Catherine Baker Knoll
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| Catherine Baker Knoll | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 21, 2003 |
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| Governor | Ed Rendell |
| Preceded by | Robert C. "Bob" Jubelirer |
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| Born | September 3, 1930 McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Profession | Teacher, Businesswoman, Politician |
Catherine Baker Knoll (b. September 3, 1930, McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania) is the present lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
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[edit] Background
Catherine Baker was born in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-area suburb of McKees Rocks, the daughter of Nick Baker, who later served as mayor of McKees Rocks, and Teresa May Baker. She was one of nine children, five girls and four boys.
While a graduate student at Duquesne University in 1952, she met and married Charles A. Knoll, a restaurateur and hotelier 17 years her senior, who became the Postmaster of the Stowe Kennedy and McKees Rocks area. Charles and Catherine Knoll had three sons and one daughter.
Baker Knoll began her political career as a campaign worker for local and statewide Democratic candidates, first for her father, Nick Baker, and later for Governor Milton Shapp. When Shapp was elected governor in 1970, he awarded Knoll a job with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
[edit] State Treasurer
In 1976 she ran for the Democratic nomination for State Treasurer but lost to Robert E. Casey (not the future Pennsylvania Governor). She ran again in 1984 but lost a close and controversial primary to Al Benedict. After her husband's death, Baker Knoll decided to run a third time. In 1988, she was elected State Treasurer of Pennsylvania.
Knoll streamlined and modernized the Treasurer's Office during her eight year tenure and started the Pennsylvania TAP program (Tuition Account Program), built the Pennsylvania Treasury Investment Center (enabled competitive bidding for all PA. Investments), and started a partnership with Pennsylvania Home Builders, Pennsylvania Community Banks, to build affordable housing. In 1994, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission launched an investigation into Knoll and her staff after four (4) states consultants' reaped improper fees from a prison bond issue.[citation needed] Knoll claimed that the official paperwork had been altered after she signed off on the plan. Knoll was never charged with a crime but the inquiry hurt her politically.[citation needed] During the time she was state treasurer and after her 8 year service, she finished her book, "Recreating Pennsylvania's History". This book lists all the new programs she started during her 8 year service
She endorsed her daughter Mina Baker Knoll as her successor in 1996 but questions arose concerning her daughter's dual residency (Mina Baker Knoll owned homes in Pennsylvania and New York), and she lost the election to pro-choice Republican Barbara Hafer. The bitter political feud that erupted between the Knolls and Hafer turned personal and would worsen over the next several years.[citation needed] In 2000, Catherine tried to unseat Hafer as State Treasurer but lost the election by a narrow margin. By then the personal animosity between Knoll and Hafer had become legendary in Pennsylvania politics.[citation needed]
[edit] Lt. Governor
In 2002, she sought the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. She won the nomination over endorsed candidate State Senator Jack Wagner. Catherine Baker Knoll was sworn in as Lt. Governor on January 21, 2003. She is the first woman to hold that position.
She has been criticized by many in the Pennsylvania political community for her controversial remarks and behavior that some critics have labeled "bizarre".[citation needed] Examples of this include numerous gaffes during public events (such as referring to Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell as Edward G. Robinson (the speech writer admitted he misprinted the name), her alleged difficulties in presiding over the Pennsylvania State Senate during late night sessions, and a well publicized incident in which Lt. Governor Knoll took flak for showing up uninvited to the funeral of a Pennsylvania U.S. Marine Corps Marine who died in the Iraq War. The controversy surrounding Knoll's comments at the funeral, and her passing her business cards to relatives received nationwide attention and she was later forced to make a public apology for the incident. The remarks were later rescinded and denounced by the Philadelphia Inquirer, but Knoll has yet to comment on the accusation.[citation needed] Governor Rendell also issued a public apology for Knoll's actions. These incidents led many to speculate that Governor Rendell would attempt to drop Knoll from the Democratic ticket in the 2006 elections. However, Governor Rendell kept Knoll on the ticket.[citation needed]
In November 2005, Senator and former Lieutenant Governor Robert Jubelirer proposed legislation in which the Lt. Governor's primary election would be dropped in favor of the gubernatorial candidate selecting a "running mate" in the November general election, similar to a Presidential candidate selecting a running mate for the Presidential elections. Knoll maintains a key base of supporters. She is popular with voters in Pennsylvania's southwest, with many women, and with senior citizens.
Four candidates announced bids against Knoll in the 2006 Democratic Primary: former Congressman and US Senate candidate Joe Hoeffel, the current Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County Valerie McDonald-Roberts, Robert Hall III, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania political activist, Gene Stilp.
Although Governor Rendell endorsed Knoll, some political analysts made note of the fact that, early in the race, Rendell also did not seem willing to intervene in the primary. This is unusual, because in the past, Rendell has shown a willingness to “twist arms” in Pennsylvania Democratic Primary contests to encourage opponents of his favored candidate to step out of the race. This happened in the U.S. Senate race in 2004, for example, when Rendell encouraged businessman Charlie Crystle to exit the Democratic Primary and allow Joe Hoeffel to win the nomination unchallenged. It happened again in the State Auditor General race that year, when Rendell encouraged State Representative Jennifer Mann to abandon her Democratic Primary bid against State Senator Jack Wagner.[citation needed]
When Congressman Hoeffel met with Rendell prior to deciding to run for Lt. Governor, neither Rendell nor his campaign manager raised objections. [1] However, Rendell eventually involved himself in the race: Only a day after Hoeffel announced his bid, the Governor changed his mind and asked the former Congressman to withdrawal. Hoeffel would later state that Rendell came to the conclusion that he needed the geographic balance that Knoll provided for the Democratic ticket. Hoeffel's appointment to the $104,431-a-year job as deputy secretary for international business in the Department of Community and Economic Development was denounced by people who saw it as payback for his withdrawing from the primary against Knoll.[citation needed]
On May 16, 2006, Knoll won the Democratic nomination by a large margin. On November 7, 2006, she and Rendell defeated Republican challengers Lynn Swann and Jim Matthews.
On April 21, 2008, Knoll caused controversy at a Hillary Clinton campaign event in Pittsburgh. Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato was introducing former President Bill Clinton and handed the microphone over when Knoll grabbed it and said, "They [Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl] never recognize the lieutenant governor. These two men can't stand women." When later asked by a reporter if she really thought that Onorato and Ravenstahl didn't like women, she replied, "No, it's a guy in the back who doesn't know who Cathy Baker Knoll is...they're afraid of the guys who call the shots. You know what? I'm not afraid of anybody." [1]
[edit] References
- ^ "Lt. Gov. Knoll Jabs Ravenstahl, Onorato In Front Of President Clinton", WTAE-TV Pittsburgh, 2008-04-21. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
[edit] External links
- Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll official state site
- Catherine Baker Knoll for Lieutenant Governor official campaign site
- Follow the Money - Catherine Baker Knoll 2006 campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart - Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll (PA) profile
| Preceded by Budd Dwyer? |
Pennsylvania Treasurer 1989 – 1997 |
Succeeded by Barbara Hafer |
| Preceded by Robert C. Jubelirer |
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania 2003 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by John C. Carney, Jr. |
United States order of precedence as of 2006 |
Succeeded by Casey Cagle |
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