| J. Joseph Curran Jr. | |
| Office: | 44th Attorney General of Maryland |
| Governor: | William Donald Schaefer Parris Glendening Bob Ehrlich Martin O'Malley |
| Term Start: | January 21, 1987 |
| Term End: | January 17, 2007 |
| Predecessor: | Stephen H. Sachs |
| Successor: | Doug Gansler |
| Order2: | 4th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland |
| Term Start2: | January 19, 1983 |
| Term End2: | January 21, 1987 |
| Governor2: | Harry Hughes |
| Predecessor2: | Samuel Bogley |
| Successor2: | Melvin Steinberg |
| Birth Date: | 7 July 1931 |
| Birth Place: | West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Alma Mater: | University of Baltimore (BA, LLB) |
| Spouse: | Barbara Marie Atkins |
| Profession: | Attorney |
| Signature: | J. Joseph Curran Jr. signature.svg |
| Allegiance: |  United States |
| Serviceyears: | 1951–1955 |
| Battles: | Korean War |
| Children: | 5, including Katie |
| Office4: | Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 3rd district |
| Termstart4: | January 1959 |
| Termend4: | January 1963 |
| Termstart3: | January 1963 |
| Termend3: | January 1983 |
| Predecessor3: | J. Raymond Buffington, Jr. |
| Constituency3: | 3rd district (1963–1967) 9th district (1967–1975) 43rd district (1975–1982) |
| Office3: | Member of the Maryland State Senate |
| Successor3: | John A. Pica, Jr. |
J. Joseph Curran Jr. (born July 7, 1931) is an American lawyer and the longest serving elected attorney general (1987 to 2007) in Maryland history, and previously the fourth lieutenant governor of Maryland from 1983 to 1987.[1] His son-in-law, Martin J. O'Malley, served as the 61st governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015.
Curran was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, the son of Catherine Mary (Clark) and Baltimore City Council member J. Joseph Curran Sr.[2] [3] He attended Baltimore parochial schools. He graduated from Loyola High School and then from the University of Baltimore. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955. Curran returned to Baltimore and entered the University of Baltimore School of Law where he earned a LL.B. in 1959. Curran was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1959 and is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association.
A Democrat, Curran previously served as the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1983 to 1987 under Governor Harry Hughes. Prior to that, Curran was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1959 to 1963 and the Maryland Senate from 1963 to 1983.[4]
In 1986, Curran was elected attorney general after serving four years as lieutenant governor under Harry Hughes. In 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002, he won re-election. Citing his age and his long career, Curran decided not to seek re-election in 2006, preventing any conflict of interest that might arise in having O'Malley as governor and his father-in-law as attorney general.[5]
Curran is the brother of Martin "Mike" Curran and Robert W. Curran who both also served on the Baltimore City Council.[6] Curran is married, with four living children, three daughters and one son. His wife, Barbara Curran is an esteemed painter. His youngest daughter, Katie, was a state district court judge (2001–2021) and the wife of former Governor Martin O'Malley. His middle daughter, Alice, is the chief financial officer at Miami Country Day School,[7] [8] a private school in South Florida. His son, J. Joseph "Max" Curran, is a partner at the Venable law firm. His eldest daughter, Mary Carole Curran, is an accomplished photographer in Baltimore City. His first cousin was Gerald Curran.[9]
AARP Maryland named its lifetime achievement award after Curran, which is presented to those "who have exhibited a lifetime of exemplary commitment to volunteerism and civic involvement".[10]