# Jon Hecht > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jon_Hecht > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jon_Hecht.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Hecht > Source revision: 1329003600 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Politician in Massachusetts, US}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Jon Hecht | state_house = Massachusetts | district = [29th Middlesex](/source/Massachusetts_House_of_Representatives'_29th_Middlesex_district) | birth_name = Jonathan Hecht | term_start = January 7, 2009 | term_end = January 6, 2021 | predecessor = [Rachel Kaprielian](/source/Rachel_Kaprielian) | successor = [Steve Owens](/source/Steven_Owens) | birth_place = [Cambridge, Massachusetts](/source/Cambridge%2C_Massachusetts), U.S. | education = [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) ([AB](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts))
[Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University) ([JD](/source/Juris_Doctor))
[Tufts University](/source/Tufts_University) ([MA](/source/Master_of_Arts)) | spouse = Lora Sabin | children = 4 | party = [Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) }} '''Jonathan Hecht''' is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the [Massachusetts House of Representatives](/source/Massachusetts_House_of_Representatives) for the [29th Middlesex district](/source/Massachusetts_House_of_Representatives'_29th_Middlesex_district) from 2009 to 2021. == Early life and education == Born in [Cambridge, Massachusetts](/source/Cambridge%2C_Massachusetts), Hecht spent his youth in [Belmont](/source/Belmont%2C_Massachusetts), attending [Belmont Public Schools](/source/Belmont_Public_Schools). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) in 1981, a [Juris Doctor](/source/Juris_Doctor) from [Harvard Law School](/source/Harvard_Law_School) in 1988, and a Master of Arts in law and diplomacy from [The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy](/source/The_Fletcher_School_of_Law_and_Diplomacy) at [Tufts University](/source/Tufts_University) in 1990.{{cite web|url=http://www.mahouse.gov/People/Profile/J_H1|title=Member Profile - Jonathan Hecht|publisher=[Massachusetts General Court](/source/Massachusetts_General_Court)|access-date=March 18, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.law.yale.edu/faculty/JHecht.htm|title=Jonathan Hecht|publisher=[Yale Law School](/source/Yale_Law_School)|access-date=March 18, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604203430/http://www.law.yale.edu/faculty/JHecht.htm|archive-date=June 4, 2011}}{{Cite web|url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/78629/jon-hecht|title = The Voter's Self Defense System}} == Career == Hecht was a [New York City](/source/New_York_City) attorney before working as a program officer for [human rights](/source/human_rights) and governance for the [Ford Foundation](/source/Ford_Foundation) in [Beijing](/source/Beijing) from 1990 to 1994. He was a research fellow and law lecturer in East Asian legal studies at [Harvard Law School](/source/Harvard_Law_School) from 1994 to 1998. He co-founded the China Law Center at [Yale Law School](/source/Yale_Law_School) in 1999 and was its deputy director until 2006. A former board member of the [Arsenal Center for the Arts](/source/Arsenal_Center_for_the_Arts), Hecht won a seat on the [Watertown](/source/Watertown%2C_Massachusetts) [Town Council](/source/Town_Council) in 2005, later serving as chair the council's budget, economic development, and rules committees. Elected as a [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) to the 29th [Middlesex](/source/Middlesex_County%2C_Massachusetts) District seat in the [Massachusetts House of Representatives](/source/Massachusetts_House_of_Representatives) in 2008, Hecht was Vice Chair of the Elder Affairs Committee and was a member of the House Committee on Post [Audit](/source/Audit) and Oversight and the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. He was a member of the [Mental Health](/source/Mental_Health) Caucus, [Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority](/source/Massachusetts_Bay_Transportation_Authority) Caucus, and Urban Parks Caucus. In December 2011, Hecht was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the special election to replace [Steven Tolman](/source/Steven_Tolman) in the [Massachusetts Senate](/source/Massachusetts_Senate), but lost to state representative [Will Brownsberger](/source/Will_Brownsberger) in the primary election.{{cite web |url=http://belmont.patch.com/articles/why-will-won-staying-close-to-home-pays-off-for-brownsberger |title=Why Will Won: Staying Close to Home Pays Off for Brownsberger |work=Belmont Patch |location=[Belmont, MA](/source/Belmont%2C_Massachusetts) |date=December 14, 2011 |author1=Tucker, Franklin |author2=Breitrose, Charlie}} == Personal life == Hecht and his wife Lora Sabin, a public health economist at [Boston University School of Public Health](/source/Boston_University_School_of_Public_Health), reside in Watertown and have four children. ==See also== * [2019–2020 Massachusetts legislature](/source/2019%E2%80%932020_Massachusetts_legislature) ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.jonhecht.com/ Official web site] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20111124012706/http://electhecht.com/ Campaign web site] {{s-start}} {{s-par|us-ma-hs}} {{s-bef|before=[Rachel Kaprielian](/source/Rachel_Kaprielian)}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the [Massachusetts House of Representatives](/source/Massachusetts_House_of_Representatives)
from the [29th Middlesex](/source/Massachusetts_House_of_Representatives'_29th_Middlesex_district) district|years=January 7, 2009–January 6, 2021}} {{s-aft|after=[Steven Owens](/source/Steven_Owens)}} {{s-end}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hecht, Jon}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Category:Stanford University alumni Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni Category:Politicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts Category:People from Belmont, Massachusetts Category:People from Watertown, Massachusetts Category:21st-century members of the Massachusetts General Court --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jon Hecht](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Hecht) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Hecht?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.