Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician. He was elected to be the governor of Massachusetts in 2006. He is the first African-American to be elected governor of that state. He is only the third African-American to be elected a governor of any state in the United States. Patrick ran as a Democrat.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois on 31 July 1956, is a lawyer, and holds two degrees from Harvard University.
On November 11, 2019, The New York Times reported that Patrick was thinking of a 2020 presidential candidacy. He announced his candidacy three days later on November 14. He ended his campaign on February 12, 2020 a day after the New Hampshire primary.