Ovide Lamontagne

Last updated
Ovide Lamontagne
Ovide Lamontagne.jpg
Born
Ovide Marc Lamontagne

(1957-09-24) September 24, 1957 (age 67)
Education Catholic University (BA)
University of Wyoming (JD)
Political party Republican
Spouse
Bettie Lamontagne
(m. 1979)

Ovide Marc Lamontagne (born 1957) is an American businessman who serves as a shareholder at Bernstein Shur law firm in Manchester, New Hampshire. Lamontagne is a lawyer and a Republican former political candidate who was his party's nominee for Governor of New Hampshire in 1996 and 2012. He also unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the US Senate in 2010.

Contents

Lamontagne, who is of French-Canadian descent, was born and raised in Manchester. He graduated from Manchester's Trinity High School in 1975 before he took his undergraduate degree at the Catholic University of America in 1979. He taught social studies at a high school level before attending the Wyoming College of Law, graduating with his Juris Doctor degree in 1985. He clerked for Judge James E. Barrett of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit before returning to Manchester in 1986. That year, he joined the Manchester law firm Devine Millimet.

Personal life

A fourth-generation New Hampshire native,[ citation needed ] Ovide was born on September 24, 1957, [1] in Manchester, where he attended Trinity High School. He graduated from Trinity in 1975 as the Student Council President and the State President of the New Hampshire Association of Student Councils.

Ovide met his wife Bettie while they were both attending the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. They were married in June 1979, following their graduation from the university the previous month.

After spending some time working as a high school teacher at St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland, outside of Washington, DC, Ovide received an offer to move to Wyoming to be a high school teacher in Cheyenne. Ovide and Bettie relocated to Wyoming, where Ovide enrolled in the University of Wyoming College of Law. He graduated with honors in 1985, receiving his Juris Doctor degree.

Ovide and Bettie have two older daughters and a foster son. Before adopting their son, Ovide and Bettie had hosted a number of foster children for short-term stays, and they were contacted about a child living in the hospital who needed a home. Upon learning that the child was disabled, Ovide became involved with Easter Seals to help teach their child necessary skills. Ovide and Bettie have been caring for their foster son for the last 24 years. [2]

Law career

Upon his return to New Hampshire in 1986, he joined the Manchester-based law-firm Devine, Millimet & Branch. By 1992, he had risen to become a partner in the firm. Ovide's practice areas include healthcare, not-for-profit charitable trust litigation and construction law. He also serves as general counsel for a number of not-for-profit organizations and has significant experience representing religious organizations.

Ovide was ranked in 2010 and 2011 by Chambers USA as one of America's leading commercial attorneys and has been chosen six years running for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of commercial and construction litigation. Ovide was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar in 1985 and is a member of both the New Hampshire and Manchester Bar Associations. [3] In the 1991 session of the New Hampshire General Court, he served as counsel for the State Senate. [4]

In 2015 Ovide joined Bernstein Shur, a New England–based law firm with clients across the US and around the world. Ovide's practice primarily focuses on complex business transactions to include commercial litigation as well as providing corporate counsel to a diverse array of commercial, charitable non-profit and institutional clients. Located at that Manchester office, Ovide has been known to bring strategic, creative and practical solutions to complicated matters. His prior experience in complex business and litigation transactions, coupled with his passion for his home state of New Hampshire, combine to make Ovide a powerhouse in the legal community.

Since returning to New Hampshire, Ovide has resumed his engagement in the civic, charitable and political community. He co-chaired Carly Fiorina's NH 2016 presidential campaign, served as a senior advisor to Senator Kelly Ayotte's 2016 re-election campaign, co-chairs the Bishop's Summer Reception to benefit the Bishop's Charitable Assistance Fund and also chaired Northeast Catholic College's Fidelity and Courage Dinner. Additionally, Ovide chairs Granite Action, a 501(c)(4) conservative issues advocacy group, and serves on the Executive Board of the Daniel Webster Council-BSA.

Child abuse settlement

As an attorney for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, Lamontagne negotiated the 2003 settlement of the New Hampshire Attorney General's investigation into the child sex abuse scandal that spared the diocese from being criminally charged. In all, in the period of 2002–03, the diocese agreed to a $15.5 million settlement involving 176 claims of sex abuse. [5] [6]

The May 2003 settlement of 61 abuse claims for $6.5 million handled by Lamontagne as counsel for the Manchester Diocese prevented the diocese from being criminally prosecuted. In December 2002, the diocese had admitted that its failure to protect children from sexual abuse may have been a violation of criminal law, becoming the first diocese in the United States to do so. Under threat of indictment by the New Hampshire Attorney General, Bishop John McCormack signed an agreement acknowledging that the Attorney General office possessed evidence sufficient to win convictions as part of the settlement. [7]

Lamontagne claimed that McCormack and other prominent church members wanted a speedy settlement and, in an example of behaving "pastorally" rather than as a litigant, instructed their attorneys to take a moderate stance and eschew hardline legal tactics. Lamontagne said of the diocese's legal strategy, "That is not typical in terms of client requests." [8]

Political career

In 1993, Lamontagne was appointed the chair of the New Hampshire State Board of Education by Governor Steve Merrill, serving in that post until 1996, when he resigned to run for governor.

