John B. Harwood

Harwood was born in Providence in 1952 and attended Mount Saint Charles Academy where he played ice hockey and baseball, earning multiple all-state team selections in both, and twice winning the Interscholastic League scoring title in ice hockey.^[2] He earned degrees from University of Pennsylvania (BSc 1974), University of Miami (MBA 1976) and Boston College (J.D. 1978).^[1] Harwood also played collegiate hockey at the University of Pennsylvania where he served as captain and was selected for the All-Ivy hockey team.^[2] He briefly worked as professor at Nathaniel Hawthorne College in New Hampshire in the 1970s before practicing law in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.^[1] Harwood married Patricia Mary Lynch and has a son and three daughters.^[1]

A Democrat, Harwood was first elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 1980, representing Pawtucket.^[1] He was chosen to serve as Speaker of the House from 1993, serving until 2002.^[1] He is a member of the Penn Baseball Hall of Fame,^[3] Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame and Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.^[4]