Mark S. Schweiker

Mark Stephen Schweiker^[3][4] (born January 31, 1953) is a businessman and politician who served as the 44th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2001 to 2003. Schweiker, a Republican, became Governor of Pennsylvania on October 5, 2001, when his predecessor, Tom Ridge, resigned as Governor of Pennsylvania to assume the role as Homeland Security Advisor under President George W. Bush.

He had served as acting Governor from September 20, 2001 to October 5, 2001 during Ridge's transition into his new post.

Early life

Schweiker was born in Levittown, Pennsylvania and is of German descent. He attended Bishop Egan High School in Bucks County and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He holds a master’s degree in administration from Rider University. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Rider University in 2004. After college he entered the business world and held positions at Sadlier Oxford and McGraw Hill. Later, he formed his own management consulting firm.

Political career

Bucks County politics

Schweiker entered politics in 1979 when he successfully ran for supervisor of Middletown Township. In 1987, he was elected Bucks County Commissioner.

Lieutenant Governor

In 1994, Schweiker successfully ran for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor. Schweiker ran in the fall general election alongside Congressman Tom Ridge, the gubernatorial nominee. The Ridge/Schweiker ticket won the election, beating the Democratic ticket of incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel (the gubernatorial nominee), and State Labor and Industry Secretary Tom Foley (the nominee for Lieutenant Governor) by a margin of 45.40% to 39.89%. Constitution Party candidate Peg Luksik captured 12.8 percent of the vote. The Ridge/Schweiker ticket easily won reelection in 1998.

As Lieutenant Governor, Schweiker chaired the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council, The Board of Pardons, The Governor's Council on Recycling Development and Waste Reduction, oversaw the Statewide Radio Network, and was involved with Pennsylvania’s anti-terrorism task force and the “Weed and Seed” anti-crime initiative.

In a 2002 PoliticsPA Feature story designating politicians with yearbook superlatives, he was named "Missing in Action."^[5]

Governor

Schweiker had decided against a run for the governor's office in 2002 and was preparing to finish out his term when the September 11th terrorist attack occurred. Ridge resigned as governor on October 5, 2001 to join the Bush administration as Homeland Security Advisor. Schweiker became Pennsylvania's 44th governor that day. By provision of the Pennsylvania Constitution, Robert Jubelirer, the President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate, became Lieutenant Governor. This became a matter of some controversy as Jubelirer retained his position in the state senate.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks, Schweiker moved to secure Pennsylvania’s five nuclear reactors, created the Governor's Task Force on Security, and expanded the ranks of the Pennsylvania State Police. Schweiker also faced budget shortfalls due to the economic collapse following the attacks and a crisis in the School District of Philadelphia.

Schweiker negotiated the state takeover of the school district and also was the first governor of Pennsylvania to put state funds into pre-school activities. He also passed the most significant tort reform measures in recent decades, when he replaced Ridge, a former trial lawyer less inclined to push those measures.

Schweiker's most famous contribution as governor came in July 2002, during the Quecreek Mine disaster in Somerset County. Governor Schweiker personally led one of the most successful mine rescues in national history when he personally oversaw the 77-hour operation that saved the lives of nine trapped coal miners from the Quecreek mine. Following the rescue, Governor Schweiker implemented a series of new safety procedures to provide better protection for miners.

Schweiker held to his decision not to stand for the 2002 governor's race despite several polls that showed him with a comfortable lead in a hypothetical matchup with eventual Democratic nominee Ed Rendell. Some believe that Governor Schweiker would easily have won that campaign given his strong appeal to rural Democrats in southwestern Pennsylvania as well as moderate voters in his home region of southeastern Pennsylvania.

He was named to the PoliticsPA list of "Sy Snyder's Power 50" list of influential individuals in Pennsylvania politics in 2003.^[6]

Post Governorship

He left office when his term expired on January 21, 2003. Schweiker became President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce in February 2003 and served until 2009 when he announced his resignation to join Philadelphia area pharmaceutical manufacturer PRWT as President of business process outsourcing. He also works as a consultant to the law firm of Stradley Ronon. In late 2010, rumors began circulating that Schweiker was considering a run for the Republican nomination for Senate in the 2012 election facing Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, Jr. Polls showed him as the Republican's best match up against Casey but still trailing the first term incumbent. In January 2011 Schweiker issued a statement indicating that he would not run for the nomination choosing instead to focus on his business career.^[7]

References