JONATHAN W. BLODGETT
ESSEX DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett was elected to his first term in November of 2002, and took the oath of office on January 1, 2003. District Attorney Blodgett has been a leader in confronting a range of issues including the heroin and OxyContin epidemic, domestic violence, underage drinking, and gun violence, both through prosecution and educational partnerships with schools, police, and community leaders.
In 2004, he received the “Fraud Fighter of the Year” award from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners in recognition for his aggressive prosecution of perpetrators of auto insurance fraud in the city of Lawrence. In 2006, his “Choose to Refuse: A Heroin and OxyContin Prevention Education Program” won an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Executive Office of Public Safety. In 2009, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a bill sponsored by District Attorney Blodgett increasing penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders.
District Attorney Blodgett has an innovative and effective approach to fighting crime. Under his leadership, the office has 95% conviction rate for serious felonies. He has instituted drug diversion programs and expanded juvenile and youthful diversion programs throughout the county. His office has developed numerous prevention programs and brochures on Internet safety, bullying, underage drinking, drugs, teen dating violence, domestic violence and elder abuse. In addition, his office has expanded community partnerships to address senior citizen safety and domestic violence.
In 2005, Governor Mitt Romney appointed District Attorney Blodgett to the state’s Victim Witness and Assistance Board. In November of 2006, District Attorney Blodgett was elected President of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association. In 2008, he and Attorney General Martha Coakley co-chaired the Governor’s Anti Crime Council’s Urban Violence Committee. He currently sits on the Board of the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance. In 2010, District Attorney Blodgett was elected to the National District Attorney’s Association Board of Directors. He is one of only five at-large members. He was also chosen to chair the American Bar Association's Problems of the Elderly Committee which is part of their Criminal Justice Section.
Prior to taking office, District Attorney Blodgett spent 15 years in private practice as a partner in a Peabody law firm, and prior to that worked as an assistant district attorney in Essex County. A member of both the Peabody High School Distinguished Career, and Athletic Hall of Fame, he received the Pride of Peabody Award from his hometown in 2004. District Attorney Blodgett is a 1976 graduate of Princeton University and earned his law degree from Suffolk University in 1983. District Attorney Blodgett lives in Peabody with his wife, Judy. They have three children, Jon, Ryan and Lauren, and a new grand-daughter, Sophia