Daniel M. Donovan, Jr.

Daniel M. Donovan, Jr.
District Attorney of Richmond County
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2004
Preceded by William L. Murphy
Constituency Richmond County, New York
Deputy Borough President of Staten Island
In office
January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2003
Preceded by James Molinaro
Succeeded by Edward Burke
Personal details
Born Daniel Michael Donovan, Jr.
November 6, 1956
Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Political party Republican
Residence Great Kills, Staten Island
Alma mater St. John's University (B.S.)
Fordham University (J.D.)
Profession Attorney
Religion Roman Catholic
Signature

Daniel Michael "Dan" Donovan, Jr. (born November 6, 1956) is an attorney and elected official from New York City. He currently serves as the district attorney for Richmond County, New York (Staten Island). Donovan is currently running for Congress in the special election for New York's 11th congressional district,[1][2] which was vacated by Republican Rep. Michael Grimm after he plead guilty to tax fraud charges.[3]

Early life

Dan Donovan was born into a working-class Roman Catholic family in Staten Island, New York in 1956. His Irish-American father, Daniel M. Donovan, Sr., was a longshoreman and life-long Democrat, his Polish-American mother, Katherine Bolewicz Donovan, was a garment worker.[4][5] He was raised in the Tompkinsville section of the borough.[6] He attended Monsignor Farrell High School, an all-boys Catholic school, graduating in 1974.[7] He went to study Criminal Justice at St. John's University.[6] After graduating from there he attended Fordham University School of Law, earning his juris doctor in 1988.[6]

Early career

In 1989 Dan Donovan became an Assistant District Attorney in the office of Robert M. Morgenthau.[8] He served in with the office of the New York County District Attorney under Mr. Morgenthau until 1996. Later that year Donovan became Chief of Staff to then Staten Island Borough President Guy V. Molinari.[9] He remained in that position until 2002 when he was sworn in as Deputy Borough President of Staten Island; he had been appointed by his immediate predecessor and the then new Borough President James Molinaro.[9]

Richmond County District Attorney

In 2003, twenty-year incumbent Democrat, William L. Murphy decided not to seek re-election. Dan Donovan announced his intention to run to succeed him. In the election he faced Chief Assistant District Attorney David Lehr and won with over 53% of the vote.[10] One of the key parts of his platform was to start the county's first witness protection program, and his office led the city's prosecutors with the highest felony conviction rate in many of the years since he took office.[11] He was re-elected in 2007 with over 68% of the vote, defeating local Democratic attorney Michael Ryan.[12] This was in spite of a last minute endorsement for his rival by longtime friend and mentor Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro; Molinaro was angered that Donovan had referred his grandson's case to a special prosecutor.[13] Donovan's tenure as DA has seen several high-profile cases, including the second conviction of Andre Rand, long suspected in a string of kidnappings on Staten Island.[14] In 2010, famed rapper Method Man pled guilty to attempted tax evasion and was forced to pay about $106,000 in restitution and penalties.[15] Donovan became the focus of a national controversy surrounding the death of Eric Garner in 2014.

2010 New York Attorney General Campaign

On May 17, 2010, Donovan, a registered Republican, announced his candidacy for the New York attorney general election, 2010, becoming the front runner for his party's nomination.[16] In spite of this Bob Antonacci, Onondaga County Comptroller, announced his intention run for Attorney General.[17] Antonacci stepped aside and endorsed Donovan after earning forty percent of the vote at the 2010 Republican State Convention.[18] With a sixty percent win of the delegates at the convention and no primary opponent, Donovan became the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.[19] A week prior he received the endorsement of the Conservative Party of New York.[20] He was defeated on November 2 by the Democratic nominee Eric Schneiderman.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/dems-concede-grimm-congress-seat-donovan-article-1.2173911
  2. ↑ http://observer.com/2015/04/daniel-donovan-raises-more-than-600000-for-congressional-election/
  3. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/disgraced-staten-island-republican-formally-steps-blog-entry-1.2066465
  4. ↑ Gray, Geoffrey (09-19-2010) http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/encounter/68321/. New York Magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  5. ↑ Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (December 10, 2010) http://news.feetintwoworlds.org/2010/10/12/half-polish-catholic-ag-candidate-wants-ny-polish-community-to-know-his-background/. Feet in 2 Worlds. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 . Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  7. ↑ Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  8. ↑ Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Farinacci, Amanda (05-13-2010) http://brooklyn.ny1.com/content/news_beats/politics/118626/da-donovan-set-to-announce-ag-run/?ap=1&MP4. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  10. ↑ Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  11. ↑ Wrobleski, Tom (05-30-2010). http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/swimming_upstream_in_bid_for_s.html. Staten Island Advance. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  12. ↑ Lomardi, Frank (July 11, 2007). http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/07/2007-11-07_staten_island_da_daniel_donovan_survives.html. New York Daily News. Retrieved June 4, 2010
  13. ↑ Hicks, Jonathan P. (March 11, 2007). http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/03/nyregion/03staten.html?ref=james_p_molinaro. New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  14. ↑ Grace, Melissa and Bill Hutchinson (10-20-2004). http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2004/10/20/2004-10-20_jury__pedophile_took_holly.html. New York Daily News. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  15. ↑ Katz, Celeste (06-29-2010). http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/06/dan-donovan-versus-method-man.html. New York Daily News. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  16. ↑ Wrobleski, Tom (May 17, 2010). Staten Island D.A. Daniel Donovan announces A.G. run, vows to fight corruption in Albany. Staten Island Advance. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  17. ↑ Mariani, Tom (May 17, 2010). Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan to declare attorney general candidacy in Syracuse. The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  18. ↑ Knauss, Tim (June 2, 2010). Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan to declare attorney general candidacy in Syracuse. The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  19. ↑ New York State Republicans Nominate Dan Donovan As Their Candidate for Attorney General. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  20. ↑ Hornak, Robert (May 31, 2010). State Conservative Party Meets: Endorse Townsend, DioGuardi, Donovan, Wilson and (Surprise!) Rick Lazio. Retrieved 2010-07-13.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
James Molinaro		 Deputy Borough President of Staten Island
2002-2003 		Succeeded by
Edward Burke
Legal offices
Preceded by
William L. Murphy		 District Attorney of Richmond County
2004–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Jeanine Pirro		 Republican Nominee for New York State Attorney General
2010 		Succeeded by
most recent