Robert C Jubelirer

Early Life:

Robert C. Jubelirer (R), born February 9, 1937, in Altoona, son of Dorothy Brett and Samuel H. Jubelirer, a prominent judge in Blair County. Pennsylvania State University (B.A.), history, 1959; Dickinson School of Law (J.D.), 1962; Married to Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer; 3 children; 3 stepchildren; 3 grandchildren.

Early Career:

Practiced law, Jubelirer, Carothers, Krier, and Halpern law firm; chair, Blair County Multiple Sclerosis Society; member, Advisory Council for the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home.

Awards:

Awards and numerous recognition from such groups as Pennsylvania Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalist; Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association; Nation Federation of Independent Business; Blair County Chapter of the NAACP; President's Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association; Gold Medal Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters; Common Cause Champion of Good Government Award; Dickinson School of Law Career Achievement Award; The Pennsylvania State University Distinguished Alumni and Alumni Fellow Award. In honor of his service as the longest serving Pennsylvania Senate president pro tempore, a trust fund was established in his name to provide scholarships to students in the College of Information Science and Technology at The Pennsylvania State University.

Pennsylvania Politics:

Was the only freshman Republican to win a seat in the Pennsylvania Senate in 1974; served eight terms, 1975-2006; Represented the 30th District, which from 1981-2001 counties of Bedford, Blair, Fulton, and Huntingdon. In the 2001 redistricting, Menno Township in Mifflin County was added. Elected majority leader and minority leader. Most widely known for his influential role as President Pro Tempore nearly twenty-one years, the longest term on record.

Jubelirer also served as lieutenant governor. After Governor Tom Ridge resigned to become President Bush's homeland security director, was sworn in as lieutenant governor to the new governor Mark Schweiker. Served simultaneously as lieutenant governor (without pay) and as Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore until Governor Schweiker's term concluded.

Jubelirer was a driving force in securing state funding for key economic, transportation, community, and cultural projects highlighted by the Millennium Science Center at Penn State, the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. To assist a largely rural, often economically struggling constituency, Jubelirer pushed for economic revitalization and helped secure funding for major community projects, such as the Blair County Ballpark, the Blair County Convention Center, and the restoration of the Bedford Springs Hotel.

In 2006, lost in the primary election, a loss attributable to his 2005 vote for a legislative pay raise.

Authored:

Lessons from a Legislative Life, August 25, 2017; the modern "Sunshine Law," opening up state and local government meetings to the public; the Tuition Account Program (TAP), giving families a tax-friendly way to save for the higher education of their children and grandchildren; "Ashley's Law," providing essential child protection measures.

After Government Service:

In April 2007 he joined the law firm of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel. There he helped launch the firm's Government Affairs Practice in Harrisburg and its regional office in Altoona to develop business opportunities in central Pennsylvania.

Cited:

Pennsylvania Manual, Biographies of Members of the Senate, pg. 3-12; Volume 117, December 2005.

G.S.