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Howard Dean

Birthday: November 17, 1948 (age 59)

Bio

Howard Dean (born Howard Brush Dean III) is a politician and physician from the state of Vermont, and currently the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the central organizational arm of the Democratic Party at the national level.

Before entering politics, Howard Dean received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1978.

He was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1982 and was elected lieutenant governor in 1986. Both were part-time positions that enabled him to continue practicing medicine.

In 1991, Dean became Governor of Vermont when Richard A. Snelling died in office. Dean was subsequently elected to five two-year terms, serving as governor from 1991-2003, making him the second longest-serving Governor in Vermont history.

Howard Dean served as the chairman of the National Governors Association from 1994 to 1995; during his term, Vermont paid off much of its public debt and had a balanced budget 11 times, lowering income taxes twice.

As governor, Howard Dean oversaw expansion of the "Dr. Dynasaur" program, which ensures universal health care for children and pregnant women in Vermont.

An early front-runner in the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination, Dean denounced the 2003 invasion of Iraq along with Democrats who he felt should have more strongly opposed the George W. Bush Administration, and showed strong fundraising ability.

Howard Dean eventually lost the early primary states (and the nomination) to Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

He then formed the organization Democracy for America and was elected as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 2005.

In his present role, he is increasingly under fire as worried Democrats want him to find a fair, prompt solution for ending the Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama dogfight.

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