Osman "Oz" Bengur (born February 23, 1949) is an American investment banker and Democratic politician. Bengur served as Treasurer for the Maryland Democratic Party and was a candidate for Congress in 2002 and 2006.[1] Bengur was the first American of Turkish descent to run for Congress in the United States.[2]
Bengur was born in 1949 and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland. Bengur received a bachelor's degree from Princeton University, and went on to receive a criminology degree from Cambridge University.
In 1991, Bengur co-founded Bengur Bryan & Co., an investment banking firm specializing in financing and mergers and acquisitions.[3] He is also Chairman of PJPA, LLC, a large Papa John's franchisee operating stores in Delaware and New Jersey.
At age 30, he worked as an aide to Maine Governor Joseph E. Brennan.[4] Bengur was later named Deputy Director of the Maine Office of Energy Resources.[5] Bengur was an Alternate Delegate from Maine to the 1980 Democratic National Convention.[6]
Bengur was a candidate in the Democratic primary for the United States House of Representatives in Maryland's 2nd district in 2002. He spent $50,000 of his own money in the race, losing to Dutch Ruppersberger.[7] In 2006, he sought the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 3rd district, but lost to John Sarbanes.[8] [9] He was also a 2010 candidate for Delegate in Maryland's 42nd District.[10]