{{Short description|American politician (born 1950)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Marcos Devers | image = Marcos A. Devers.jpg | image_size = 150px | state_house = Massachusetts | district = 16th Essex | term_start = January 2019 | term_end = January 4, 2023 | predecessor = Juana Matias | successor = Francisco E. Paulino | term_start1 = July 8, 2010 | term_end1 = January 2017 | predecessor1 = William Lantigua | successor1 = Juana Matias | office2 = Acting Mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts | term_start2 = September 2001 | term_end2 = November 8, 2001 | predecessor2 = Patricia Dowling | successor2 = Michael J. Sullivan | office3 = President of the<br />Lawrence, Massachusetts<br />City Council | term_start3 = January 2002 | term_end3 = January 2004 | predecessor3 = Joseph Quartarone | successor3 = Patrick Blanchette | office4 = Member of the<br />Lawrence, Massachusetts<br />City Council | term_start4 = January 2000 | term_end4 = January 2006 | predecessor4 = | successor4 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|10|25}} | birth_place = Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | education = Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (BS) | party = Democratic }}
'''Marcos A. Devers''' (born October 25, 1950) is a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.<ref name="BostnGlobe6-17-2010">{{Citation| last= Associated Press| title =Devers fills vacated state House seat | page = |work=The Boston Globe | location = Boston, MA | date = June 17, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="eagletribune6-15-2010">{{Citation|last= Harmacinski|first= Jill| title =Devers to succeed Lantigua at statehouse | page = | publisher=The Lawrence Eagle Tribune | location = Lawrence, MA | date = June 15, 2010 }}</ref> Devers also is a former acting mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts; when he served as acting mayor from September to November 2001, he became the first Dominican-American to execute the role of mayor in the United States and the first Latino mayor in Massachusetts.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}
==Early life and career== Marcos Devers was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and attended grammar school in Villa Duarte, a barrio in the eastern part of the city. He graduated from secondary school and received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo in 1978. Marcos received additional education and training in Japan and Italy in remote sensing during the 1980s. He was a math instructor at Santurce Community College, Santurce, Puerto Rico from 1984 to 1986. He later went on to write technical papers for infrastructure development in the Dominican Republic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.facebook.com/notes/marcos-a-devers/marcos-devers-biography/21884701058 |title=Marcos Devers Biography | Facebook |website=www.facebook.com |access-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731095434/http://www.facebook.com/notes/marcos-a-devers/marcos-devers-biography/21884701058 |archive-date=31 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 1982 Marcos left the Dominican Republic and moved to Puerto Rico, where three of his four children were born. In 1987, he moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Marcos attended Salem State College and the University of Massachusetts Lowell to complete the academic requirements to become a certified educator in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Marcos taught high school level mathematics at both Lawrence High School and the Greater Lawrence Technical High School for sixteen years. He is also the founder and C.E.O. of MDJ Incorporated Engineering & Construction, a civil engineering firm.
==Family== Marcos has been married to his wife, Vicky, since 1986. They are the parents of four children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/65707/marcos-devers|title=Marcos Devers' Biography|publisher=Vote Smart|access-date=November 9, 2023}}</ref>
==Political career== In 1991 Devers decided to run for an at-large seat on the Lawrence City Council. Marcos was finally elected to the City Council in November 1999 on his fifth attempt. He was then re-elected to his seat in 2001 and 2003. As a City Councilor, Marcos has held the positions of Council Vice President (2000–2002), Council President (2002–2004), and Interim Mayor upon the resignation of Mayor Dowling in September 2001 until November 2001. When Marcos was elected the Interim Mayor, he became the first Latino mayor in Massachusetts and the first mayor of Dominican descent in the United States.
