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| Affiliation | Republican |
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| Name | G. Kenneth "Ken" Bernhard |
| Address |
Westport, Connecticut , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
June 14, 1944
(79 years)
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| Contributor | Joshua L. |
| Last Modifed | MadViking
Aug 22, 2007 10:51pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | State Representative G. Kenneth Bernhard of Westport was first elected to the state House of Representatives in November 1996 from the 136th District of Westport.
Representative Bernhard serves as Assistant Minority Leader, as well as a member of the General Assembly's Judiciary Committee and the Environment Committee.
An attorney, Representative Bernhard has distinguished himself in the practice of the law and service to his community. He served as Third Selectman for the Town of Westport from 1987 to 1989 and was elected to the Westport Zoning Board of Appeals in 1989. He has served as Town Attorney for the Town of Wilton since 1992, as Town Attorney for the Town of Weston since 2000 and was Town Attorney for the Town of Westport from 1981-85 and 1989-93. He served on the Westport Republican Town Committee for approximately six years and was a district leader for District 3.
A resident of Westport since 1974, Representative Bernhard is engaged in the private practice of law with the firm of Cohen and Wolf, P.C. He is a partner in the firm and is directly involved in its management.
Representative Bernhard has an active litigation practice and has handled all types of matters from simple divorce and negligence cases to complicated environmental and anti-trust litigation. As Town Attorney for two communities, he has been active in all phases of municipal law, including zoning work, tax appeals, condemnations and the drafting of municipal legislation.
In 1984, Representative Bernhard was appointed to serve as a State Trial Referee by the Honorable Burton Jacobson. In this capacity, he has heard and decided approximately fifty cases from the civil docket of the Superior Court. Representative Bernhard is a member and former President (1987-88) of the Westport Bar Association, and a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, the Bridgeport Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Representative Bernhard entered the private practice of law after an impressive military career. While attending law school, he completed the R.O.T.C. program in one year and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army (infantry branch). In the summer of 1967, he went to Israel during the "six day" June war and drove supply trucks to the front lines.
Entering active military service, Representative Bernhard transferred from the combat infantry to the Judge Advocate General's Corps and was stationed at Fort Dix, N.J. where he was assigned as a defense counsel. He handled more than 100 military court martials for offenses ranging from AWOL to aggravated assault. In 1971, he was reassigned as prosecution Trial Counsel where he handled approximately 100 additional court martials and was given the most serious cases.
In 1972, Representative Bernhard was transferred again, this time to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he was appointed Associate Professor of Law and taught Constitutional and Criminal Law. While at West Point, he was one of the attorneys who handled the Palosi case, which resulted in dramatic changes to the West Point honor code system and was ultimately the subject of a made-for-television movie. Also, while at the academy, he rewrote the text that was used for the Constitutional Law Program and was Editor of the Constitutional Law Test in 1973. Representative Bernhard left active military duty in 1974 and remained in the Army Reserve for 19 years, retiring in 1993 with an Honorable Discharge at the rank of Major.
Representative Bernhard earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1966. While at Yale, he managed the Yale Student Sales Agency where he supervised 13 employees. The agency doubled its sales in each year of his three-year tenure allowing him to finance a substantial portion of the cost of his education.
In 1966, Representative Bernhard received a three-month Ford Foundation Grant to teach English in Tokyo. After this, he attended New York University Law School receiving his Juris Doctorate degree in 1969. After his graduation, he was admitted to practice before the New York Bar and subsequently received a CLEAR fellowship, which enabled him to earn a Master's degree in law.
Representative Bernhard and his wife have been active with the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, and have raised seven guide dogs, four of which are now in active service in the New England area. The Bernhards have appeared at fundraising events and on television as spokespersons for Fidelco. Representative Bernhard was a director of Friends of Animals Inc., an animal protection organization.
He is also on the Board of Directors of Nursing and Home Care of Mid-Fairfield County; the Board of Trustees of the Westport Library Association, and the Board of Directors of Earthplace.
Born June 14, 1944, Representative Bernhard is married and has one daughter and one grandchild. His interests include squash, sailing, rowing and travel.
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