| Dick Thornburgh | |
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| In office January 16, 1979 – January 20, 1987 |
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| Lieutenant | William Scranton, III |
| Preceded by | Milton Shapp |
| Succeeded by | Bob Casey |
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| In office August 15, 1988 – August 15, 1991 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Edwin Meese III |
| Succeeded by | William Pelham Barr |
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| Born | July 16, 1932 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ginny Judson Thornburgh |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Richard Lewis "Dick" Thornburgh (born July 16, 1932) is a lawyer and Republican politician who served as the Governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the U.S. Attorney General from 1988 to 1991. Governors Pennsylvania was one of the original Thirteen colonies, and was admitted as a state on December 12 1787 Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA William Worthington Scranton III (born July 20 1947 in Scranton Pennsylvania) served as the Republican Lieutenant governor of the state of Pennsylvania Milton Jerrold Shapp ( June 25 1912 - November 24 1994) was the Democratic governor of the U For other people with the same name see Robert Casey. Robert Patrick Casey Sr The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 Edwin "Ed" Meese III (born December 2, 1931 in Oakland California) served as the seventy-fifth Attorney General of the United Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. The Episcopal Church is the official name of the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person Governors Pennsylvania was one of the original Thirteen colonies, and was admitted as a state on December 12 1787 Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar.
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Early life and family
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Thornburgh attended Mercersburg Academy and later majored in engineering at Yale University, graduating in 1954. Mercersburg Academy is an independent Coeducational Boarding school for grades 9-12 located in Mercersburg Pennsylvania, United States Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) He later earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1957, and joined the law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart a year later. The University of Pittsburgh School of Law ("Pitt Law" was founded in 1895, and became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) K&L Gates LLP is a major United States Law firm with over 1700 attorneys worldwide large enough to be ranked as the 10th largest law firm in the world.
Thornburgh married Ginny Hooton and fathered three children. Ginny Hooton Thornburgh was killed in an automobile accident that also injured all three of their children. Their youngest son Peter was left disabled due to brain damage. Four years later, Thornburgh married his second wife, the former Ginny Judson, who adopted his three sons. The couple had a fourth child together. Ginny Judson Thornburgh later became an advocate for the disabled and served as a representative of the National Organization on Disability. Mrs. Thornburgh was a vocal advocate for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law while her husband was a member of George H. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA is the short title of United States ( codified at et seq W. Bush's cabinet.
Political career
U. S. Attorney
Following a failed bid for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966, Thornburgh served as a delegate to the 1967-1968 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. The current Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, most recently revised in 1968 forms the law for the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 1969 President Richard Nixon appointed Thornburgh as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where he earned a reputation as being tough on organized crime. President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. United States Attorneys (also known as federal prosecutors) represent the United States federal government in United States district court and "Crime syndicate" redirects here For the DC Comics group of villains see Crime Syndicate. In 1975, President Gerald Ford tapped him to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr (July 14 1913 December 26 2006 was the thirty-eighth President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 and the fortieth Vice President For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department After two years at that post, Thornburgh returned to private practice.
Governor of Pennsylvania
In 1978, Thornburgh launched a campaign for governor of Pennsylvania. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) He won the primary over three other contenders, including Arlen Specter, who had become well known as a former Democrat who switched parties and was elected the Philadelphia County district attorney in 1965 and the more conservative David W. Marston, a former U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, who was controversially dismissed in 1978 by the Jimmy Carter administration after Marston launched prosecution of two Democratic congressmen and two Democratic state legislators. Arlen Specter (born February 12 1930) is the senior United States Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Philadelphia County is a County located in the US State of Pennsylvania. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined David Weese "Dave" Marston Sr (born 1942 is a prominent Philadelphia Lawyer and Author who was forced out of his position as U United States Attorneys (also known as federal prosecutors) represent the United States federal government in United States district court and Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002
Despite a Democratic majority in the commonwealth, he and running mate William W. Scranton III defeated Pittsburgh mayor Peter F. Flaherty. Four of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania William Worthington Scranton III (born July 20 1947 in Scranton Pennsylvania) served as the Republican Lieutenant governor of the state of Pennsylvania Peter Francis Flaherty ( June 25, 1924 &ndash April 18, 2005) was an American politician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The victory was attributed to Thornburgh's campaign promises to crack down on government corruption, at a time when 230 state officials were convicted of corruption. Thornburgh and Scranton were reelected in 1982. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) However, Scranton failed to win the governorship on his own in 1986. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar)
In what was likely the biggest event during his gubernatorial career, Thornburgh oversaw emergency response efforts to the partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg in 1979. Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station is a civilian Nuclear power plant located on an island (Three Mile Island in the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg Harrisburg is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America To quell public fears, he ordered a partial evacuation of the area, and was partly responsible for overseeing cleanup efforts.
Throughout the 1980s, Thornburgh attempted to balance the commonwealth's budget through conservative fiscal policies. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Though successful, he was criticized by organized labor for eliminating 15,000 state jobs.
