Michael Delaney (lawyer)


Michael A. Delaney is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 28th Attorney General of New Hampshire from 2009 to 2013. Delaney was appointed to the office of Attorney General by Governor John H. Lynch and decided not to seek reappointment by Governor Maggie Hassan at the end of his term, instead taking a position at the McLane Law Firm.

Early life

Delaney grew up as the youngest of five children in a Roman Catholic family in Danvers, Massachusetts. His father, Arthur Delaney, was a probation officer. He graduated from St John's Preparatory School in 1987.
Delaney graduated from the College of the Holy Cross, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science in 1991, and Georgetown University, where he received a law degree in 1994.

Career

Delaney joined the law firm of Wiggin & Nourie in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1994 after graduating from law school; there, he specialized in business litigation.
He joined the New Hampshire Attorney General's office in 1999, initially serving as an Assistant Attorney General. Delaney then served as the Homicide Unit chief in the office until 2004, when he became Deputy Attorney General. During this time, Delaney successfully prosecuted infamous murderers such as Gary Lee Sampson, Joseph Whittey, and Robert Tulloch and James Parker.
Delaney served as Deputy Attorney General until 2006, when he left that post to become Governor Lynch's legal counsel. Lynch appointed Delaney New Hampshire Attorney General in 2009 after accepting the resignation of Kelly Ayotte. Delaney was sworn in on August 24, 2009, upon being unanimously confirmed by the Executive Council.
As Attorney General, Delaney set combating financial crimes as one of his top three priorities, telling the Concord Monitor, "It's a time in the state where the state really needs to commit its resources to combating any financial exploitation and fraud, particularly in the housing and mortgage and in the refinance markets."
Under Delaney, the Attorney General's office and the state banking department collaborated to create a new, state attorney-run fraud protection unit within the state's Consumer Protection Bureau.

Personal life

Delaney resides in Manchester, New Hampshire with his wife, Caroline, and their three children.

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