Proudly serving Abington, Braintree, Hanover, Holbrook, Quincy, & Rockland
In a nutshell...
Since 2011, Senator John F. Keenan has proudly represented the Norfolk and Plymouth district of Quincy, Abington, Braintree, Hanover, Holbrook & Rockland. His work often focuses on public and behavioral health, striving to support all the Commonwealth's residents, especially its most vulnerable.
John's Story
John is the fourth of seven children of Philip and Loretta Keenan. His father worked in the mailing room of the Boston Record American and then the Boston Herald, while his mother worked at Filene’s department store and then CNA Insurance.
John was raised in Quincy and attended the Quincy Public Schools, graduating in 1982 from North Quincy High School. At a young age John cut lawns and delivered newspapers, also hawking them at the local train station while still in elementary school. In high school, he worked the Saturday overnight shift at the Boston Herald, which he would continue during summers while in college. He went to Harvard University, earning his way through by working in the athletic department equipment room. John graduated with honors from Harvard in 1986, with a government concentration. Three years later, he graduated from Suffolk University Law School. A lifelong learner, in 2019 John graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School with a master's in public administration.
After law school, John worked first as a litigator, then as a public defender, followed by work as an attorney combating insurance fraud. He is admitted to practice in all Massachusetts State Courts, the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the Federal First Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
While in law school, John was appointed to serve as the Chairperson of the Quincy Mayor’s Commission on Handicapped Affairs and was then appointed to the Quincy Zoning Board of Appeals, on which he served for seven years. In 1997 he was appointed Chief of Staff/Executive Secretary in the administration of Quincy Mayor Jim Sheets. In this role he managed 22 municipal department heads and was responsible for the preparation and presentation of Quincy’s budget and the review of all financial matters. In 2001, John became Executive Director of the Norfolk County Retirement System, a public pension system with approximately 10,000 active and retired members, and assets at the time of more than $500 million.
While serving as Executive Director of the Norfolk County Retirement System, in 2003 John was appointed to the Quincy City Council to fill a vacant seat, and was elected Councilor at Large in 2004. He served as Chairman of the Council’s Finance Committee for eight years, and in 2010 was elected to the State Senate, Norfolk and Plymouth district. He finished the final year of his term on the Quincy City Council while beginning his term in the State Senate.
Since being elected to the Senate, John has served as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committees on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Public Health, and Housing. He has also served as the Chair of the Senate Committees on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, Post Audit and Oversight, and the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs. He presently serves as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws.
John and his wife Jeanne Hopkins reside in Quincy and are the proud parents of three sons and grandparents to a baby girl. He is a member of the Ward One Democratic Committee, Quincy Democratic City Committee, the Quincy City Club, Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library, and the Harvard Club of Quincy. He coached many years in the Sacred Heart Youth Basketball Program. John enjoys travel and photography — many of his adventures are documented through his photography instagram, @senjohnfkeenan.