George Michael Leader

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George Michael Leader (born January 17, 1918 in York , Pennsylvania , † May 9, 2013 in Hershey , Pennsylvania) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ). He was the 38th governor of the state of Pennsylvania from 1955 to 1959 .

Early years

George Leader grew up on his parents' poultry farm. He then attended York High School and Gettysburg College . He studied philosophy, economics, and political science at the University of Pennsylvania . After graduating from university, he worked in the accounting department of his parents' poultry farm from 1939. During World War II, he served in the US Navy aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

Political career

After the war, Leader worked again for the family business; at the same time he began a political career. He was active in the Democratic Party and elected to various leadership positions at the local level. Between 1950 and 1954 he was a member of the Pennsylvania Senate . In 1952 he applied unsuccessfully for the post of finance minister. In 1954 he was elected the new governor against the previous Lieutenant Governor Lloyd H. Wood .

Leader began his four-year term on January 18, 1955. He raised some taxes to consolidate the budget. He modernized the administration and introduced a uniform accounting system in the budget administration. It was then that electronic computers were used for the first time. The governor increased the education budget to alleviate the tense situation caused by the “baby boom” and the larger school classes that resulted from it. He also campaigned for racial equality and the protection of minorities. Hospitals, especially those for the mentally handicapped, have also been reformed and improved. The so-called merit system was introduced in the public sector. According to this system, thousands of employees were evaluated and employed according to their performance. This should reduce the political influence in the administration. Governor Leader also opened the administration to the public. Files were made available to the public as far as possible and citizens were given the right to put questions to the local authorities, who also had to answer them. At the end of his term of office, Leader was not allowed to run again directly for constitutional reasons. Therefore, he resigned on January 20, 1959 from his office.

Plaque for George Leader ( ג'ורג 'מ. לידר) and his wife Mary Jane Strickler, whom a piece of wood was planted in the Jerusalem Forest in honor of 1955

Further life

In 1958, Leader ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate . After that he did not seek any further public office. But he remained connected to his party and took a position on many political issues of the time. In the 1980s and 1990s, he and his family built several retirement homes. These are still run by the family today. George Leader last lived in Hummelstown . Together with his wife, Mary Jane Strickler, the ex-governor had four children.

literature

  • Kenneth C. Wolensky: The Life of Pennsylvania Governor George M. Leader: Challenging Complacency. Lehigh University Press, Bethlehem 2011, ISBN 978-1-61146-080-3 .

Web links

Commons : George Michael Leader  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Former Pa. Gov. George Leader dies at 95. In: The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pennsylvania) on May 9, 2013 (accessed December 3, 2014).