Wilson Center Experts

The Honorable Paul Cellucci is currently Special Counsel at the Boston office of the law firm McCarter & English, LLP. On November 3, 1998, Mr. Cellucci was elected as the 69^th Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Governor Cellucci spearheaded the statewide initiative to reduce the state income tax from 5.95% to 5%, which was approved 59% to 41% by the voters of Massachusetts in November 2000. He was also successful in maintaining the state's high education standards for its public schools. On April 17, 2001, at the Citadel in Quebec City, Cellucci presented his credentials as the 20^th United States Ambassador to Canada to Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. Mr. Cellucci’s four-year tenure was a historical and controversial period in the United States - Canadian relations. On September 14, 2001, three days after the terrorist attacks on United States soil, Ambassador Cellucci thanked Canada for its overwhelming support and sympathy, including their role in Operation Yellow Ribbon, at a memorial in front of 100,000 people on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.