1996 gubernatorial campaign

In 1996, when Merrill declined to run for reelection, Lamontagne won the Republican nomination for governor. He faced off against New Hampshire state senator Jeanne Shaheen, a political moderate, who had won the Democratic nod. Running as a social conservative, Lamontagne was decisively defeated by Shaheen, losing by a margin of 40% to 57%. [9]

2010 senatorial campaign

When incumbent Republican US Senator Judd Gregg decided to retire instead of seeking re-election, Lamontagne ran for the Republican nomination to the US Senate. His main opponent in the primary was New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, who had resigned on July 7, 2009, to launch her campaign. [10] [11] [12] Ayotte had been recruited by the Republican Party's National Republican Senatorial Committee to enter the race, and she was supported by such GOP heavyweights as 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain, who campaigned for her in New Hampshire. [13]

In addition to Ayotte, who was considered the front-runner, the other candidates for the Republican nomination were millionaire businessman Bill Binnie and Jim Bender. Drawing on support from the Tea Party movement, [14] Lamontagne made a very strong showing against Ayotte, despite being outspent by Ayotte by a factor of five ($2 million to $400,000). [15] The race was considered too close to call by the major media until the morning of the day after Election Day. [15] When Ayotte eventually pulled ahead by approximately 1,600 votes in a contest Norma Love of Huffington Post called a "nail biter", Lamontagne conceded the election. [16]

After being defeated by Ayotte, Lamontagne raised money for her campaign. [17] [18] [19]

2012 gubernatorial campaign

On September 19, 2011, Lamontagne announced his candidacy for the 2012 Republican gubernatorial nomination at the Bedford Republican Breakfast at the Manchester Country Club, becoming the first candidate to throw a hat into the ring. [20] On March 13, 2012, Lamontagne was endorsed by incumbent Congressman Charles Bass of the New Hampshire Second Congressional District. Lamontagne in turn endorsed Bass for reelection. [21] Lamontagne's gubernatorial bid was endorsed by Judd Gregg [22] on May 3, 2012. While Lamontagne won the Republican nomination for governor on September 11, 2012, he lost the general election by a margin of 55%-43%.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanne Shaheen</span> American politician (born 1947)

Cynthia Jeanne Shaheen is an American politician and retired educator serving as the senior United States senator from New Hampshire, a seat she has held since January 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she also served as the 78th governor of New Hampshire from 1997 to 2003. Shaheen is the first woman elected as both a governor and a U.S. senator, and the first woman elected governor of New Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judd Gregg</span> American politician (born 1947)

Judd Alan Gregg is an American politician and attorney who served as the 76th governor of New Hampshire from 1989 to 1993 and a United States senator from New Hampshire from 1993 to 2011 where he was Chairman of the Health Committee and the Budget Committee. A member of the Republican Party, he was a businessman and attorney in Nashua before entering politics. Gregg currently serves as the Chair of the Public Advisory Board at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Ayotte</span> American attorney and politician (born 1968)

Kelly Ann Ayotte is an American attorney and politician who is the governor-elect of New Hampshire. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as a United States senator from New Hampshire from 2011 to 2017 and as New Hampshire Attorney General from 2004 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Brendan McCormack</span> Catholic bishop (1935–2021)

John Brendan McCormack was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Manchester from 1998 until 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Hassan</span> American politician (born 1958)

Margaret Coldwell Hassan is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from New Hampshire since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Hassan was the 81st governor of New Hampshire from 2013 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire</span>

The 2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 2, 2010, alongside other midterm elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as to the United States House of Representatives. Primaries were held on September 14. Incumbent Senator Judd Gregg (R) retired instead of seeking a fourth term, and was succeeded by Kelly Ayotte, who won the open seat by over 23 points. This is the last time that Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in New Hampshire. This was also the first open seat election in the state since 1992. With Democrat Jeanne Shaheen serving in the state's other Senate seat, New Hampshire became the first state in the union to be represented in the Senate simultaneously by two women of opposite parties.

The sexual abuse scandal in Manchester diocese of New Hampshire is a significant episode in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States and Ireland.

