John Rafferty Jr. (born February 7, 1953) is an American politician and former

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 again ...

member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered eve ...

who had represented the 44th District from 2003 to 2019. He was the Republican nominee for Attorney General of Pennsylvania in 2016 but was defeated by Democrat

Josh Shapiro Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the Pennsylvania Attorney General since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the governor-elect of Pennsylvania. Raised in Montgomery ...

. In 2018, he was defeated for re-election by Democrat

Katie Muth Katie J. Muth is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing the 44th District. Her district includes portions of northeastern Chester and southwestern Montgomery and Berks Counties. P ...

Career

Rafferty Jr. represented Pennsylvania's 44th senatorial district which includes parts of Berks, Chester and Montgomery Counties. He was re-elected for a fourth term in the Senate in November 2014. Rafferty served as the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. He also served as vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee and member of the Appropriations, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and Law and Justice Committees. Rafferty also previously served on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and in 2013 was appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to serve on the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. Prior to running for the Pennsylvania Senate, Rafferty served as an attorney in private practice focusing on education, real estate, zoning, business and estate law. As Deputy Attorney General for the Commonwealth from 1988 to 1991, he was assigned to the Criminal Law Division where his primary duty was investigating and prosecuting Medicaid fraud. Rafferty was a member of the Methacton School Board from 1980 to 1984. He also represented Methacton in the operation of the Vo-Tech School as a member of the North Montco Vo-Tech Joint School Authority from 1981 to 1984. After serving on the Methacton School Board he was elected to serve as a member of the Lower Providence Township Board of Supervisors.

Education

Rafferty attended the

University of Pittsburgh at Bradford The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (Pitt-Bradford or UPB) is a state-related college in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It is a baccalaureate degree-granting, regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh. History Founding The University of Pi ...

and completed his bachelor's degree at

Pitt-Johnstown University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ or Pitt-Johnstown) is a state-related college in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is a baccalaureate degree-granting regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh. The university is located in Richland ...

. He received a master's degree from

Beaver College Arcadia University is a private university in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The university enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. The campus features Grey Towers Castle, a National Historic Landmark. History ...

and his

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 ...

from

Temple University Beasley School of Law The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls about 530 students. Student body Admission for fall 2019 entering class was highly compe ...

References

External links

Rafferty for Attorney General
official campaign website
Rafferty for Senate
official campaign website
State Senator John Rafferty
official PA Senate website
Project Vote Smart - Senator John Rafferty (PA)
profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Rafferty, John Jr. University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown alumni Politicians from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state senators Living people 1953 births Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Pennsylvania politicians