Raymond P. Shafer
Ray Shafer | |
---|---|
Pennsylvania Senate from the 50th district | |
In office January 6, 1959 – November 30, 1962 | |
Preceded by | Rowland Mahany |
Succeeded by | Rowland Mahany |
Constituency | Parts of Crawford County and Mercer County |
Personal details | |
Born | Raymond Philip Shafer March 5, 1917 New Castle, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | December 12, 2006 Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 89)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Jane Harris Davies (m. 1941) |
Children | 3 |
Purple Heart Medal | |
Raymond Philip Shafer (March 5, 1917 – December 12, 2006) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 39th
Shafer was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and spent his childhood in Meadville. He graduated from Allegheny College in 1938 and Yale Law School in 1941. Following brief stints practicing law in New York City and Meadville and United States Navy service as an intelligence officer and on PT boats during World War II, Shafer entered politics as a district attorney in 1948 and then as a state senator. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1962, under Governor Bill Scranton. Shafer was active in that role and succeeded the term-limited Scranton as governor in the 1966 election. Shafer became a prominent voice among moderate Republicans and oversaw constitutional reforms in Pennsylvania, the formation of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, expenditures for health and education programs, and proposed a state income tax, which proved unpopular but was later enacted by his successor, Milton Shapp.
Limited to one four-year term as governor under the prior state constitutional rule, Shafer was not a candidate in the
Early life and career
Raymond Philip Shafer was born on March 5, 1917, in
After finishing high school, Shafer attended
In 1942, Shafer entered the United States Navy as a naval intelligence officer and later served on PT boats. He participated in over 80 combat missions during World War II on PT boats as commanding officer of PT-359 and later as executive officer of Squadron 27. As Squadron executive officer, Shafer sailed aboard PT-375, one of the first PT boats to penetrate the defenses of Manila Bay, Philippines, during the Battle of Manila. Shafer earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, as well as the rank of lieutenant during his tour in the Pacific theater.[2][8][9]
The Shafers returned to Meadville after the war, where Ray entered private law practice. His political career began in 1948 when he was elected district attorney of Crawford County, a position Shafer held until 1956, serving two terms.[10] In 1958, Shafer ran for a seat in the State Senate to represent the 50th District, consisting of portions of Crawford and Mercer counties. He defeated five-term state representative Edward M. Young in the Republican primary in May, 55% to 45%, aided significantly by a better than 8-to-1 showing in Crawford County.[11] Shafer prevailed over the Democratic nominee, Harold B. Turner, in the November general election by a similar margin, 54% to 46%.[12] While a state senator, Shafer began to accumulate a liberal-leaning voting record in support of such initiatives as anti-housing discrimination.[2][13]
Lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania (1963–1967)
In March 1962, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Scranton tapped Shafer as his
As lieutenant governor, Shafer took a more active role in state government than his predecessors had and chaired Pennsylvania's delegation to the 1964 Republican National Convention.[13] During Scranton's unsuccessful campaign for president of the United States that year, Shafer assumed some of the day-to-day responsibilities of the governorship in Scranton's stead.[14] The press took notice of Shafer's activity as lieutenant governor, with The Republic in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, reporting in November 1964 that Shafer's speaking schedule was nearly as rigorous as Scranton's and that Shafer had begun to assume responsibility for steering some of the Scranton administration's initiatives, speculating that Shafer himself might be a candidate for governor to succeed the term-limited Scranton in 1966.[15] Initiatives that Shafer led at Scranton's request included the selection of a superintendent of public instruction, leadership of a private sector outreach tour regarding Scranton's unemployment compensation proposal, and chairmanship of the administration's legislative policy committee.[16]
Governor of Pennsylvania
1966 campaign
Bill Scranton was limited to one term under then-existing state law and the media considered Shafer a potential successor as the Republican nominee.
