Danny Martiny

{{Short description|American politician (born 1951)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Danny Martiny

|office = Majority Leader of the Louisiana Senate

|term_start = January 9, 2012

|term_end = January 13, 2020

|predecessor = ???

|successor = Sharon Hewitt

|state_senate1 = Louisiana

|district1 = 10th

|term_start1 = January 14, 2008

|term_end1 = January 13, 2020

|predecessor1 = Art Lentini

|successor1 = Kirk Talbot

|state_house2 = Louisiana

|district2 = 79th

|term_start2 = May 1994

|term_end2 = January 14, 2008

|predecessor2 = Skip Hand

|successor2 = Tony Ligi

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|6|27}}

|birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Republican

|spouse = Nina McCarthy

|children = 3

|education = Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge (BA)
Loyola University New Orleans (JD)

}}

Daniel R. Martiny, known as Danny Martiny (born June 27, 1951), is a politician and attorney from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, who served between 2008 and 2020 as a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate for the 10th district, based in the New Orleans suburbs.{{cite web|url=http://senate.legis.state.la.us/martiny|title=Louisiana State Senate|publisher=legis.state.la.us|access-date=November 14, 2009}} He was also the Senate Majority Leader from 2012 until 2020.

From 1994 to 2008, Martiny held the District 79 seat, also in Jefferson Parish, in the Louisiana House of Representatives.{{cite web|url=http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=18899|title=Richard A. Webster, "Legislative preview — Bill would lighten load for overtaxed public defenders"|publisher=New Orleans CityBusiness, April 30, 2007|access-date=April 24, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} Martiny ran for the Senate in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007. Martiny won with 19,414 votes (68.9%) to 8,752 ballots (31.1%) for the independent candidate, Michael Zito.{{cite web|url=http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=102007 |title=Louisiana election returns, October 20, 2007 |publisher=sos.louisiana.gov |access-date=November 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919060943/http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=102007 |archive-date=September 19, 2008 }}

Martiny was born in New Orleans, the second of five children, to Wilfred "Wil" E. Martiny Doris Rault{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=Social Security Death Index|publisher=ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|access-date=November 14, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://boards.ancestry.com/topics.obits2/6870/mb.ashx?pnt=1|title=Obituary of Doris Rault Martiny|publisher=boards.ancestry.com|access-date=November 14, 2009}}

He operates his own law firm in Metairie; prior to his legislative service, he was also an assistant Jefferson Parish attorney from 1978 to 1994. He and his wife, the former Maureen "Nina" McCarthy, live in Kenner.{{cite web|url=http://enlou.com/officeholders/housedistrict79htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714203514/http://enlou.com/officeholders/housedistrict79htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2012|title=House District 79|publisher=enlou.com (Encyclopedia Louisiana)|access-date=November 14, 2009}} They have three sons.{{cite web|url=http://www.mdesigns.biz/danny/bio.html|title=Danny Martinez for Senator|publisher=mdesigns.biz|access-date=November 14, 2009}}

Martiny was elected to the House in a special election held on May 21, 1994, after the Republican incumbent, Kernan "Skip" Hand resigned. With 2,059 votes (60.8%), Martiny defeated two Republican rivals, Dan Kelly and Vincent Bruno.{{cite web|url=http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcpr&rqsdta=05219426|title=Louisiana election returns, May 21, 1994|publisher=sos.louisiana.gov|access-date=November 14, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} Martiny won the 1995 primary.{{cite web|url=http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=102195|title=Louisiana election returns, October 21, 1995|publisher=sos.louisiana.gov|access-date=November 14, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} Thereafter, Martiny was unopposed for his second and third terms in the House in 1999 and 2003. He was succeeded in the House by Republican Tony Ligi.

During the 2010 legislative session Martiny sponsored a bill to make attendance at a cockfight a crime.{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1274164280129050.xml&coll=1|title=Ed Anderson, "Watching cockfight a crime under bill: Other proposals protect minors"|publisher=New Orleans Times-Picayune, May 17, 2010, p. 3A|access-date=2010-05-17}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Martiny has been a State Senator since 2007 for District 10. Has served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary B Committee from 2008 to 2012. Currently, Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and Chairman of the Louisiana Judicial Compensation Committee. He is a member of the Senate Judiciary A and Labor Committees. During his tenure in the House, Danny served as Vice Chairman of the House Environmental Committee and as the Governor's floor leader on environmental issues. From 2000 to 2008, he served as Chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee.