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Eunice S. Groark
American, 1938 - 2018
BiographyEunice S. Groark (1938-2018) was an American lawyer and politician, best known for being the first woman elected lieutenant governor of Connecticut.
Born Eunice Barnard Strong on February 1, 1938, in Sharon, Connecticut, she was raised in Hartford. Groark earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1960 and went on to receive her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1965.
She had a distinguished legal career, including serving as executive director of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and as Corporation Counsel for the City of Hartford. Her political career began with a seat on the Hartford City Council as a Republican from 1981 to 1985. In a significant shift, she joined Lowell Weicker's independent "A Connecticut Party" ticket in 1990 and was elected as his lieutenant governor, serving from 1991 to 1995. During her tenure, Groark played a critical role in state policy, famously casting the tie-breaking vote for Connecticut's first broad-based income tax in 1991 and another to pass a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons in 1993. After Weicker chose not to seek re-election, Groark ran for governor in 1994, making history as part of the state's first all-female gubernatorial ticket, though she ultimately lost the election. Following her time in public office, Groark remained active, serving on various corporate and nonprofit boards and as a visiting professor at Wesleyan University and a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Eunice S. Groark passed away on May 8, 2018, at the age of 80, in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
Born Eunice Barnard Strong on February 1, 1938, in Sharon, Connecticut, she was raised in Hartford. Groark earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1960 and went on to receive her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1965.
She had a distinguished legal career, including serving as executive director of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and as Corporation Counsel for the City of Hartford. Her political career began with a seat on the Hartford City Council as a Republican from 1981 to 1985. In a significant shift, she joined Lowell Weicker's independent "A Connecticut Party" ticket in 1990 and was elected as his lieutenant governor, serving from 1991 to 1995. During her tenure, Groark played a critical role in state policy, famously casting the tie-breaking vote for Connecticut's first broad-based income tax in 1991 and another to pass a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons in 1993. After Weicker chose not to seek re-election, Groark ran for governor in 1994, making history as part of the state's first all-female gubernatorial ticket, though she ultimately lost the election. Following her time in public office, Groark remained active, serving on various corporate and nonprofit boards and as a visiting professor at Wesleyan University and a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Eunice S. Groark passed away on May 8, 2018, at the age of 80, in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
Person TypeIndividual
American, 1740 - 1809
American, 1931 - 2023