In the general election campaign, including in a television debate between Shafer and Shapp in October, Shafer attacked Shapp's record as a businessman and Shapp charged that Shafer had obstructed important legislation, such as highway funding, as a state senator. Shafer and Shapp also disagreed sharply over price controls for milk; Shafer indicated that he would reform milk price controls to ensure fair market prices were placed, but Shapp insisted that Shafer's arrangement would effectively continue the status quo of price controls and argued that abolition of the controls and a free market approach was superior.[20] Heading into the weekend immediately prior to the election, The Times-Tribune in Scranton (whose editorial board had endorsed Shapp) reported that most polling showed the race between Shafer and Shapp to be relatively even and opined that Shapp had run a more effective and spirited campaign,[21] though The Philadelphia Inquirer reported less than a week before the election that Republican-commissioned polls showed Shafer ahead of Shapp by an average of 9.2% with Shapp falling further behind.[22] On election day, Shafer and Broderick ultimately defeated Shapp and his running mate, Leonard Staisey, by a margin of nearly a quarter of a million votes, 52.1% to 46.1%, with the remainder of the votes scattered across minor candidates.[23]
Tenure (1967–1971)
Shafer was inaugurated in January 1967 and became the first governor to reside in the modern
Shafer emerged as a national figure in the moderate wing of the Republican Party during the 1968 presidential election, giving the nominating speech for New York governor Nelson Rockefeller at the 1968 Republican National Convention, although the delegates instead chose former Vice President Richard Nixon as the party's presidential candidate.[25][26] Shafer himself had received votes in Pennsylvania's presidential primary and initially received support from a majority of Pennsylvania's 64-member convention delegation as a favorite son candidate;[27] he used this leverage in a partially successful attempt to move the Pennsylvania delegation into Rockefeller's column.[28] After Shafer's death, his surviving children told The New York Times that Nixon had offered Shafer the vice presidential spot to balance the ticket with an Eastern moderate, though there is no surviving record to that effect. Nixon ultimately chose Maryland governor Spiro Agnew as his running mate.[29]
Shafer oversaw an expansion of Pennsylvania's highway system, dedicated several portions of the
Although the new 1968 constitution allowed incumbent governors to run for reelection, Shafer was bound by the previous rules and was limited to one term. He campaigned for Ray Broderick, his lieutenant governor, as his successor. Although Broderick publicly opposed a state income tax and attempted to distance himself from Shafer's record of large public expenditure, he was ultimately defeated. The 1970 election in Pennsylvania was a Democratic sweep, with Milton Shapp, whom Shafer and Broderick had defeated in 1966, victorious in the gubernatorial election and Democrats gaining control of both houses of the General Assembly for the first time in over 30 years. Shafer's popularity waned towards the end of his administration in the midst of the state's fiscal struggles and members of Republican Party leadership having turned against him. Many of Shafer's critics held that he was unable to effectively galvanize public support for his initiatives or to manage political relationships, earning from some of these critics the derisive nickname "Dudley Do-Right" after a cartoon character known for acting haplessly with good intentions.[28] However, some of these critics conceded the long-term significance of the Shafer administration's accomplishments, particularly with respect to the constitutional reforms and education and other social services.[35][36][37] Shafer left office following the expiration of his term and inauguration of governor-elect Shapp in January 1971.[2]
Post-gubernatorial career
Shafer Commission
After leaving state government, Shafer had initially hoped to be appointed to a federal judgeship on the
Later life and legacy
In February 1972, Shafer became chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the financially troubled
Shafer was awarded an honorary
See also
- Interstate 79 – the Raymond P. Shafer Memorial Highway in Pennsylvania
References
- ^ "Raymond Philip Shafer". Pennsylvania State Senate. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Raymond P. Shafer Papers". Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Raymond P. Shafer 1917-2006". Allegheny Magazine. 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Raymond P. Shafer: Yale Law School". Allegheny College. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d Brislin, Gene (13 March 1966). "Meet Jane Shafer, Candidate for State's 'First Lady'". The Scrantonian Tribune. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Obituaries for 05/27/1999". The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pennsylvania). 27 May 1999. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ S2CID 32286143. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Raymond P. Shafer: Military Career". Allegheny College. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Raymond P. Shafer Papers". Syracuse University Libraries. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Newton 2017, p. 209.
