Gov. Chris Christie Named 2024 Endicott College Commencement Speaker
Former New Jersey Governor and presidential candidate Chris Christie will be the 2024 Endicott College Commencement Speaker on Saturday, May 18, 2024.
“With examples like leading the people of New Jersey through the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, Governor Christie is known for putting people before politics and working in a pragmatic and bipartisan way on issues that benefit the people he has served,” said Endicott College President Steven R. DiSalvo, Ph.D. “His personal story of overcoming adversity, his commitment to public service, and his candor about today’s political environment will inspire the Endicott Class of 2024.”
Born in Newark, N.J., to a Korean War veteran, Chris Christie was inspired to enter public service at age 14 after seeing future New Jersey Governor Tom Kean speak at his school and then going to Kean’s house to seek his advice on entering politics. While practicing law, Christie served on the presidential campaigns of George H. W. Bush and later, George W. Bush. Christie was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey by President George W. Bush, where he brought high-profile anti-terrorism cases and successfully prosecuted 130 political corruption cases.
Christie ran for New Jersey governor in 2009 as a Republican and defeated incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine by a significant margin. Governor Christie’s success was attributed to his down-to-earth manner and humble, middle-class roots, which were in contrast to his opponent’s Wall Street executive past. In October of 2012, Superstorm Sandy landed in New Jersey, causing 12 deaths and more than $36 billion in damage in the state. Governor Christie was praised for his leadership and personal outreach to victims and municipal leaders through the catastrophe and for overcoming partisan politics to work with President Obama in securing billions of dollars in federal aid that helped New Jersey recover.
Governor Christie ran for President in the Republican Presidential primaries in 2016 and 2024. In 2017, Governor Christie was appointed Chairman of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. He also served as the chair of the Republican Governor’s Association during his tenure in New Jersey.
Governor Christie is the author of What Would Reagan Do?: Life Lessons from the Last Great President, published in 2024; Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden published in 2021; and The New York Times Best Seller, Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics, published in 2019.
Governor Christie received his B.A. from the University of Delaware and his J.D. from Seton Hall University. He resides in Mendham, N.J., with his wife, Mary Pat, and their four children.
Endicott’s 84th Commencement ceremony will take place on campus at Hempstead Stadium on Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m. During the ceremony, Governor Christie will be presented with an honorary degree in recognition of his leadership and lifelong commitment to public service.