Profile Text
Patrick – “The Black List: Volume Two” HBO Documentary New York Premiere – Arrivals – The Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street – New York City, NY, USA, 2009 – Keywords: Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick – False – – Photo Credit: Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos
Birth Name: Deval Laurdine Patrick
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Date of Birth: July 31, 1956
Ethnicity: African-American, some English
Deval Patrick is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, author, and businessperson. A member of the Democratic Party, he was U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, from April 22, 1994 to January 20, 1997, and Governor of Massachusetts, from January 4, 2007 to January 8, 2015.
He was a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2020 .
Deval is the son of Emily Mae (Wintersmith) and Pat Patrick (Laurdine Kenneth Patrick, Jr.), a jazz musician and composer, who was a member of Sun Ra’s band. His parents were both black. His mother had deep roots in Kentucky.
He is married to labor and employment lawyer Diane Bemus, with whom he has two children.
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2014) stated that Deval’s genetic ancestry consists of:
*58.9-62% Sub-Saharan African ——–*30% Nigeria ——–*11% Southeastern Bantu ——–*10% Ivory Coast/Ghana ——–*3% Senegal ——–*3% Benin/Togo ——–*3% Mali ——–*2% Cameroon/Congo *38.9-37% European *1.2% East Asian & Native American *0.6% North African *0.4% No Match
*58.9-62% Sub-Saharan African ——–*30% Nigeria ——–*11% Southeastern Bantu ——–*10% Ivory Coast/Ghana ——–*3% Senegal ——–*3% Benin/Togo ——–*3% Mali ——–*2% Cameroon/Congo *38.9-37% European *1.2% East Asian & Native American *0.6% North African *0.4% No Match
Deval’s patrilineal and matrilineal DNA lines both lead to Europe.
Deval’s patrilineal line can be traced to his great-great-great-grandparents Thomas/Thompson Patrick, who was born c. 1818, and his wife Violet, who was born c. 1821. They were both born into slavery.
Deval’s paternal grandfather was Laurdine Kenneth Patrick (the son of George Patrick and May Straughters). Laurdine was born in Kansas. George was the son of Thomas/Thompson Patrick and Amanda Tidings.
Deval’s paternal grandmother was named Laverne/LaVern Love. Laverne was born in Mississippi.
Deval’s maternal grandfather was Reynolds Brown Wintersmith (the son of William Rufus Wintersmith and Christine/Christina Davis). Reynolds was born in Louisville, Kentucky. William’s grandmother, Emily Wintersmith, was black, and born into slavery. William’s grandfather likely was Harvey Slaughter, who was white.
Deval’s maternal grandmother was Sally Mae Embers (the daughter of Henry Embers and Nannie Taylor). Sally Mae was born in Louisville, Kentucky.
Sources: Genealogy of Deval Patrick – http://www.wargs.com
Genealogy of Deval Patrick (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com