Argeo Paul Cellucci

ARGEO PAUL CELLUCCI was born in Hudson, Massachusetts. In 1970 he graduated from the Boston College School of Management, where he served in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). He received his law degree from Boston College Law School in 1973. Cellucci served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1970 until 1978, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of captain. His private-sector experience includes almost thirty years of work at his family's automobile dealership, and seventeen years in the private practice of law, eventually serving as partner in a Hudson law firm. His career in government began in 1970, when he was elected to the Hudson Charter Commission. One year later, he won a seat on the Hudson Board of Selectmen, and he served on that panel until 1977. In 1976 he was elected to the first of four terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Cellucci was elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 1984; during his third senate term, he became the assistant Republican leader. He was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1990 and was reelected in 1994 by a historic margin of 71 percent. On July 29, 1997, he was sworn in as Governor to complete the remainder of Governor William F. Weld's term of office. He was reelected in November 1998. A strong advocate for smaller government and lower taxes, Governor Cellucci offered a major cut in the Massachusetts income tax on his first day as Governor. He has been a leader in education reform, access to health care, and the fight against domestic violence. Governor Cellucci resigned in 2001 to become the U.S. Ambassador to Canada.