Thumbnail sketches of U.S. Senate candidates

NAME: Martha Coakley

AGE: 56; born July 14, 1953.

EDUCATION: B.A. from Williams College, 1975, J.D. degree from Boston University Law School, 1979

CAREER: Attorney, Parker, Coulter, Daley and White, 1979-1980; attorney, Goodwin Proctor LLP, 1980-1986; assistant district attorney, Middlesex District Attorney’s office 1986-1987 and 1989-1997. special attorney, Boston Organized Crime Strike Force, 1987-1989; Middlesex District Attorney, 1999-2007; president, Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association, 2001; Attorney General of Massachusetts, 2007-present; served as president of Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, and on board of directors of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

FAMILY: Lives in Medford with her husband, Thomas F. O’Connor, Jr.

QUOTE: “It is for every person in this Commonwealth, each one with hopes and dreams large and small, that I want to go to Washington to represent the Commonwealth and to make government work for you: to remove barriers, provide opportunities, and to renew the promise of our democracy.”

NAME: Scott Brown

AGE: 50; born Sept. 12, 1959

EDUCATION: B.A. from Tufts University, 1981, J.D. from Boston College Law School, 1985

CAREER: Wrentham selectman, 1995-1998; State Rep. 1999-2004; State Senate 2004-present. Serves on Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure; Joint Committee on Education; Joint Committee on Election Laws; Joint Committee on Higher Education; Joint Committee on Public Safety; and Homeland Security Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. Massachusetts Army National Guard, 1979-present, currently holds rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

FAMILY: Lives in Wrentham with his wife, Gail Huff. The couple has two daughters in college, Ayla and Arianna.

QUOTE: “Massachusetts needs someone who is an independent thinker, who does not take his or her orders from the Washington insiders, or from Harry Reid, or Deval Patrick.”

NAME: Stephen Pagliuca

AGE: 54; born Jan. 16, 1955.

EDUCATION: B.A. from Duke University, 1977, Harvard Law School, 1982.

CAREER: Managing director, Bain Capital, 1982-present; co-owner and managing partner, Boston Celtics, 2003-present; president Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation; chairman of Massachusetts Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; trustee of Bain Capital’s Children’s Charity; co-chair of Inner City Scholarship Fund; board member of The Right to Play.

FAMILY: Lives in Weston with wife, Judy; couple has four children.

QUOTE: “It’s plain and simple that jobs are created by a vibrant venture capital industry. No investor is, and no senator can be, perfect, but I promise to work tirelessly to help everyone in the commonwealth to succeed.”

NAME: Michael Capuano

AGE: 57; born Jan. 9, 1952

EDUCATION: B.A. from Dartmouth College, 1973. Law degree, Boston College Law School, 1977.

CAREER: Chief Legal Counsel to Joint Committee on Transportation, Mayor of Somerville, Mass., 1990-1998; president of Massachusetts Municipal Association, 1998; U.S. Rep. from 8th Massachusetts district, 1999-present. Headed transition team for incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2006; chaired special task force on Ethics Enforecement, 2007; co-founded Congressional Caucus on Community Health Centers; founder and co-chair of Sudan Caucus; member of House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

FAMILY: Lives in Somerville with wife, Barbara; couple has two sons.

QUOTE: “The question is not whether any of us can truly replace Ted Kennedy, because we cannot. The question is which candidate has the passion, the will, and the skills to best continue his work?”

NAME: Alan Khazei

AGE: 48; born May, 28, 1961

EDUCATION: Graduated from Harvard College, 1983. Graduated Harvard Law School, 1987.

CAREER: Co-founder and chief executive officer, City Year, 1987-2006; founder and chief executive of Be the Change, Inc., 2007-present; appointed by President George H.W. Bush to Commission on National and Community Service, 1991, served as vice chair until 1993; served on boards of Citizen Schools, Harvard Alumni Association, Mass Service Alliance, New Profit, Inc., Serve Next, Share our Strength, and Teach for America; Served on advisory boards of The Ad Council, America’s Promise, the Leadership Council of Boston Medical Center, the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Partnership for Public Service.

FAMILY: Lives in Brookline, Mass., with wife Vanessa Kirsch, and two children.

QUOTE: “I’m proud that this campaign is citizen-led, citizen-energized, and citizen-financed.”

NAME: Jack E. Robinson

AGE: 49; born May 12, 1960

EDUCATION: B.S. from Brown University, 1982, J.D. from Harvard Law School, 1985; M.B.A., Harvard Business School, 1986

CAREER: Continental and Eastern Airlines, 1987-1991; MasterCard International 1991-1992, airline consulting 1992-1995; founder, Oceanic Digital Communications, 1995-2000; NatTel, LLC, 2000-present; general counsel, Benistar 2001-present; commodore, U.S. Navy League.

FAMILY: Single, one son from a previous marriage.

QUOTE: “Our campaign will be one of fresh ideas and a fresh perspective, focusing on the issues and providing solutions for the people of Massachusetts.”