Claire D. Cronin (born January 29, 1960) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who currently serves as the

United States Ambassador to Ireland The United States Ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States Foreign Service. The current ambassa ...

. She previously served as a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

from the 11th Plymouth district from 2013-2022. Cronin was the first woman to serve as House Majority Leader. In May 2021, President Joe Biden was reported to have selected Cronin as the United States Ambassador to Ireland. On June 23, 2021, the nomination was officially announced. On January 19, 2022, Cronin was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to Ireland in the Massachusetts House of Representatives chamber. She presented her credentials to the President of Ireland,

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

, on February 10, 2022.

Early life and education

Born Claire McLaughlin in Brockton, Massachusetts to Phyllis Lucey and James Daniel McLaughlin. Her father was the son of an Irish immigrant from the Inishowen Peninsula in Northern Co. Donegal and all four of Phyllis Lucey’s grandparents were Irish. Cronin graduated from

Brockton High School Brockton High School, established in 1870, is a high school located in Brockton, Massachusetts. It is a part of Brockton Public Schools. As of 2016 Brockton High School, with 4,029 students, is one of the largest high schools in the United States ...

in 1978 and attended Stonehill College in Easton and graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Political Science in 1982. She went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1985.

Career

Early career

Cronin was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar Association in 1985 and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court and before the United States Supreme Court. Cronin has maintained a law practice in Brockton. She was formerly a member of the Brockton Democratic City Committee, and previously served on the Easton Democratic Town Committee and Democratic State Committee. Cronin served as mediator in the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal settlement.

Massachusetts House of Representatives

In 2012, long-time State Representative Geraldine Creedon announced her plans to retire from public office. On February 14, 2012, Cronin announced her candidacy for the newly redistricted seat. She won a four-way Democratic primary with 33% of the vote, defeating Brockton Councilors-at-Large Robert Sullivan and Jass Stewart, and Southeast Regional School Committee member Mark Linde. In the general election, Cronin defeated

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Dan Murphy. In the legislature, Cronin serves as the Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Prior to assuming this role, Cronin served as the chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. She is the first woman in the history of the Massachusetts House of Representatives to serve as chair of the House Judiciary Committee. In her role as chair, Cronin was the architect of the comprehensive House criminal justice reform bill and was the lead negotiator for the House of Representatives during the conference committee. This sweeping piece of legislation marked the most extensive reform of the state's criminal justice system in decades. Cronin previously served as the vice-chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, and as a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, and the House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight. Cronin announced Massachusetts' votes in the roll call at the

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...

. During the 2020 United States presidential election Cronin was a fund-raising bundler for the

Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign Former vice president Joe Biden began his presidential campaign on April 25, 2019 by releasing a video announcing his candidacy in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. The campaign concluded with him and his running mate Kamala ...

in the state of Massachusetts. On January 18, 2022, Cronin resigned from the House, and thus vacated her position as Majority Leader.

U.S. Ambassador to Ireland

In May 2021, Cronin was reported as President Joe Biden's nominee for

. On June 23, 2021, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Cronin to that position. On July 13, 2021, her nomination was sent to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. On September 29, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...

. On October 19, 2021, her nomination was reported favorably out of committee. On December 18, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by the full United States Senate in a voice vote. On January 19, 2022, she was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to Ireland during a formal session of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She presented her credentials to the President of Ireland,

, on February 10, 2022. In her remarks at the ceremony, Cronin noted: “President Biden entrusted me as the US Ambassador to Ireland at a very important moment. As his eyes and ears here in Ireland, I plan to engage with politicians and other stakeholders. President Biden is unequivocal in his support for the Good Friday Agreement, a historic achievement that must be protected to ensure peace and stability in Northern Ireland.”

Tenure

Cronin also is raising awareness of the J-1 visa program for Irish students traveling to the US. “Our ancestral relations are the foundation of our ties but our trade and investment is the glue that holds us together, but so too we need to introduce young Irish citizens, young people to America,” she says. Cronin had been scheduled to attend the in-person meeting between

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Joe Biden and

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence since December 2022. He served as Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022 and has been Leader of ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

on 17 March 2022, a meeting which ultimately did not occur due to Martin's own COVID diagnosis on the day. Cronin had also intended to participate in Irish-American festivities alongside Ambassador of Ireland to the United States

Daniel Mulhall Daniel Mulhall (born 8 April 1955) is a retired Irish diplomat and a former Ambassador of Ireland to the United States. He has also been Ireland's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Germany and Malaysia. Education Born in Waterford, Ireland, Mul ...

Personal life

Cronin is married to Ray Cronin, the CEO and co-founder of Club Benchmarking, a performance analytics company that assists private recreational clubs.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cronin, Claire D. 1960 births Living people 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland American women ambassadors Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Easton, Massachusetts Politicians from Brockton, Massachusetts Stonehill College alumni Suffolk University Law School alumni Women state legislators in Massachusetts American women diplomats