Robert Casey, Sr.
| Bob Casey Sr. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Governor of Pennsylvania From: January 20, 1987 – January 17, 1995 | |||
| Predecessor | Dick Thornburgh | ||
| Successor | Tom Ridge | ||
| Pennsylvania Senate, 22nd district From: January 1, 1963 – November 30, 1968 | |||
| Predecessor | Hugh J. McMenamin | ||
| Successor | Arthur A. Piasecki | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Ellen Harding Casey | ||
| Religion | Roman Catholic[1] | ||
Robert Casey Sr. was governor of Pennsylvania. Although he was a part of the Democratic Party, Casey held conservative views on many issues including abortion and the death penalty. Even though he was an extremely popular and a successful governor, he was not invited to speak at the 1992 Democratic Convention because he held a pro-life position.[2]
Contents
Political career
Failed gubernatorial runs
Casey first ran for governor in 1966 but lost in the Democratic Party primary to Milton J. Shapp, who in turn, lost in the general election. In 1968, after serving as first vice president of the state constitutional convention, Casey was elected as the auditor general of the Commonwealth's taxpayer watchdog by a margin of over 400,000 votes. In 1970, Casey again ran for governor and lost again to the same opponent. After the election loss he again worked in the auditor general's office until he was forced to retire because of his terms length in January 1977. He returned to private law practice and sought for a third time the governorship, but again lost.
Governor of Pennsylvania
In 1986, Casey launched an aggressive statewide governor campaign, and after defeating Philadelphia’s district attorney Edward Rendell, went on to win the governorship in the closest general election in Pennsylavania's history. After being reelected in 1990, Casey left office in January 1995 and considered a run for the Presidency in 1996, but his health became a dissuading factor.[3]
Pro-life views
The National Review wrote that Casey was "among the last of the fighting pro-life Democrats." In contrast, his son Bob Casey Jr., who was elected in 2006 to the United States Senate, voted for pro-abortion legislation despite claiming to be pro-life.[4]
References
- ↑ Former Gov. Robert P. Casey Dies at 68; Pennsylvania Democrat Opposed Abortion
- ↑ http://www.themediareport.com/special/casey-1992-dnc.htm
- ↑ http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/governors/casey.asp (Note: Link is broken)
- ↑ National Review, September 2007, page. 6