Thornburgh was also responsible for consolidating all of Pennsylvania's state-owned colleges and universities into the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE is the largest provider of Higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large Public He also created the Governor's Schools, which were summer programs for talented and gifted high school students. The Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence (PGSE is a group of five-week publicly funded programs for gifted high school students over the summer
In January of 1987 Governor Thornburgh was made an honorary Pennsylvania State Police Trooper and this honor was presented to him upon the graduation of the 64th Pennsylvania State Police Academy Class at Hershey Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP is the State police force of Pennsylvania, responsible for statewide law enforcement
After leaving office in 1987, Thornburgh served as director of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (also known as Harvard Kennedy School and HKS) is a Public policy and
U. S. Attorney General
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed Thornburgh as the United States Attorney General and he was retained in office after President George H.W. Bush was sworn into office in January 1989. President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 His main priorities were to crack down on drug trafficking and white-collar crime. The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global Black market consisting of the cultivation manufacture distribution and sale of illegal Drugs Within the field of Criminology, white-collar crime or 'incorporated governance' has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability Thornburgh also oversaw prosecution against Exxon in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Exxon is a brand of fuel sold by ExxonMobil. History Exxon formally replaced the Esso, Enco, The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24 1989 Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Thornburgh also authored the controversial Thornburgh Memo, that attempted to define the ethical rules applicable to Department of Justice lawyers. The Thornburgh Memo was a US Department of Justice Memorandum prepared by then Attorney General Richard Thornburgh, on June 8 1989
Later political life
He resigned as Attorney General in 1991 to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator John Heinz, who was killed in a plane crash. The 1991 United States Senate Special Election in Pennsylvania was held on November 5, 1991. A senate is a Deliberative body, often the Upper house or chamber of a Legislature or Parliament. Henry John Heinz III (October 23 1938 – April 4 1991 was an American politician from Pennsylvania, a Republican member of the United States Thornburgh was widely expected to win the seat; however, he was defeated in a surprise upset by Democrat Harris Wofford. Harris Llewellyn Wofford (born April 9, 1926) served as a Democratic U Thornburgh then served as undersecretary general to the United Nations from 1992 to 1993. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar)
In 1993, Thornburgh's campaign committee was sued in federal court by Karl Rove, at the time President of Karl Rove & Co, an Austin-based company. Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) was Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W Rove won the case and collected $180,000 from the Thornburgh committee. Karl Rove & Co v. Thornburgh was heard by Judge Sam Sparks who had been appointed by President George H. Sam Sparks (b 1939, Austin Texas) is a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. W. Bush in 1991.
Returns to private life
After his time in politics, Thornburgh reentered private legal practice returning to Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, the law firm he originally joined in 1958. K&L Gates LLP is a major United States Law firm with over 1700 attorneys worldwide large enough to be ranked as the 10th largest law firm in the world. In 2002, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York appointed him as an examiner in the WorldCom bankruptcy proceedings. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (S MCI Inc is an American Telecommunications company that is headquartered in Ashburn Virginia. His report to the court included damning criticism of Arthur Andersen, WorldCom's accounting firm, and banking giant Citigroup. Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Accountancy or accounting is the measurement statement or provision of assurance about financial information primarily used by Lenders managers, The report concluded that the two companies aided WorldCom executives in committing fraud. In the broadest sense a fraud is a Deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual
In 2004, he was appointed to an independent panel set up by CBS to investigate the so-called Memogate controversy. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. In October 2005 he was hired to represent controversial Democratic Pennsylvania politician and nationally renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Forensic pathology is a branch of Pathology concerned with determining the Cause of death by examination of a cadaver Cyril Wecht, who was then serving as Coroner of Allegheny County. Dr Cyril Harrison Wecht (born March 20, 1931 in the Pittsburgh suburb of Dunkard Township Pennsylvania Allegheny County is a County in the southwestern part of the U Wecht was later indicted on January 20, 2006 on 84 counts of corruption while in office. In the Common law legal system an indictment (ɪnˈdaɪtmənt (in-DITE-mint is a formal accusation of having committed a criminal offense Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Wecht's trial began in Pittsburgh in January 2008. Thornburgh appeared as Wecht's attorney before the trial and sat in on the trial proceedings but was not among the attorneys physically arguing the case in the courtroom. Closing arguments occurred in March 2008.
Thornburgh appeared in an interview on an episode of Da Ali G Show entitled "The Law" in which Ali G asks several questions about legal issues. Thornburgh appears extremely amiable throughout the interview and never talks condescendingly towards Ali (as is almost always the case with Ali's other guests).
Thornburgh authored "The Future of Puerto Rico: A Time for Change" in 2007, in which he calls for immediate change in the island's territorial/commonwealth status. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. He describes it as a vestige of colonialism. He concedes, however, that change is difficult because equal segments of Puerto Ricans desire statehood or continuation of the status quo. The book is based in part on ongoing research he has done regarding Puerto Rico's vexing political status problem since he testified as Attorney General on behalf of the first Bush administration on the issue before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Committee of the United States Senate in 1991 and for an amicus curiae brief he filed in a Puerto Rico voting rights case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Amicus curiae or amicus curiæ (plural amici curiae) is a Legal Latin phrase literally translated as "friend of the court" The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with Appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts
Publications
Puerto Rico's Future: A Time to Decide, Center for Strategic and International Studies Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-89206-494-6
External links
- The Dick Thornburgh Papers at the University of Pittsburgh.
- Professional biography at the law firm K&L Gates
- Thornburgh's biography from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
- Selection of Thornburgh quotes
http://www.speakers.com/listing.asp?sid=415 Speaking biography
| Preceded by Milton Shapp |
Governor of Pennsylvania January 16, 1979 – January 20, 1987 |
Succeeded by Bob Casey |
| Preceded by Edwin Meese |
Attorney General of the United States August 15, 1988 – August 15, 1991 |
Succeeded by William Barr |
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