William Harrison "Bill" Binnie is an American industrialist, investment banker, and philanthropist, who is currently president of the Carlisle Capital Corporation, president of the media company New Hampshire 1 Network and owner of Carlisle One Media. He is the former chairman of the Finance Committee for the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, and a former candidate for the Republican nomination for the U. S. Senate in 2010. He served as chairman of Carlisle Plastics, Inc. until that firm was sold to Tyco International in September 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 New Hampshire gubernatorial election</span>

The 2012 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election, U.S. House elections, and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire</span>

The 2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. New Hampshire voters chose four electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin H. Smith</span> American politician (born 1977)

Kevin H. Smith is an American politician who was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2022 United States Senate election in New Hampshire. Smith is a former state representative and previously served as the town manager of Londonderry, New Hampshire. Smith previously ran the conservative advocacy organization Cornerstone, and served on the staffs of United States Senator Bob Smith, and former New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson. Smith also served as the Deputy Director for New Hampshire’s Division for Juvenile Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary</span>

The 2012 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary took place on Tuesday, January 10, 2012. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the primary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate election in New Hampshire</span>

The 2014 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of New Hampshire, concurrently with the election of the governor of New Hampshire, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in New Hampshire</span>

The 2016 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of New Hampshire, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primary election to select the candidates who appeared on the general election ballot took place on September 13, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 New Hampshire gubernatorial election</span>

The 2014 New Hampshire gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of New Hampshire, concurrently with the election to New Hampshire's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Charles W. Morse is an American politician who served as president of the New Hampshire Senate and was acting governor of New Hampshire in 2017. Morse represented New Hampshire's 22nd State Senate district from 2010 to 2022, having previously held the same office from 2002 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 New Hampshire gubernatorial election</span>

The 2016 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor of New Hampshire, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States Senate election in New Hampshire</span>

The 2020 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of New Hampshire, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen won reelection to a third term after comfortably defeating Republican nominee Bryant Messner by 15.6 points and sweeping every single county in the state. This marked the first Senate election since 1972 in which the Democrat carried Belknap County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in New Hampshire</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of New Hampshire. The primary elections were held on September 13, 2022. Incumbent Senator Maggie Hassan was re-elected over Republican retired brigadier general Don Bolduc by an unexpectedly large margin of 9.1% that surpassed most polls. Hassan won her initial bid for this seat in 2016 by only 1,017 votes or 0.14%. This election marked the first time a Democrat won re-election to New Hampshire's class 3 Senate seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 New Hampshire gubernatorial election</span>

The 2024 New Hampshire gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of New Hampshire. Republican former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte and Democratic former Manchester mayor Joyce Craig sought their first term in office. Ayotte won the election, and will succeed incumbent Republican Chris Sununu, who did not seek election to a fifth term. Along with neighboring Vermont, this race was one of two Republican-held governorships up for election in 2024 in a state Joe Biden won in the 2020 presidential election.

References

  1. "Washington Times". washingtontimes.com. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  2. "One-on-one interview with candidate for governor Ovide Lamontagne". WMUR. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  3. "Ovide M. Lamontagne- Shareholder". Devine Millimet Attorneys at Law. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  4. "Ovide Lamontagne (GOP) N.H. U.S. Senate – Bio". www1.whdh.com. 7 News WHDH.com. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  5. Timmins, Annmarie. "CHURCH SETTLES WITH ALLEGED ABUSE VICTIMS; Diocese of Manchester to pay $5 million". Concord Monitor. Bishop Accountability. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  6. "Diocese of Manchester". Lucas, Greene & Magazine. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  7. Ranalli, Ralph. "Church, victims reach deal in N.H. $6.5m agreement ends 61 more abuse claims". Boston Globe.
  8. Ranalli
  9. Gov. Jeanne Shaheen. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  10. Blake, Aaron (2009-06-17). "Ayotte for NH Senate?". Briefing Room: The Hill's Blog. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  11. "AG Ayotte resigns, eyes Senate run". New Hampshire Union Leader . 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  12. Ovide Lamontagne to raise funds for rival – Shira Toeplitz. Politico.Com. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.
  13. Fabian, Jordan. (2010-10-02) McCain campaigning in New Hampshire for key NRSC recruit Ayotte – The Hill's Ballot Box. Thehill.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.
  14. Walter, Amy. "Analysis: Tea Party Spoils the Party, 'Outsider' Candidates Defeat GOP Favorites". ABC News. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  15. 1 2 Condon, Stephanie. "Kelly Ayotte, Ovide Lamontagne Too Close to Call in New Hampshire GOP Primary". CBS News. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  16. Love, Norma (15 September 2010). "Kelly Ayotte Defeats Ovide Lamontagne in GOP Senate Primary: New Hampshire Election Results". Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  17. Toeplitz, Shira (2010-09-22). "Politico: Lamontagne steps up to raise money for Ayotte". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  18. Ovide Lamontagne to raise funds for rival – Shira Toeplitz. Politico.Com. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.
  19. Condon, Stephanie. (2010-09-15) Kelly Ayotte, Ovide Lamontagne Too Close to Call in New Hampshire GOP Primary – Political Hotsheet. CBS News. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.
  20. Spolar, Matthew. "Lamontagne: I'm running". Concord Monitor. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  21. Spolar, Matthew. "Bass endorses Lamontagne". Concord Monitor. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  22. Haddadin, Jim. "Former N.H. Sen. Judd Gregg, wife Kathy endorse Lamontagne for governor". Foster's Daily Democrat. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of New Hampshire
1996
Succeeded by
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of New Hampshire
2012
Succeeded by