Matthew Denn
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Matthew P. "Matt" Denn, is a lawyer and politician from the North Star area, near Hockessin in New Castle County, Delaware. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was the Insurance Commissioner of Delaware from 2005 to 2009. Denn is the current Lieutenant Governor for the state, and took office on January 20, 2009 with Delaware Governor Jack Markell.
Early life and family
Denn was born February 9, 1966 in Wilmington, Delaware, son of Morton Denn, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Delaware. He grew up in suburban Hockessin in New Castle County and moved to California during high school. A graduate with honors and student body president at the University of California, Berkeley, he received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1991. He now lives in the North Star area, near Hockessin, Delaware with his wife, Michele, and twin children, Zachary and Adam.
Professional career
Returning to Delaware in 1991, Denn worked for two years with Delaware Volunteer Legal Services and then went into private practice, becoming a partner with the law firm of Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor in 2000. There he argued cases involving insurance disputes, personal injuries, real estate, commercial and corporate disputes, and bankruptcies, and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Young Lawyers Section of the Delaware State Bar Association. In 1998, he was appointed chairman of Delaware's new Child Protection Accountability Commission, a commission set up in the aftermath of the deaths of several children in state care. He also served on a variety of boards and commissions, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Delaware, the Wilmington Civil Rights Commission, and the Kutz Home. Denn has also served as an adjunct professor at Widener University Law School in the area of constitutional law.
Political career
As Governor Ruth Ann Minner's legal counsel from 2001 through 2003, Denn wrote several of the Governor's major legislative initiatives, such as the Patients Bill of Rights (regulating health insurance companies), anti-terrorism legislation, environmental legislation, and legislation protecting school teachers from lawsuits. He also represented the Governor on a variety of task forces, including the Governor's Strategic Economic Council and the Governor's Cancer Task Force. Denn ran for a seat in the State Senate in 1998, losing to incumbent State Senator Bob Conner and receiving approximately 45% of the vote. He was elected Delaware State Insurance Commissioner in 2004 defeating Democratic Party primary rival, Karen Weldin Stewart, and Republican Party candidate, Dave Ennis, a member of Delaware General Assembly from New Castle County. He has served as Insurance Commissioner since January 4, 2005.
Denn announced in March 2007 that he was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in the election of 2008. Another Democratic candidate, Wilmington City Council President Ted Blunt, ended his campaign in spring 2008, avoiding a primary. Despite carrying fewer Delaware votes than Jack Markell or Barack Obama, Denn took more than 61 percent of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Charlie Copeland in the 2008 Democratic landslide that transformed Delaware into a one party state. Denn began his term in January 2009 alongside Governor Jack Markell.
Contact information
Tatnall Building
3rd Floor
Dover, DE 19901
Telephone: (302) 744-4333
