Nick Perencevich of Concord is a semi-retired physician.
Most of our New Hampshire governors over history have been lawyers, businessmen, and sometimes military leaders but very rarely a physician.
U.S. President Josiah Bartlett played by Martin Sheen in the popular TV series West Wing got his name from Dr. Josiah Bartlett, signer of the Declaration of Independence and later governor of New Hampshire (1970-1794).
He along with his contemporary fellow physicians, Joseph Warren in Boston and Benjamin Rush, were politically active in forming our then-new nation. In the 1840s Dr. Joseph Harper was governor briefly followed by Dr. Henry Quinby in 1909. Some folks will still remember Dr. Robert Blood who was governor during WWII. Governor Blood worked hard during his two terms making sure good medical care came to the returning veterans.
From reading their histories it appears that these former governor-physicians all brought hard work and honor to New Hampshire. Come November, our current governor’s Democratic challenger will be a physician.
The most recent history of a physician-governor outside of New Hampshire shows Dr. Ralph Northam of Virginia whose term just ended this year. Virginia does not allow governors to serve more than one term at a time. Oregon’s John Kitzhaber and Vermont’s John Dean, both serving about 20 years ago, were both active physicians when elected and each served for 12 years. All of them had very good records of service as governor as well as prior elected positions.
When one looks at U.S. national leaders the track record for a physician is more checkered. U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was an ophthalmologist before being elected to the Senate. Unlike all the physicians listed above, he was never elected to any political position prior to becoming a U.S. senator.
When one looks at the international scene, President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria was also an ophthalmologist. He, like Senator Paul, never held office before. Both their fathers were important political figures who paved the way for their sons.
Physician training emphasizes being a good listener, then trying to make the correct diagnosis, and then formulating a treatment plan that works for each patient. Understanding public health and the science of medicine are also prerequisites to becoming a qualified physician. There is nothing to stop another pan-epidemic, but I’d like to think we’ll be better prepared in New Hampshire if we have a physician governor.
There’s no guarantee that will be the case. However, we might want to avoid electing ophthalmologists with politically powerful fathers. Virginia’s Gov. Northam navigated his state through COVID with stellar numbers. Doctor-governors Kitzhaber and Dean also guided their states to be leaders in adult end-of-life legislation.
When we vote this November we should carefully consider the background, training, and ethics of those we vote for. It’s still rare for physicians to run for office, but that does not mean they’re not qualified.
In general throughout the U.S. and in New Hampshire, over time, the few physician governors have done an excellent job. A person’s training, experience, and performance in serving the public are of paramount importance.
No matter what, make sure you vote this fall.