Devers then ran for mayor in 2005 losing to incumbent Michael J. Sullivan. He ran again for the 2009 Mayoral election and came in third.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elnacional.com.do/nacional/2009/7/2/20231/Ingeniero-RD-aspira-alcaldia |title=Ingeniero RD aspira alcaldía - ElNacional.com.do |access-date=2009-07-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705085035/http://www.elnacional.com.do/nacional/2009/7/2/20231/Ingeniero-RD-aspira-alcaldia |archive-date=July 5, 2009 }}</ref> Devers also ran for state representative in 2006 and 2008 against former state representative (and former Lawrence Mayor) William Lantigua. The 2006 campaign was a write-in campaign because Lantigua was able to have Devers knocked-off of the ballot.<ref name="eagletribune2-21-2010">{{Citation|last=Mason|first=Edward| title =Devers-Lantigua rematch looms in 16th Essex | page = | publisher=The Lawrence Eagle Tribune | location = Lawrence, MA | date = February 21, 2008 }}</ref>
===Massachusetts House of Representatives=== In the 2010 special election to succeed William Lantigua for the Massachusetts House of Representatives 16th Essex District.<ref name="eagletribune6-13-2010">{{Citation|last= Harmacinski|first= Jill| title =Lawrence state rep. candidates fail to file campaign finance reports | page = | publisher=The Lawrence Eagle Tribune | location = Lawrence, MA | date = June 13, 2010 }}</ref> Lantigua endorsed Devers for the North Lawrence Representative seat after Devers endorsed Lantigua<ref name="eagletribune6-13-2010"/> for mayor, after Devers came in third behind Lantigua and former city councilor David Abdoo in the 2009 municipal primary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_044220747.html |title=Devers seeks to replace Lantigua in state Legislature » Merrimack Val… |website=www.eagletribune.com |access-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904022734/http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_044220747.html |archive-date=4 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
On June 15, 2010, Devers was elected by a majority of 1,198 votes<ref name="eagletribune6-15-2010"/> to the Massachusetts House of Representatives over independent candidate Rafael Gadea. Devers received 1,369 votes, challenger Rafael Gadea received 171 votes.<ref name="eagletribune6-15-2010"/> Devers was the elected to a full term in Nov. 2010 over Republican Enrique Matos and Independent Rafael Gadea with 4,495 votes and more than 75% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x603543920/Devers-wins-re-election-in-landslide|title=Devers wins re-election in landslide|newspaper=Eagle-Tribune|access-date=December 19, 2015}}</ref> Devers currently serves as a member of the Joint Committees on Transportation, Education, Economic Development and Emerging Technologies and as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. He is a member of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mablacklatinocaucus.com/members.html |access-date=August 5, 2020 |title=2019-2020 Massachusetts Black & Latino Legislative Caucus |work=mablacklatinocaucus.com |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729111141/https://www.mablacklatinocaucus.com/members.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In the 2016 primary election, Devers lost to Juana Matias.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eagletribune.com/news/matias-ousts-devers-from-th-essex-seat/article_1ea7e5a4-b6fb-5d97-bd26-c53917584000.html|title=Matias ousts Devers from 16th Essex seat|author=Keith Eddings|newspaper=Eagle-Tribune|access-date=24 July 2019}}</ref> Devers ran for the seat again in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eagletribune.com/news/merrimack_valley/devers-announces-a-comeback-campaign/article_61f14bce-f3e8-58de-8480-475c24ba0788.html|title=Devers announces a comeback campaign|author=Keith Eddings|newspaper=Eagle-Tribune|access-date=24 July 2019}}</ref> He won the Democratic nomination for his old seat on September 4 against former Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua. He faced no opposition in November and was subsequently re-elected to his old seat.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eagletribune.com/news/merrimack_valley/devers-narrowly-defeats-lantigua-to-regain-th-essex-house-seat/article_ad218c55-a443-5aa6-bd21-2884a66e4102.html|title=Devers narrowly defeats Lantigua to regain 16th Essex House seat|author1=Keith Eddings|author2=Ryan Hutton|newspaper=Eagle-Tribune|access-date=24 July 2019}}</ref> In 2022, he was defeated for re-nomination by [https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/FEP1 Francisco Paulino].
==See also== * 2019–2020 Massachusetts legislature * 2021–2022 Massachusetts legislature
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.malegislature.gov/People/Profile/MAD1 Legislative profile]
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | title = Acting Mayor of Lawrence | years = September – November 2001 | before = Patricia Dowling | after = Michael J. Sullivan }} {{succession box | title = President of the Lawrence City Council | years = January 2002 – January 2004 | before = Joseph Quartarone | after = Patrick Blanchette }} {{succession box | title =Member of the<br />Massachusetts House of Representatives<br />16th Essex District | years = July 8th 2010 | before = William Lantigua | after = Juana Matias }} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devers, Marcos A.}} Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:Massachusetts city council members Category:Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Category:Hispanic and Latino American mayors in Massachusetts Category:American politicians of Dominican Republic descent Category:Dominican Republic emigrants to the United States Category:Mayors of Lawrence, Massachusetts Category:Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Massachusetts Category:21st-century members of the Massachusetts General Court