Boyd Kevin Rutherford (born April 1, 1957) is an American politician, businessman and attorney serving as the ninth

lieutenant governor of Maryland The lieutenant governor of Maryland is the second highest-ranking official in the executive branch of the state government of Maryland in the United States. The officeholder is elected on the same ticket as the governor of Maryland and must meet ...

since 2015. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

, Rutherford was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as Associate Administrator in the U.S.

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...

, serving from 2001 to 2003. Rutherford then joined the administration of Governor

Bob Ehrlich Robert Leroy Ehrlich Jr. (born November 25, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 60th Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, Ehrlich represented Maryland's 2nd Congressional district in the U.S. House ...

, serving as the Secretary of General Services from 2003 to 2006. He served as Assistant Secretary for Administration to the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

from 2006 to 2009.

Early life and education

Rutherford was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

, which he earned in 1979. In 1990, Rutherford earned both a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree and a master's degree in communications management from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. Rutherford is a member of the State Bars of California and Maryland, as well as the District of Columbia bar. He has practiced law in Southern California, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. He has been serving since January 21, 2015.

Career

Business career

In addition to his public service, Rutherford has a broad career in law and business. At the time of his election in 2014, Rutherford served as an attorney with the firm of Benton Potter & Murdock, which has offices in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. He served as Associate Administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration; during his time there, he worked with small businesses in government and improving the agency. Rutherford served as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of General Services. He was responsible for over $900 million in annual contract administration, while finding creative ways to save the taxpayers of Maryland money and completing expansion of State buildings. Additionally, following the resignation of Michael J. Harrison, Rutherford was nominated by George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary for Administration for the

(USDA), where he was able to save millions of taxpayer dollars. He has also worked in information technology sales, and small and minority business development. Rutherford previously served on the Baltimore City

Brownfields In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land pre ...

Redevelopment Council and on the Board of the Corridor Transportation Corporation.

Political career and civic associations

Rutherford served on the Howard County Republican Central Committee from 1996 to 2002 and was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 2000. From 2009 to 2011, Rutherford served as

Chief Administrative Officer A chief administrative officer (CAO) is a top-tier executive who supervises the daily operations of an organization and is ultimately responsible for its performance. Government and non-profit A CAO is responsible for administrative management of ...

of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in ...

Tenure as lieutenant governor

Rutherford is the third consecutive African American elected to the office of Lieutenant Governor in Maryland. While Governor

Larry Hogan Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 62nd governor of Maryland since 2015. A moderate member of the Republican Party, he was secretary of appointments under Maryland governor Bo ...

was going through treatment for lymphoma, Rutherford often acted as governor. In December 2015, he criticized fantasy football sites, voicing his opinion that they were gambling sites. As a candidate, Rutherford was noted as someone who would “make the trains run on time” and for his focus on making the government more effective.

2022 Maryland gubernatorial election

Rutherford declined running for governor in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

Personal life

Rutherford and his wife Monica live in

Columbia, Maryland Columbia is a census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland. It is one of the principal communities of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. It is a planned community consisting of 10 self-contained villages. Columbia began wit ...

, and they have three adult children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherford, Boyd 1957 births 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American politicians African-American people in Maryland politics African-American state cabinet secretaries Archbishop Carroll High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni George W. Bush administration personnel Howard University alumni Lieutenant Governors of Maryland Living people Maryland Republicans People from Columbia, Maryland People from Washington, D.C. State cabinet secretaries of Maryland United States Department of Agriculture officials USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism alumni Black conservatism in the United States