Parris N. Glendening, Maryland's 59th
Governor, is the only Democrat east of Oregon
who won a vacant gubernatorial seat in the 1994
elections.

Since his election, Governor Glendening has
been working hard to move Maryland forward into
the 21st Century. His priorities include improving
public education, creating and maintaining
good-paying, family supporting, private sector
jobs, making Maryland's communities safer, and
protecting Maryland's treasured environment.
During the 1996 legislative session, the Governor
successfully implemented several economic
development programs, including a job- creation
tax credit to attract and retain private sector
employment in Maryland. He also was successful in
implementing a tax reduction totaling $15 million.
This was one of ten targeted business-tax cuts the
Governor has advanced in the last two years that
has saved Maryland businesses $124 million. To
improve education, he proposed legislation that
addresses the problem of disruptive students and
puts teachers and principals back in control of the
classroom, and establishes an incentive program for
individual schools to improve their scores on
statewide tests. He also allocated more than $140
million for elementary and secondary school
construction, the most in two decades. Although
the Governor increased investment in public
education, economic development, and public
safety, his Fiscal Year 1997 operating budget of
$ 14.6 billion is less than the previous year's budget,
the first such reduction since the 1930s.

Governor Glendening was graduated from
Florida State University where he received a
bachelor's degree (1964), a master's degree
(1965), and in 1967 became the youngest student
in the University's history to receive a Ph.D. in
political science. That same year, he joined the
faculty of the University of Maryland at College
Park, where he taught for 27 years, until his election

as Governor. His textbooks on government and
politics have been used in more than 400 colleges,
and he has earned a national reputation for his
expertise in government finance.

The Governor began his public service in 1973
as a City Councilman in Hyattsville. He was elected
to the Prince George's County Council in 1974 and
twice served as Council Chair. In 1982, he was
elected County Executive of Prince George's
County and became the only County Executive in
Maryland history to serve three terms
(1982-1994).

Innovative education initiatives, enhanced
public safety programs, and an extensive citizen
involvement program led Prince George's County
to national recognition in 1986 as the "All
American City" by the National Civic League. His
leadership, innovation, and effectiveness also were
recognized by City and State magazine, which in
1990 named him the "Most Valuable County
Official" in the nation.

Currently, the Governor is the Chair of the
Southern Regional Education Board. He serves on
the Executive Committee of the National
Governors Association, and is a member of the
Democratic Governors Association and the
Southern Governors Association. In 1996, he
received the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for
outstanding Governor from the American Medical
Association. He also received the Donald T. Stone
Award from the American Society for Public
Administration. Recently, the Jewish Community
Council of Greater Washington honored Governor
Glendening with the Breslau- Goblman Award for
his dedication to social justice.

The Governor and his wife, Frances Anne, an
attorney with the Federal Elections Commission,
live in University Park, with their son, Raymond, a
senior at DeMatha High School.