Patrick C. Lynch (born February 4, 1965,

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

) is an American lawyer who served as

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

's 72nd

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

. He oversaw the investigation and prosecution of the second-deadliest fire in Rhode Island history, the

Station Nightclub Fire A fire occurred on the evening of February 20, 2003, at The Station, a nightclub and music venue in West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, killing 100 people and injuring 230. During a concert by the rock band Jack Russell's Great White, an ...

, and also sued former

lead paint Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead. As pigment, lead(II) chromate (, "chrome yellow"), lead(II,IV) oxide, (, "red lead"), and lead(II) carbonate (, "white lead") are the most common forms.. Lead is added to paint to acceler ...

manufacturers Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

for

cleanup Cleanup, clean up or clean-up may refer to: * Cleanup (animation), a stage of animation workflow * Clean-up (environment), environmental action to remove litter from a place * Cleanup hitter, a baseball position * Clean-up Records, a record la ...

cost Cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something or deliver a service, and hence is not available for use anymore. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in which case the amount of money expended to acquire it i ...

s associated with their old products. He won reelection in 2006, and attempted unsuccessfully to run for governor of Rhode Island in 2010, where he dropped out before the Democratic Primary. He has two children, Kelsey and Graham, with his first wife, and has since remarried.Project Vote Smart, "Patrick C. Lynch (RI)"
(accessed July 19, 2006) His brother is William J. Lynch, former Chairman of the Democratic Party of Rhode Island.

Early career

While attending St. Raphael Academy in

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...

, Lynch played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

. He went on to attend

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, where he was part of the School's first Ivy League Championship basketball team. He graduated from

with a B.S. in

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

in 1987 and took graduate courses at

Queen's University of Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

while playing professional basketball in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and taking part in a program called Sports Corps, modeled after the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

. After returning to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Lynch earned a J.D. from

Suffolk University Law School Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the Private university, private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in Downtown Boston, downtown Boston, across the street from the Boston Common and the Fr ...

in 1992. He then worked for two years as a clerk for Presiding

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

Judge Joseph Rodgers, Jr., and then joined the R.I. attorney general's office in 1994. Lynch was eventually named lead prosecutor of the state's

Organized Crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

Unit. In 1999, Lynch joined Rhode Island

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

Tillinghast Licht Perkins Smith & Cohen, where he worked until being elected attorney general.National District Attorneys Association, "In Profile: Patrick C. Lynch", May/June 2005 (accessed July 20, 2006).

Political career

Lynch formally announced his candidacy in March 2002 after incumbent

Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2007 as the junior United States senator from Rhode Island. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 1993 to 1998 as the United States Att ...

announced he would run for governor. Lynch was a well connected member of the Democratic Party - his father was a former Mayor of

and his brother was serving as Chairman of the R.I. Democratic Party. Lynch faced J. William Harsch, a former director of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, who ran as an independent but had the endorsement of the state Republican Party.Liz Anderson
"Lawyer to announce he's GOP candidate for attorney general"
''

The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, the largest newspaper in Rhode Island, US. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspaper had won four ...

'', June 11, 2002. Lynch won the election with 62 percent of the vote.Rhode Island Board of Elections
"Results for Attorney General by Community"
November 5, 2002 (accessed July 21, 2006). While in office, Lynch advocated for stricter laws regarding drunken-driving and the use of handguns. He has also proposed measures that would link school attendance rates and teenagers' driving privileges, increase penalties against people who provide alcohol to minors, and require school districts to put in place anti-bullying and school-safety plans. He has also called for community prosecution, and has paired state prosecutors with police personnel in Providence Police Department's neighborhood precincts with the goal of timely prosecution of drug crimes, robbery, and assault.State of Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General
"Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch"
(accessed July 29, 2006).

The Station Nightclub Fire

One of Lynch's first responsibilities as attorney general was to oversee the criminal investigation of the February 20, 2003,

in West Warwick. With 100 deaths and many more injuries, the fire was the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history and the second-deadliest fire ever in Rhode Island, trailing only the USS ''Bennington'' fire that claimed 103 lives in the 1950s. The criminal investigation led to the sentencing of Daniel Biechele, the tour manager of the band whose pyrotechnics started the fire, and also resulted in no-contest pleas by the two co-owners of the nightclub.Paul Edward Parker
"State issues 257 subpoenas for trial of Michael Derderian"
''The Providence Journal'', July 18, 2006. In October 2021, the CBS program 48 Hours interviewed Lynch about shortcomings in the investigation and his failure to prosecute certain potentially responsible parties.

Lead paint lawsuit

Lynch also pursued a lawsuit against lead paint manufactures that was initiated by Whitehouse, his predecessor. The initial lawsuit ended in a mistrial while Whitehouse was in office. Lynch won the jury trial in a second lawsuit against Sherwin Williams Co., NL Industries, and Millennium Holdings, LLC., all former lead paint manufacturers. Another company, Atlantic Richfield Co., was acquitted by the jury. The case was closely monitored by other states and municipalities interested in whether former lead paint manufacturers are liable for problems their products caused after they stopped manufacturing it.Raja Mishra
"Rhode Island wins lead paint suit"
''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', February 23, 2006. The verdict was ultimately overturned in a 4-0 decision by the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

in 2008. DuPont Co. settled out of court in June 2005, agreeing to pay $12 million to the Children's Health Forum. The agency agreed to use the money for lead paint abatement efforts and education campaigns. Lynch has since been criticized for accepting $4,250 in contributions from DuPont lawyers and lobbyists, and his opponent in the 2006 elections filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission. Lynch has denied that the donations were related to the lawsuit, and a lawyer for DuPont who accounted (with his wife) for $2,500 of the donations called the complaint "rubbish."Scott Mayerowitz
"Lynch accepted campaign donations from lead defendant"
''The Providence Journal'', June 30, 2006. Lynch has also been criticized for the arrangement his office made with the law firm Motley Rice, which prosecuted the case. The firm agreed to cover the costs of the case in return for 16 percent of whatever damages the company won. Critics have charged that this kind of relationship between law firm and government is improper because the law firms stand to benefit from a guilty verdict.Peter B. Lord

''The Providence Journal'', April 4, 2006.

2008 Presidential race: Endorsement of Barack Obama

Lynch was the second of the only two

superdelegates In American politics, a superdelegate is a delegate to a presidential nominating convention who is seated automatically. In Democratic National Conventions, superdelegates—described in formal party rules as the party leaders and electe ...

in Rhode Island to publicly endorse

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in the

2008 Democratic presidential primary From January 3 to June 3, 2008, voters of the Democratic Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was selected as the nominee, becoming the first African Ame ...

on February 9, 2008. The first being Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy on January 28, 2008. Ultimately, Barack Obama lost the Rhode Island Democratic primary on March 4, 2008 to

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

Central Falls Corruption Controversy

In 2010, Lynch became embroiled in a controversial investigation into rampant fraud and corruption by Central Falls Mayor Charles D. Moreau, a close friend of Lynch's. Lynch recused himself from the investigation due to his relationship with Moreau and with Moreau's spokeswoman, Cynthia Stern, whom Lynch later married. Moreau was sentenced in Rhode Island federal court to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to soliciting and accepting a bribe while Mayor of Central Falls.

Gubernatorial campaign

On May 22, 2009, Lynch announced his candidacy for

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democrati ...

in the 2010 gubernatorial election. On August 6, 2009, Lynch was warned by the State Board of Elections that he needed to more carefully disclose his campaign spending. At issue was some $9,000 in petty cash transactions that were not properly documented. The State Board of Elections did not fine Lynch whose campaign filed corrected paperwork amidst being confronted with the issue. The complaint was filed by the Rhode Island Republican Party. On July 15, 2010, Lynch announced his exit from the Governors race, and endorsed fellow Democrat

Frank Caprio Francesco Caprio (born November 24, 1936) is an American retired judge and politician who served as the chief judge of the municipal court of Providence, Rhode Island, and chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education. H ...

. In his statement, Lynch said: "I did not enter public service to become a footnote in history by injuring my party, resulting in the election of a governor who is not equipped to guide our wonderful State into the future it deserves."

Current Activities

Since leaving his post as attorney general, he has been accused of lobbying his former office several times on behalf of topics such as online gambling and Google Search engine practices via his firm th
Patrick Lynch Group
Whilst he has never registered with the state as a lobbyist, he denies that his communications with the office of current Attorney General constitute lobbying. Additionally, he is a member of a law and consulting firm
Patrick Lynch Law
ref>

Election history

2006 General Election 2002 General Election

References

External links

NAAG - Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch (D)
profile
Project Vote Smart - Patrick C. Lynch (IL)
profile *Follow the Money - Patrick Lynch
200620042002
campaign contributions * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Patrick C 1965 births Alumni of Queen's University Belfast American expatriates in the United Kingdom American men's basketball players Brown Bears men's basketball players Living people Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island Rhode Island attorneys general Rhode Island Democrats Suffolk University Law School alumni Candidates in the 2010 United States elections 20th-century American sportsmen