J. JOSEPH CURRAN
Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
J Joseph Curran, Maryland's third Lieutenant
Governor since the office was reestablished in
1970, brings more than twenty-four years of legis-
lative experience to the State's second highest
elected office
Lieutenant Governor Curran began his career
in public service in 1958, when he won election to
the House of Delegates Although it was his first
entry into the political field and he was still a law
student at the time, Mr Curran received the larg-
est number of votes cast for a House of Delegates
candidate in Baltimore City His election contin-
ued a long family tradition of public service His
father, the late J Joseph Curran, Sr, served
twenty years on the Baltimore City Council A
brother, Martin (Mike) Curran, was named to the
Council vacancy created by the father's death in
1977 and was elected to a full term m 1979 Dur-
ing his term in the House of Delegates young Jo-
seph Curran served on the Education Committee
In 1962 he was elected to the State Senate,
where he quickly gained a reputation as a leader
on educational and judicial issues He served on
the Judicial Proceedings Committee and was
elected chairman in 1967, a position he held for
sixteen years
During Mr Curran's tenure in the General As-
sembly, he sponsored or was the leading spokes-
man for a number of significant bills In addition
to working for the creation of the Court of Spe-
cial Appeals and the District Court system, he
consistently sought to improve the operation of
the courts and the correctional system He sup-
ported tougher drug laws and sponsored the bill
outlawing drug paraphernalia Mr Curran consis-
tently supported tougher drunk driving laws and
sponsored the handgun permit law An advocate
of equal rights, Mr Curran sponsored legislation
to modernize Maryland's divorce and alimony
laws as well as reforms for adoption and guard-
ianship laws He sponsored the law to protect
victims of domestic violence The Maryland
Higher Education Loan Program, which Mr
Curran first sponsored as a member of the |
House, was passed under his leadership while he
was a member of the State Senate
As Lieutenant Governor, Mr Curran will serve
as legislative liaison for Administration bills He
has also been appointed by Governor Hughes as
Chairman of the Task Force on the Drinking
Driver and the Task Force to Review the Defense
of Insanity Consistent with his long-standing in-
volvement m social issues. Lieutenant Governor
Curran plans to remain active in ensuring the ad-
equate delivery of juvenile services, in corrections
and judicial matters, and in the deinstitu-
tionalization of mentally retarded, handicapped,
and developmentally disabled citizens
Lieutenant Governor Curran was born in West
Palm Beach, Florida, on July 7,1931 He is a
graduate of Blessed Sacrament School of Balti-
more, Loyola High School, the University of Bal-
timore, and the University of Baltimore Law
School (LL B , 1959)
In 1950, at the outset of the Korean War, Mr
Curran volunteered for military duty, serving
with the United States Air Force in Japan, Oki-
nawa, and Korea He was honorably discharged
with the rank of staff sergeant after a four-year
tour of duty While stationed in Japan, he orga-
nized and directed the Johnson Air Force Base
support of the St Joseph Home for War Or-
phans
Mr Curran returned to Baltimore following his
military service, becoming active in a number of
civic organizations and political clubs Before en-
tering law school he worked briefly for the
Lavship Steamship Line in Locust Point, and for
the Bethlehem Steel Company at Sparrows Point
He was engaged in the private practice of law
with the firm of Curran and Owens in Baltimore
and is a member of the Maryland State Bar Asso-
ciation, Baltimore City Bar Association, and the
Association of Defense Counsel of Baltimore
City He also served as a member of the Ethics
Committee of the Baltimore City Bar Association
Mr Curran is married to the former Barbara
Mane Atkins They are the parents of five chil-
dren, Mary Carole, Alice, Catherine, J Joseph
(Max) Curran III, and William (deceased) The
Currans reside in the Homeland section of
Baltimore City |
