Thomas Drummond Ritter (born November 24, 1952) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and retired politician from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

who was the

Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives The speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the Connecticut House of Representatives. Speakers, 1699-1818 A list of speakers of the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives ...

from 1993-1998.

Early life and education

Ritter attended

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

and later the

University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. As ...

Family

Ritter’s wife Christine E. Keller is an appellate court judge. Both his father and his brother are former lawmakers. His son

Matthew Ritter Matthew Delis Ritter (born May 12, 1983) is an American attorney and politician. He currently serves as the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives for the Democratic Party and the 1st District. Personal life Ritter was born in Hart ...

is also a lawyer and State Representative as well as the current Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives.

Political career

Ritter served on the Hartford Democratic Town Committee from 1975 to 1980 and was a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

from 1980 to 1998. He was speaker from 1993-1998.Ritter bio (click name)
/ref> Ritter and Moira K. Lyons are the only three term Speakers in history of the Connecticut House of Representatives. Ritter sits on the

UCONN The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

board of directors. In 2019 he became the acting chair of the board when chairman Kruger stepped down. Kruger has named

West Hartford West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquiall ...

Mayor

Shari Cantor Shari Cantor (born 1960) is a Certified Public Accountant and politician from West Hartford, Connecticut. She is the Mayor of West Hartford. Early life and education A native of West Hartford, Cantor attended Hall High School. She graduated ...

as his preferred permanent successor over Ritter, writing that "it’s time for the University board to be led by a woman.” Some have cited emoluments as a potential risk of his chairmanship.

Legal career

Ritter is currently a partner at the law firm of Brown Rudnick. Prior to joining the firm, he worked as an attorney for the Hartford Corporation Counsel and was in private practice for many years.

Freedom of information act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act (United States) of 1966 * F ...

requests for communications between Ritter and his client the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority were at the center of a

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit i ...

case in 2016.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter, Thomas D. 1952 births People from New Haven, Connecticut Lawyers from Hartford, Connecticut Living people Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut University of Connecticut School of Law alumni Amherst College alumni Loomis Chaffee School alumni 20th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly