Connecticut doesn’t have many political dynasties, but the Ritter family is high up the list.
Rep. Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) became House majority leader in 2016 and is currently viewed as a frontrunner to become House speaker in 2021, as long as Democrats manage to maintain control of the chamber (a likely scenario).
If and when that happens, Ritter, a partner at Shipman & Goodwin who specializes in public issues, would be officially filling the shoes of his father, Thomas Ritter, who did the same when he won his father’s (George Ritter) House seat in 1980. (George Ritter died in 2010.)
Thomas Ritter served in the House for 18 years, the final six as House speaker. He’s since turned to a more lucrative profession: A lawyer for Brown Rudnick. Thomas Ritter, who is married to Appellate Court Judge Christine Keller, has also been a UConn trustee since 2003, recently serving as its interim chairman.