Peter Groff

{{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{{cite web |url=https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Results/1998/1998CertCandidates.html |title=1998 Certified Candidates List |author= |date= |website=Colorado Secretary of State |publisher= |access-date=2020-05-19}}

|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)
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.{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.state.co.us/2001/inetc&j.nsf/(jouhse)/5A2F182D3F15A746872569D0004FB29B/$FILE/Jn10.pdf |title=House Journal – January 10, 2001 |accessdate=2007-11-18 |work=Colorado General Assembly }}{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.state.co.us/2003a/inetc&j.nsf/(jouhse)/CDEEC70D8E66524087256CCD00508EE4/$FILE/Fb14.pdf |title=House Journal – February 14, 2003 |accessdate=2007-11-18 |work=Colorado General Assembly }} In 2003, he was appointed to the Colorado Senate, where he represented Senate District 33, which includes northeastern Denver, Colorado.{{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}}{{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 }} 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.{{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}}

Early career

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Groff earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in political science 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,[http://www.du.edu/caap/groff_bio.html University of Denver – Center for African American Policy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009202546/http://www.du.edu/caap/groff_bio.html |date=2007-10-09 }} and, since then, has served as the center's executive director, in addition to work as an attorney with Vaden and Evans, LLC.{{cite web |url=http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=29906 |title=Senator Groff |accessdate=2007-11-18 |work=Project Vote Smart}}

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.

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.

In 2000, Groff ran for, and was elected to, the Colorado House of Representatives. After being re-elected in 2002, Groff was appointed to the Colorado Senate in February 2003 to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Sen. Penfield Tate III;{{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 }} he became only the 6th African-American state senator in Colorado history, occupying the Senate seat previous held by his father, Sen. Regis Groff.{{cite news |title=Groff sworn in as new state senator |agency=Associated Press |date=February 17, 2003 }}

Sometimes called the "Conscience of the Senate", and regarded as a "pragmatic and deliberative" leader,{{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 }} Groff was named Senate president pro tem in 2005.[http://www.du.edu/ipps/news.html#Groff_ProTem Institute for Public Policy Studies at University of Denver] 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. Groff formally assumed the role of Senate President in January 2008, at the start of the legislative session.{{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}} He is the highest-ranking African-American elected official in Colorado,

{{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 }} and is the first to lead either chamber of the Colorado General Assembly.

{{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 }}

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.{{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}}

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.

{{cite news |first=Josh |last=Kraushaar |title=Sleeper pick for Salazar seat? |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/scorecard/1208/Sleeper_pick_for_Salazar_seat.html

|work=Politico |date=24 December 2008 |accessdate=2008-12-24 }}