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William Tong

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For the English Presbyterian minister, see William Tong (minister).

William Tong
25th Attorney General of Connecticut
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
GovernorNed Lamont
Preceded byGeorge Jepsen
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 147th district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 9, 2019
Preceded byDonald Sherer
Succeeded byMatt Blumenthal
Personal details
Born
William Morten Tong

(1973-05-02) May 2, 1973 (age 51)
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseElizabeth Hotchkiss
Children3
EducationBrown University (BA)
University of Chicago (JD)

William Morten Tong (born May 2, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician who is the 25th and current Attorney General of Connecticut. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Tong attended Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School. He began his career as an attorney with the law firms Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Finn Dixon & Herling. In 2006, Tong entered politics upon winning election to the Connecticut House of Representatives to represent the 147th district, which includes most of North Stamford. He served six terms in the House from 2007 to 2019. During this period, Tong chaired the banking committee from 2011 to 2015 and the judiciary committee from 2015 to 2019.

In 2018, Tong was elected attorney general of Connecticut. He took office on January 9, 2019, as the first Asian Pacific-American attorney general and constitutional officer elected statewide in Connecticut's history.

Early life and education

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William Tong grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut.[1] His father, Ady, left China for Hong Kong during the Chinese Civil War, and his mother, Nancy, immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan in the 1960s.[2][3]

Tong graduated from the elite boarding school, Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He received an undergraduate degree in classics with honors from Brown University in 1995. He earned a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 2000.[4][5]

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Before his election as attorney general, Tong practiced law for 18 years as a litigator in both state and federal courts, first at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City and then at Finn Dixon & Herling LLP in Stamford.[6]

Public service

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2018 state attorney general campaign

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Main article: 2018 Connecticut Attorney General election

In late 2017, Tong formed an exploratory committee to seek the Democratic nomination for Connecticut Attorney General in the 2018 election after incumbent George Jepsen announced he would not seek reelection.[citation needed]

Tong won the first contested Democratic convention for attorney general on May 20, 2018,[7] with 63.3% of the vote, defeating three other candidates. He went on to win the first contested Democratic primary for attorney general on August 14,[8] beating two other candidates with 57.3% of the vote.[citation needed]

Tong defeated Republican nominee Sue Hatfield in the general election[9] by 78,394 votes, 6% of the total.[10] According to the attorney general's office, he became the first elected Asian-American statewide official in Connecticut upon taking office.[6]

Consumer protection

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As attorney general, Tong is leading a coalition of 49 states in suing the major generic drug manufacturers[11] for price fixing, which Tong called the “largest private sector cartel” in history during a May 12, 2019 segment[12] on the CBS news program "60 Minutes."

Tong is also on the national executive committee of attorneys general who are leading the investigation and litigation to confront the opioid crisis, including Connecticut’s case against Purdue Pharma.[citation needed]

Tong was a part of a small group of state attorneys general who led the investigation against Equifax[11] relating to a massive data breach in which millions of Americans' personal and confidential information was compromised, including more than 1.5 million residents of Connecticut. Equifax eventually agreed to a $700 million settlement, including $425 million in direct consumer relief and close to $5 million to the State of Connecticut.[citation needed]

"Firewall" against the Trump administration

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During the 2018 campaign, Tong pledged to be a “firewall” against President Donald Trump and his policies. He joined other state attorneys general in challenging Trump, including his attempts to build a border wall[13] and to add a citizenship question to the census.[14] Tong has been a defender of the environment, taking numerous legal actions to protect clean air and water and to confront climate change.[15]

State representative

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Tong as a state representative in 2007

From 2015 to 2019, Tong chaired the House Judiciary Committee. As chair, he was a key leader in Connecticut’s efforts to pass gun legislation.[citation needed]

As a freshman legislator, Tong wrote and passed the Lost and Stolen Firearms law[16] to fight gun trafficking. After the tragedy at Sandy Hook, he played an integral role in overhauling Connecticut's gun laws. He then wrote and passed Lori Jackson's Law, a domestic violence gun law that requires the subject of a temporary restraining order to surrender all firearms and ammunition for at least 14 days. In 2018, Tong wrote and passed the law banning bump stocks.[citation needed]

During his 12 years in the House, Tong wrote and passed several laws to reform the criminal justice system, including Connecticut’s Second Chance Society law, which overhauled Connecticut's Criminal Justice Information System[17] by eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug possession crimes that have resulted in the mass incarceration of young people, particularly in Connecticut's cities.[citation needed]

Tong also helped write and pass legislation to protect homeowners in foreclosure in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and to hold teachers and school officials accountable for failing to report instances of abuse and sexual misconduct by teachers and administrators involving students.

2013 Stamford mayoral campaign

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In February 2013, Tong announced his bid for mayor of Stamford after Mayor Michael Pavia announced he would not seek reelection. He lost the Democratic primary to David Martin by less than 200 votes.[citation needed]

2012 U.S. Senate campaign

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Main article: 2012 United States Senate election in Connecticut

In May 2011, Tong announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate[18][19] seat being vacated by Joe Lieberman. He faced Susan Bysiewicz, former secretary of state and now Connecticut's lieutenant governor, and Chris Murphy, the eventual winner, in the Democratic primary. He dropped out of the race a year later and endorsed Murphy.[citation needed]

The Tong campaign raised more than $550,000 in the quarter ending June 30, 2011.[20] The final Federal Election Commission contribution tally was $1,063,993 for Team Tong.[21]

Consideration for U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut

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On March 7, 2009, it was reported that Tong was being considered by a panel assembled by former U.S. Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman to screen candidates for United States Attorney.[22] On November 14, 2009, the Hartford Courant reported that the panel assembled had forwarded four names to the White House and President Barack Obama for consideration; Tong was a finalist on that list.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Flowers, Tatiana (February 4, 2020). "Helping those with disabilities personal for Tong". Greenwich Time. Greenwich, Connecticut. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Preovolos, Chris (February 10, 2010). "Celebrating Chinese New Year with a little dim sum". Connecticut Post. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  3. ^ Bowles, Adam (November 26, 2006). "Legislature Gains an Asian-American Face". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Kei-Rahn, Jordan (November 25, 2018). "Tong '95 elected Connecticut's first Asian-American attorney general". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "William Tong, '00, Appointed Cochairman of Connecticut General Assembly's Judiciary Committee | University of Chicago Law School". www.law.uchicago.edu. December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Attorney General William Tong Biography". Office of the Attorney General, Connecticut. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "Tong wins endorsement for AG, faces three-way primary". The CT Mirror. May 19, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "Tong wins Democratic nod for attorney general". WTNH.com. August 15, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Mahony, Edmund H. (November 7, 2018). "Tong Gets Victory In Attorney General Race; Wooden Wins For Treasurer, Lembo And Merrill Re-Elected". courant.com. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  10. ^ "Democrats win attorney general and underticket". Connecticut Post. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  11. ^ a b "TONG LEADS LAWSUIT AGAINST GENERIC DRUG MANUFACTURERSIN CONSPIRACY TO FIX PRICES FOR OVER 100 DRUGS". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  12. ^ "Sweeping lawsuit accuses top generic drug companies, executives of fixing prices". www.cbsnews.com. May 12, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  13. ^ "AG Tong and 15 Other States File Lawsuit Challenging President Trumps National Emergency Declaration". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  14. ^ "AG TONG FILES BRIEF CHALLENGING TRUMP ADMIN ATTEMPT TO ADD CITIZENSHIP QUESTION TO 2020 CENSUS". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  15. ^ "CT SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER CLEAN CAR STANDARDS ATTACK". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  16. ^ "Connecticut HB6131 | TrackBill". trackbill.com. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  17. ^ "News of William Tong, 26 November 2007". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved December 6, 2009. [dead link]
  18. ^ Kim, Elizabeth (May 8, 2011). "With potential to make history, Tong enters race for U.S. Senate". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
  19. ^ "A new face in the Senate race... – Norwich, CT – The Bulletin". Norwichbulletin.com. March 15, 2011. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  20. ^ Catanese, David (July 5, 2011). "Tong's half-million-dollar statement in Conn". POLITICO. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  21. ^ "Campaign finance data". FEC.gov. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  22. ^ "Committee formed to select U.S. attorney for Connecticut – Norwalk, Stamford, Westport, Weston and Wilton Connecticut News, Sports, Business, Obituaries and Advertising – The Hour – Norwalk's Newspaper". The Hour. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  23. ^ "Finalists." Archived October 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (Publisher) (November 14, 2009) Retrieved March 7, 2019.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Tong.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Connecticut Attorney General
2018, 2022 		Most recent
Connecticut House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 147th district
2007–2019 		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Connecticut
2019–present 		Incumbent
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