PRINTER'S NO. 278
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
27
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY ROTHMAN, MENTZER, RYAN, CAUSER, KENYATTA, SANCHEZ,
HICKERNELL, STAMBAUGH, BOBACK, SONNEY, D. WILLIAMS,
LONGIETTI, HOHENSTEIN, MERSKI, SCHWEYER, PICKETT, HAMM,
VITALI, STAATS, FREEMAN, SCHLEGEL CULVER, MILLARD, GROVE,
JAMES, McNEILL, BURNS, B. MILLER, MARSHALL, FRANKEL, SAYLOR,
DeLUCA AND HENNESSEY, JANUARY 27, 2021
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JANUARY 27, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and legacy of the former two-term Governor of
Pennsylvania, Richard "Dick" Thornburgh, who passed away
December 31, 2020, at 88 years of age.
WHEREAS, Richard Lewis Thornburgh was born July 16, 1932, and
grew up in Rosslyn Farms, near Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh attended Yale University and acquired
a bachelor's degree in engineering and then achieved a law
degree from the University of Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh had a long-lasting political career,
beginning with a bid to serve as a Republican member of the
United States House of Representatives in 1966; and
WHEREAS, Although he lost his House race in 1966, Mr.
Thornburgh was undeterred in his political pursuits; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh went on to serve as a delegate to the
1967-68 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, where he led
efforts at judicial and local government reform; and
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WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh's efforts at the 1967-68 Pennsylvania
Constitutional Convention led to him being appointed as the
United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania,
earning him a reputation for prosecution of organized crime; and
WHEREAS, In 1975, President Gerald Ford appointed Mr.
Thornburgh to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the
United States Department of Justice; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh served as Assistant Attorney General
for two years before returning home to Pittsburgh and beginning
his quest to campaign for Governor of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh defeated six other candidates in his
Republican primary for Governor of Pennsylvania and, after a
successful campaign, began his first term as Governor in 1979;
and
WHEREAS, As Governor of Pennsylvania, Mr. Thornburgh notably
streamlined the Commonwealth's finances; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh became recognized worldwide in March
of 1979, when the worst nuclear accident in American history
occurred at the Three Mile Island power plant; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh was recognized for his levelheaded
leadership during the 10-day crisis, which began a mere 71 days
after he was sworn in as Governor of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed Mr.
Thornburgh as the United States Attorney General and he was
retained in office after President George H.W. Bush was
inaugurated; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh was an essential advocate in getting
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 signed into Federal
law; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the life
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and legacy of the former two-term Governor of Pennsylvania,
Richard "Dick" Thornburgh, who passed away December 31, 2020, at
88 years of age.
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