Thomas M. McDermott, Jr.
Chairman
Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. is the 20th Mayor of Hammond,
Indiana’s 6th largest city. He took office on January 1st, 2004,
becoming the city’s first Democratic mayor in 20 years.
As a young man, Tom joined the United States Navy and served 6 years
as a nuclear submariner aboard the USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709).
He served as a nuclear electrician and passed the strenuous U.S.
Navy Dive School to become the ship’s only diver. Tom received an
honorable discharge and moved back to the place he called home:
Hammond. After protecting his country during the Persian Gulf War,
Tom attended Purdue-Calumet, earning high honors in Finance while
working full time. Law school took Tom to South Bend, where he attended
the University of Notre Dame. There, Tom worked in the school’s
Legal Aid office, providing legal services for the less fortunate.
After receiving his law degree, Tom returned to Hammond to open
his own law practice.
In 2005, Mayor Tom McDermott was named a Sagamore of the Wabash,
the highest honor bestowed upon a civilian by the Governor of Indiana.
Also in 2005 he was named Deputy Chairman of the Indiana Democratic
Party, putting him at the center of state issues.
Tom McDermott is, at heart, a family man. He and his wife, Marissa,
are raising four children, and Tom enjoys coaching their Optimist
League baseball teams. Marissa McDermott, who was born in Warsaw,
Poland and adopted as a child, is a graduate of Notre Dame Law School
and sits on several community boards, including the Hammond Human
Relations Commission, Hammond Reads, and Parents as Teachers. Marissa
serves as a precinct committeewoman in Hammond's 5th District. She
and Tom are also active members of the St. John Bosco parish.
Tom McDermott brings to the Mayor's office a combination of world
experience and old-fashioned love for his roots. Together, these
create a man who is bringing positive change to Hammond without
forgetting what made this city great in the first place: its people.
Visit: www.mcdermottformayor.com
Watch Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.'s Election Day Video Blog