- ^ "Shafer Nominated for Senate Role; Dem Outcome in Doubt". The Record-Argus (Greenville, Pennsylvania). 21 May 1958. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ Pennsylvania Manual 1959–60, p. 520.
- ^ a b c "Raymond P. Shafer: Elected Offices". Allegheny College. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Raymond P. Shafer: Biography". Allegheny College. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Let's Talk Politics by Republocrat". Meyersdale Republican. 5 November 1964. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ a b "First in Line to Gov. Chair Keeps Calm". The Morning Herald (Uniontown, Pennsylvania). 19 June 1964. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "Here's How GOP Ticket Worked Out". The Pittsburgh Press. 11 January 1966. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ AP (13 June 1966). "Broderick is Opening Pa. Tour". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Ex-Gov. David L. Lawrence Dies; 4-Term Mayor of Pittsburgh, 77". The New York Times. 22 November 1966. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Matthews, Frank M. (15 October 1966). "Shafer, Shapp Swap Barbs in TV Debate". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ Random, Roderick (5 November 1966). "Random Notes: Pollsters Puzzled as Race Nears End; Lackawanna's Vote May Be Crucial". The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Shafer Lead Averages 9.2 Pct. in GOP Poll". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 3 November 1966. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election Returns 1966". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Sidman, Robert (June 1969). "Constitutional Revision in Pennsylvania--Problems and Procedures". West Virginia Law Review. 71 (3): 306–319. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Governor Raymond Philip Shafer". Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Raymond P. Shafer: Republican". Allegheny College. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Results of the 15 Presidential Primaries in 1968". CQ Almanac. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ a b "A Chance to Lead". TIME Magazine. 16 August 1968. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Hamill, Sean D. (14 December 2006). "Raymond P. Shafer, 89, Governor of Pennsylvania, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Pierre-Pierre, Garry (26 November 1994). "Milton J. Shapp is Dead at 82: Ex-Governor of Pennsylvania". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Denison, Mason (31 August 1971). "Republicans Helped Shapp Get Tax They Refused to Give Ray Shafer". Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pennsylvania). Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Gress, Ted (8 January 1971). "Notes from a Newsman's Notebook". Lebanon Daily News. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ McClure, James (4 January 2018). "York's Race Riots Were a War that Left Dozens Injured and Two People Dead". York Daily Record. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Gov. Raymond Philip Shafer". National Governors Association. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Ball, Harry W. (20 January 1971). "The Shafer Years: Irony of Fate, Political Fickleness Puts Ray Shafer Low in Popularity". The Lebanon Daily News. Associated Press. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Ecenbarger, William (10 January 1971). "Bitter and Disillusioned, What's Ahead for Ray?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Lasting legacy: Gov. Shafer was a true public servant". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 16 December 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Raymond P. Shafer: Continued Public Service". Allegheny College. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Politics in County, State and Nation". The Daily News (Lebanon, Pennsylvania). 23 July 1971. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Panel Favors Legalizing Marijuana Use at Home". The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania). 23 March 1972. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Sterling, Eric E. (21 March 2013). "Shafer Commission Report on Marijuana and Drugs, Issued 40 Years Ago Today, Was Ahead of its Time". HuffPost Blog. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Ray Shafer Loses Job". Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania). 20 October 1973. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "A Moment with President Raymond P. Shafer" (PDF). Allegheny College Kaldron. 1986. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Newton 2017, p. 227.
Bibliography
- Newton, David E. (2017). Marijuana: A Reference Handbook (2nd ed.). ISBN 9781440850523.
- Richey, Iris, ed. (1959). The Pennsylvania Manual. Vol. 94. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Bureau of Publications, Department of Property and Supplies, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
External links
- Biography of Raymond P. Shafer from Allegheny College
- Raymond P. Shafer Papers at the Pennsylvania State Archives