{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder |name = Peter Groff |image = Peter Groff official portrait.jpg |state_senate = Colorado |district = 33rd |term_start = February 17, 2003 |term_end = May 9, 2009 |preceded = Penfield Tate III |succeeded = Mike Johnston |state_house1 = Colorado |district1 = 7th |term_start1 = January 10, 2001 |term_end1 = February 14, 2003 |predecessor1 = Ben Clarke<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Results/1998/1998CertCandidates.html |title=1998 Certified Candidates List |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=Colorado Secretary of State |publisher= |access-date=2020-05-19}}</ref> |successor1 = Terrance Carroll |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|4|21}} |birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = Democratic |spouse = Regina |education = University of Redlands (BA)<br>University of Denver (JD) }} '''Peter C. Groff''' (born April 21, 1963) is a former member of the Obama administration and a former Colorado legislator and President of the Colorado Senate. An attorney, public servant, and political veteran, Groff was elected as a Democrat to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2000, then re-elected in 2002.<ref name="housejournal">{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.state.co.us/2001/inetc&j.nsf/(jouhse)/5A2F182D3F15A746872569D0004FB29B/$FILE/Jn10.pdf |title=House Journal – January 10, 2001 |accessdate=2007-11-18 |work=Colorado General Assembly }}</ref><ref name="housej2">{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.state.co.us/2003a/inetc&j.nsf/(jouhse)/CDEEC70D8E66524087256CCD00508EE4/$FILE/Fb14.pdf |title=House Journal – February 14, 2003 |accessdate=2007-11-18 |work=Colorado General Assembly }}</ref> In 2003, he was appointed to the Colorado Senate, where he represented Senate District 33, which includes northeastern Denver, Colorado.<ref name="nextinline">{{cite web |url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12169145 |work=Denver Post |first=Lynn |last=Bartels |title=Shaffer next in line for Senate president |date=2009-04-18}}</ref><ref name="map">{{Cite web | url=http://comaps.org/district33s.html | title=State Senate District 33 | accessdate=2007-11-12 | work=COMaps | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304221312/http://www.comaps.org/district33s.html | archivedate=2008-03-04 }}</ref> Groff was the first African-American to serve as Colorado Senate president ''pro tem'' and Senate President. In May 2009, he was selected by President Barack Obama to head the faith- based-initiatives center for the U.S. Department of Education.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12322019|title=Littwin: Groff's lofty call in stirring last stand|last=Littwin|first=Mike|publisher=the Denver Post|accessdate=2009-05-11|date=2009-05-08}}</ref>
==Early career==
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Groff earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in political science<ref name="caap"/> from the University of Redlands in 1985 and a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law in 1992. He worked as an assistant to Denver city council member Allegra Haynes from 1991 to 1994 and then for Denver mayor Wellington Webb from 1994 to 1997. In 1997, Groff helped found the Center for African American Policy at the University of Denver,<ref name="caap">[http://www.du.edu/caap/groff_bio.html University of Denver – Center for African American Policy<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009202546/http://www.du.edu/caap/groff_bio.html |date=2007-10-09 }}</ref> and, since then, has served as the center's executive director, in addition to work as an attorney with Vaden and Evans, LLC.<ref name="votesmart">{{cite web |url=http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=29906 |title=Senator Groff |accessdate=2007-11-18 |work=Project Vote Smart}}</ref>
Groff is married to Rev. Dr. Regina C. Groff, the former pastor of Campbell Chapel AME Church in Denver. They have two children, Malachi Charles and Moriah Cherie.<ref name="caap"/>
==Political career==
Groff managed or worked on a number of Colorado political campaigns during the 1990s; he was deputy political director for Roy Romer's 1994 gubernatorial campaign, and chaired the 1998 Denver Public Schools Mill Levy and Bond Campaign and managed Denver councilwoman Allegra Haynes 1999 re-election campaign.<ref name="votesmart"/>
In 2000, Groff ran for, and was elected to, the Colorado House of Representatives. After being re-elected in 2002,<ref name="votesmart"/> Groff was appointed to the Colorado Senate in February 2003 to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Sen. Penfield Tate III;<ref name="senatejournal">{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.state.co.us/2003a/inetc&j.nsf/(jousen)/326D74678209F5C487256CD00052A0ED/$FILE/jour_041.pdf |title=Senate Journal – February 17, 2003 |accessdate=2007-11-18 |work=Colorado General Assembly }}</ref> he became only the 6th African-American state senator in Colorado<ref name="caap"/> history, occupying the Senate seat previous held by his father, Sen. Regis Groff.<ref name="sworn">{{cite news |title=Groff sworn in as new state senator |agency=Associated Press |date=February 17, 2003 }}</ref>
Sometimes called the "Conscience of the Senate",<ref name="caap"/> and regarded as a "pragmatic and deliberative" leader,<ref name="shift">{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Gathright |title='Now is our moment,' Groff says |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/nov/16/now-is-our-moment-groff-says/ |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=16 November 2007 |accessdate=2007-11-18 }}</ref> Groff was named Senate president ''pro tem'' in 2005.<ref name="protem">[http://www.du.edu/ipps/news.html#Groff_ProTem Institute for Public Policy Studies at University of Denver<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Following the resignation of Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald in November 2007, Groff was tapped to become Senate President, and had already begun handling some of Fitz-Gerald's responsibilities during her Congressional campaign.<ref name="resign"/> Groff formally assumed the role of Senate President in January 2008, at the start of the legislative session.<ref name="firstbl">{{cite news| url=http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_7922659 | work=Denver Post | first=Colleen | last=Slevin | title=The Denver Post – Peter Groff elected first black president of Colorado Senate}}</ref> He is the highest-ranking African-American elected official in Colorado,<ref name="ranking"> {{cite news |first=Peter |last=Groff |title=Full text of Sen. Peter Groff's MLK remarks |url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5018348 |work=Denver Post |date=15 January 2007 |accessdate=2007-11-18 }}</ref> and is the first to lead either chamber of the Colorado General Assembly.<ref name="resign"> {{cite news |first=Alan |last=Gaithright |title=Groff achieves milestone; Dems appoint him Senate prez |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/nov/15/groff-achieves-milestone-dems-appoint-him-senate-p/ |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=15 November 2007 |accessdate=2007-11-18 }}</ref>
In the 2007 session of the Colorado Legislature, Groff was a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Legal Services Committee, and was the chair of the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee.<ref name="leg">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/Senate/members/Sen33.htm |title=Senator Peter Grofff |accessdate=2007-11-18 |work=Colorado General Assembly}}</ref>
After Senator Ken Salazar was tapped by President-Elect Barack Obama to be United States Secretary of the Interior, a number of names came up as a possible replacements for Salazar to be appointed by Governor Bill Ritter, and Groff was among the names.<ref> {{cite news |first=Josh |last=Kraushaar |title=Sleeper pick for Salazar seat? |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/1208/Sleeper_pick_for_Salazar_seat.html |work=Politico |date=24 December 2008 |access-date=2008-12-24 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/Senate/members/Sen33.htm Legislative web page]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groff, Peter}} Category:1963 births Category:African-American state legislators in Colorado Category:Colorado lawyers Category:Democratic Party Colorado state senators Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Category:Politicians from Chicago Category:Politicians from Denver Category:Presidents of the Colorado Senate Category:Sturm College of Law alumni Category:United States Department of Education officials Category:University of Redlands alumni Category:21st-century African-American politicians Category:20th-century African-American politicians Category:21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly