William Schneider (politician)

William Schneider
56th Attorney General of Maine
In office January 7, 2011 – January 7, 2013
Governor	Paul LePage
Preceded by	Janet T. Mills
Succeeded by	Janet T. Mills
Member of the Maine House of Representatives from the 85th district
In office December 2, 1998 – December 4, 2002
Preceded by	William E. Bodwell II
Succeeded by	Michael A. Vaughan
Personal details
Born	William Joseph Schneider April 25, 1959 Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Barbara
Alma mater	U.S. Military Academy (B.S.) University of Maine (J.D.)
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1977–1986
Rank	Captain

William Joseph "Bill" Schneider (born April 25, 1959) is a Maine politician and lawyer. Schneider was elected the attorney general of Maine by the State Legislature following its takeover by the Republican Party in the election of 2010, and served until 2013. He is a retired United States Army officer.^[1] In March 2012, he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, seeking to replace retiring Republican Olympia Snowe, but was unsuccessful.^[2]

Life and career

He was born in Syracuse, New York and entered into the U.S. Army in 1977. He served in South Korea and joined the Green Berets. He was permanently disabled in an automobile accident in 1985 in Fort Devens, Massachusetts. In 1990, Schneider enrolled at the University of Maine School of Law and eventually worked in the Cumberland County District Attorney's office.^[2]

In 1998, Schneider ran for and won a seat in the Maine House of Representatives, representing his hometown of Durham and portions of Brunswick and Lisbon. He was re-elected in 2000 and chosen the Assistant Republican Leader until 2002.^[1]

As Attorney General of Maine, Schneider joined other Attorneys General in challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.^[2]

Maine Republicans nominated Schneider to serve a second term after the 2012 elections, but the newly elected Democratic legislature selected the previous holder of the position, Janet T. Mills, to serve again. After his term ended, Governor Paul LePage hired Schneider as the deputy director of the Office of Policy and Management. ^[3]

On February 7, 2014, Gov. LePage nominated Schneider for a District Court judgeship. ^[4]

References

1. "About Attorney General William J. Schneider". Government of Maine. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
2. Higgins, A.J. (May 1, 2012). "William Schneider: Your Vote 2012 Candidate Profile". Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
3. Mistler, Steve (January 7, 2013). "Departing Republican AG finds new home in LePage administration". Kennebec Journal. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
4. Murphy, Edward (February 7, 2014). "LePage nominates seven for judgeships, including former AG Schneider". Kennebec Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2013.