Bill Ferguson (politician)

William C. Ferguson IV (born April 15, 1983) is an American politician, attorney, and former schoolteacher. He is a Democratic member of the Maryland Senate, representing the 46th district since 2011. The district is composed of parts of Baltimore City.

William C. Ferguson IV
86th President of the Maryland Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 8, 2020
Preceded by	Thomas V. Miller Jr.
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 46th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 12, 2011
Preceded by	George W. Della, Jr.
Personal details
Born	April 15, 1983 Silver Spring, Maryland, US
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Georgetown Preparatory School (HS) Davidson College (BA) Johns Hopkins School of Education (MEd) University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (JD)
Occupation	Politician, attorney, schoolteacher

On September 14, 2010, Ferguson defeated six-term incumbent George W. Della, Jr. in the Democratic primary.[1][2] He won the general election with no opposition.[3]

Education and early career

Ferguson was born in Silver Spring, Maryland and graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School and Davidson College with a double major in political science and economics in 2005.[4] He then joined Teach For America, teaching history and government to ninth and tenth graders at a high school in Baltimore for two years.[5] In 2007, he earned a Master of Arts degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Education.[6]

Ferguson served as a community liaison on educational issues for the president of the Baltimore City Council from 2005 to 2006.[6] From 2009 to 2010, he was a special assistant to Andres Alonso, the chief executive officer of Baltimore City Public Schools.[5] He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 2010.[4]

Political career

In 2010, Ferguson challenged six-term incumbent George W. Della, Jr. for the Democratic nomination for the 46th district in the Maryland Senate. He won the primary election by a margin of 59-41%.[1] Running in a heavily Democratic district, he won the general election with no formal opposition, receiving 98% of the vote.[3] He is the youngest state senator ever elected in Maryland.[6] His youth earned him the nickname of "Baby Senator".[7]

On October 24, 2019, Senate Democrats unanimously voted to nominate Ferguson to succeed Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller.[8] Ferguson was perceived as more progressive than Miller.[9] He was sworn in as Senate President on January 8, 2020.[10]

References

1. "Official 2010 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections.
2. Linskey, Annie; Walker, Andrea (September 15, 2010). "Ferguson topples Baltimore Senator Della". The Baltimore Sun.
3. "2010 General Election Official Results". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections.
4. "William C. Ferguson IV, Maryland State Senator". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. January 29, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
5. Wood, Pamela (October 25, 2019). "4 things to know about Bill Ferguson, the next Maryland Senate president". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
6. Wilson, Kelly (Fall 2010). "Were You Phenomenal Today?". Chidsey Leadership Lecture Series. Davidson College. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
7. Wood, Pamela; Broadwater, Luke (October 24, 2019). "Miller says he'll step down as Maryland senate president; Democrats pick Baltimore's Bill Ferguson to replace him". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
8. Waldman, Tyler (October 24, 2019). "Miller Steps Down As Senate President". WBAL (AM). Retrieved October 24, 2019.
9. Cohen, Rachel M. (November 16, 2019). "As Longest-Serving Senate President In U.S. History Steps Aside, Maryland Set For A Political Shakeup". The Intercept. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
10. Wilen, Holden (January 8, 2020). "Baltimore's Bill Ferguson officially takes over as Maryland Senate president". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2020.