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PRINTER'S NO. 92
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
17
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY CORMAN, K. WARD, ARGALL, AUMENT, BAKER,
BARTOLOTTA, BROOKS, BROWNE, COLLETT, COSTA, FONTANA, GORDNER,
HUGHES, HUTCHINSON, KANE, KEARNEY, LANGERHOLC, MARTIN,
MENSCH, PHILLIPS-HILL, PITTMAN, REGAN, ROBINSON, SANTARSIERO,
SCAVELLO, STEFANO, STREET, TOMLINSON, VOGEL, J. WARD, YAW AND
YUDICHAK, JANUARY 26, 2021
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, JANUARY 26, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and achievements of former Pennsylvania
Governor and United States Attorney General Richard "Dick"
Lewis Thornburgh.
WHEREAS, Richard "Dick" Lewis Thornburgh passed away December
31, 2020, at 88 years of age; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh was born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County, on July 16, 1932, the son of Charles G. and Alice
Sanborn Thornburgh; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh attended Pittsburgh area schools,
Yale University, where he earned a degree in engineering in
1954, and the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned a law
degree with honors; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh holds 31 honorary degrees from
various colleges and universities; and
WHEREAS, In 1958, Mr. Thornburgh became a member of the
Pennsylvania Bar and worked in a private law practice for
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several years; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh served as a delegate to
Pennsylvania's constitutional convention in 1967-1968; and
WHEREAS, In 1969, the Nixon Administration appointed Mr.
Thornburgh as the United States attorney for the Western
District of Pennsylvania, where he earned a reputation as an
anti-racketeering prosecutor and enforcer of the Federal
Organized Crime Control Act; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh held this post until 1975 when
President Gerald R. Ford appointed him assistant attorney
general for the Justice Department's Criminal Division, which he
held until 1977, when he returned to private practice; and
WHEREAS, In 1979, Mr. Thornburgh began his term as Governor
of Pennsylvania, a position he held until 1987; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure as Governor, Mr. Thornburgh
achieved numerous accomplishments and improved our Commonwealth
on a variety of issues, including a stronger economy and the
creation of thousands of new jobs in the service and technology
job sectors; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh launched the Ben Franklin
Partnership, an alliance among government, private industry and
research universities to foster high-tech enterprises, which
for nearly four decades has been successfully energizing the
innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem across our
Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh is credited with creating a Small
Business Action Center, increasing funding for the Pennsylvania
Industrial Development Authority, implementing a customized job
training program, a new travel and tourism initiative and
spending $20 billion for improvements in infrastructure; and
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WHEREAS, The Thornburgh administration's fiscal policies
resulted in balanced budgets, cuts to personal and corporate
income taxes, creation of a "rainy day" fund and reductions to
the Commonwealth's long-term indebtedness resulting in better
credit ratings; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh is also credited with consolidating
State-owned universities into an independent State System of
Higher Education and creating several "Governor's Schools" for
exceptional high school students; and
WHEREAS, In March 1979, Mr. Thornburgh's defining moment came
just two months into office when he was confronted with the
worst nuclear accident in American history; and
WHEREAS, In later years, Mr. Thornburgh was praised for
handling the 10-day crisis by many, including recognition by the
Republican Governors Association; and
WHEREAS, Following Mr. Thornburgh's tenure as Governor, he
taught at Harvard University and served as Director of the
Institute of Politics from 1987 to 1988, served as United States
Attorney General from 1998 to 1991 under Presidents Ronald W.
Reagan and George H. W. Bush, until President George H. W. Bush
appointed him Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations,
where he served from from 1992 to 1993; and
WHEREAS, As United States Attorney General, Mr. Thornburgh
played a proactive role in the strengthening and enforcement of
the Americans with Disabilities Act and against racial,
religious and ethnic hate crimes; and
WHEREAS, Following Mr. Thornburgh's role as Attorney General
and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, he returned
to private practice and served as an advisor and counselor to
government affairs clients with respect to matters concerning
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Federal, State and local governments as well as international
organizations; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Thornburgh was married to the former Virginia
(Ginny) Judson and has four sons; Peter, David, John and
William, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate honor the life and achievements of
former Pennsylvania Governor and United States Attorney General
Richard "Dick" Lewis Thornburgh.
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