29 Facts About Doug Duncan

Douglas Michael Duncan was born on October 25,1955 and is a former American politician from Maryland who served as Rockville City Councilman, Rockville Mayor, Montgomery County Executive, and candidate for Governor of Maryland.

The fifth of 13 children, Doug Duncan grew up in the Twinbrook section of Rockville, Maryland, a working-class neighborhood, home to federal employees, teachers, police officers and firefighters.

Doug Duncan's father worked for the NSA and later worked for the Montgomery County Public Schools as a volunteer tutor and ESOL teacher.

Doug Duncan's mother worked for the Montgomery County Circuit Court as a courtroom clerk from 1973 to 1999.

Doug Duncan attended St John's College High School in Washington, DC, graduating in 1973.

Doug Duncan graduated from Columbia University in three years, in 1976, earning a bachelor's degree with a double focus in psychology and political science.

In 1984, Doug Duncan called for the resignation of then-Mayor John Freeland, who had taken a job with a city developer, claiming it was a rank conflict of interest.

Accomplishments under the Doug Duncan administration include building Wootton Parkway and Gude Drive bridge.

Doug Duncan would go on to be re-elected twice for a then unprecedented three terms as County Executive.

Doug Duncan's focus on education included increasing investments in higher education opportunities for county residents, leading to the expansion of Montgomery College's Rockville, Takoma Park, and Germantown campuses.

Doug Duncan played a role in creating the Universities at Shady Grove Center and encouraging the growth of the Johns Hopkins University Shady Grove Campus.

Doug Duncan was County Executive during the DC sniper attacks, seven of which occurred in Montgomery County in October 2002.

In 2005, Doug Duncan announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party's nomination to challenge incumbent Governor Robert Ehrlich in the 2006 Maryland gubernatorial election.

Doug Duncan announced his campaign with a bus tour through each of Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City.

Doug Duncan began airing television ads in May 2006, relatively early in the campaign season; his poll numbers began to rise in the following weeks.

On June 22,2006, Doug Duncan unexpectedly dropped out of the race citing a diagnosis of clinical depression.

Doug Duncan cited a family history of the disease as a factor in the diagnosis, and a number of aides and political associates were quoted in the press saying that Duncan was noticeably unhappy in the period leading up to his withdrawal.

At the time of the announcement, polls showed Doug Duncan closing in on O'Malley even as his fundraising was beginning to decline.

Doug Duncan was honored by a number of mental health groups for having publicly announced that he suffered from depression.

Doug Duncan continued to publicly discuss these treatments and his experiences with the disease, including speaking at a NIH Forum on it.

On March 22,2007, Doug Duncan was appointed Vice President of Administrative Affairs at the University of Maryland, College Park, effective April 4, making him the university's chief administrative and finance officer with authority over the university's human resources, comptroller, public safety, facilities and environmental management, and procurement.

On October 15,2008, after a seventeen-month tenure, Doug Duncan announced his resignation from the University of Maryland.

In 2010, Doug Duncan was speculated as being in consideration for General Manager of WMATA, after John Catoe vacated the post, including receiving an endorsement from then Congressman, and now United States Senator Chris Van Hollen.

In 2014, Doug Duncan made his political comeback seeking to reclaim his old post at Montgomery County, Maryland Executive for a fourth term.

Shortly after his campaign, Doug Duncan was selected as president and CEO of Leadership Greater Washington, a non-profit organization with a mission to bring leaders together to make positive community impact in the Washington Metropolitan region.

In 2012, Doug Duncan endorsed then upstart and underdog John Delaney in his first bid for Congress; "Doug Duncan's endorsement was the first of any consequence, and he backed up his support by cutting radio spots for Delaney and going door to door with him".

In 2014, Doug Duncan was named to newly elected Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's transition team as well as that of newly elected District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser.

In 2018, Doug Duncan endorsed David Trone, who was elected to Congress later that year.

Doug Duncan married wife, Barbara, on June 14,1980, on the campus of Trinity College in Washington, DC, where Barbara went to school.