Senate.[3]
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Chandler is the current Assistant Majority Whip of the Senate[3] and the Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health.[3] Previously, she was the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Federal Stimulus Oversight,[4] the Assistant Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, and the Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs.
During her last two terms in the House, she was the Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care.[3]
Senator Chandler also sits on several caucuses and boards, including the Legislature’s Oral Health Caucus (Co-Chair),[3] the Central Massachusetts Caucus,[3] the Caucus of Women Legislators,[3] the Legislature’s Tobacco Control Caucus,[3] the Leadership Council of the Worcester County Regional Network,[3] the Worcester Women’s History Project,[5] the Worcester Art Museum,[1] the United Way of Central Massachusetts,[1] the Jewish Healthcare Center,[1] the Worcester Democratic City Committee and the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee.
Chandler is a long-time pragmatic progressive advocate for health care reform, education, veterans’ issues, housing, civil rights, and women’s matters.
In November 2010, Chandler filed a defamation lawsuit against William J. Higgins Sr., her opponent in the November 2010 election. She claimed Higgins knowingly made false statements about her during the campaign that went well beyond reasonable political campaign statements.[6] The lawsuit, and a lawsuit in response from Higgins, were dropped in June 2011 after Higgins admitted his allegations were not true. [7]
Senator Chandler earned degrees from Wellesley College (B.A.), Simmons College (M.B.A.), and Clark University (Ph.D.). She is married to Worcester attorney Burton Chandler and has three adult children and four grandchildren.[5]