Bill Ferguson (politician)


William C. "Bill" Ferguson IV is an American politician, attorney, and former schoolteacher. He is a Democratic member of the Maryland Senate, representing the 46th district since 2011. The district is composed of parts of Baltimore City.
On September 14, 2010, Ferguson defeated six-term incumbent George W. Della, Jr. in the Democratic primary. He won the general election with no opposition.

Education and early career

Ferguson was born in Silver Spring, Maryland and graduated from Davidson College with a double major in political science and economics in 2005. He then joined Teach For America, teaching history and government to ninth and tenth graders at a high school in Baltimore for two years. In 2007, he earned a Master of Arts degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Education.
Ferguson served as a community liaison on educational issues for the president of the Baltimore City Council from 2005 to 2006. From 2009 to 2010, he was a special assistant to Andres Alonso, the chief executive officer of Baltimore City Public Schools. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 2010.

Political career

In 2010, Ferguson challenged six-term incumbent George W. Della, Jr. for the Democratic nomination for the 46th district in the Maryland Senate. He won the primary election by a margin of 59-41%. Running in a heavily Democratic district, he won the general election with no formal opposition, receiving 98% of the vote. He is the youngest state senator ever elected in Maryland. His youth earned him the nickname of "Baby Senator".
On October 24, 2019, Senate Democrats unanimously voted to nominate Ferguson to succeed Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. Ferguson was perceived as more progressive than Miller. He was sworn in as Senate President on January 8, 2020.