Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician and civil rights lawyer who served as the 71st Governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division under President Bill Clinton. He was first elected in 2006, succeeding Mitt Romney who chose not to run, and re-elected in 2010. He is the first (and, currently, the only) African-American to have served as Governor of Massachusetts.