O’Malley, Martin (1963-…), served as governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. O’Malley, a member of the Democratic Party, previously served as mayor of Baltimore.
Martin Joseph O’Malley was born in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 18, 1963. The third of six children, he was raised in Bethesda and Rockville, Maryland. While attending the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., O’Malley worked on the presidential campaign of Gary Hart. Hart sought the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination but was unsuccessful. O’Malley earned a bachelor’s degree from Catholic University in 1985. He then attended the University of Maryland School of Law. In 1986, O’Malley served as the state field director for Barbara Ann Mikulski’s successful U.S. Senate campaign. He earned his law degree in 1988. In 1990, O’Malley married Catherine Curran. Catherine Curran O’Malley later became a judge of the District Court of Maryland, which is part of the state court system. The O’Malleys have four children.
After receiving his law degree, Martin O’Malley became assistant state’s attorney for the city of Baltimore. In 1990, he lost a campaign for the Democratic nomination for a state Senate seat. In 1991, he won election to the Baltimore City Council. He served on the council until 1999, when he won election as Baltimore’s mayor. As mayor, O’Malley worked to increase government efficiency and reduce violent crime. He gained notice for his work on such issues as homeland security, economic development, and education. He was reelected in 2004.
O’Malley won election as Maryland’s governor in 2006. He took office in 2007 and was reelected in 2010. As governor, O’Malley supported investments in education, job creation, and public safety. He supported legislation to reduce pollution in Chesapeake Bay. He also favored the legalization of same-sex marriage and the adoption of stricter gun control measures. O’Malley served as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in 2011 and 2012.
In 2015, O’Malley began a campaign for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president. He suspended the campaign in February 2016, however, following a poor finish in the Iowa caucuses. O’Malley also wrote the books Smarter Government: How to Govern for Results in the Information Age (2019) and Smarter Government Workbook: A 14-Week Implementation Guide to Governing for Results (2020). O’Malley was named commissioner of the United States Social Security Administration in 2023.
See also Hart, Gary Warren; Mikulski, Barbara Ann.
