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| ==2004 Attorney General Race== | ==2004 Attorney General Race== | ||
| The race began with Corbett |
The race began with Corbett, ] district attorney ], and Joe Peters fighting for the Republican party endorsement. With Corbett from western Pennsylvania, Castor from the southeast, and Peters from the northeast, it was initially expected that endorsement votes would follow geographic lines. However, four of the five southeastern county chairmen came out in support of Corbett with Castor taking only Montgomery County. | ||
| Furious |
Furious at the symbolic defeat, Castor lashed out at the county chairman with accusations of backroom deals with ], the state's national GOP committeeman and a convicted felon connected to ]. His public tirade against party officials led to public reprimands from numerous high-ranking party members including then-U.S. Senator ]. Leaked email messages later turned up on political websitea, and revealed dissention amongst the ranks of Castor's campaign team, thus further weakening his support. | ||
| Peters opted to drop out of the race, choosing instead to run for State Auditor General. Corbett won the endorsement of the state party, after Castor withdrew at the last minute, realizing that he did not have the votes to win. Castor decided to run against the party endorsement, and the result was a bitter and highly negative primary campaign. Castor attacked Corbett for his work at ] and for receiving the support of national committeeman ], while Corbett responded with charges that that as DA, Castor had been lenient with a large donor in a drunk driving case. | |||
| In the end, Corbett prevailed in the ] with 53% of the vote. Castor then announced his support of Corbett in the ] against Democrat ]. | In the end, Corbett prevailed in the ] with 53% of the vote. Castor then announced his support of Corbett in the ] against Democrat ]. | ||
| The General election was not as contentious as it was close. Early on, news outlets called the race for Eisenhower. However, Corbett's vote surged later in the evening and Corbett won narrowly with just over 50%. |
The General election was not as contentious as it was close. Early on, news outlets called the race for Eisenhower. However, Corbett's vote surged later in the evening and Corbett won narrowly with just over 50%. | ||
| ==Education== | ==Education== | ||
Revision as of 18:04, 18 June 2007
For the science fiction hero, see Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.Tom Corbett is the current Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania, United States, elected in 2004. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Corbett also served as the Pennsylvania Attorney General from 1995 until 1997 when he was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to fill the unexpired term of Ernie Preate who was convicted of mail fraud.
Biography
Corbett's career has been split between private practice and civil service. He began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. After three and a half years, he was hired in 1980 as assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
In 1983, Corbett went into private practice for several years. During this period, Corbett won his first election as a township commissioner in Shaler Township, Pennsylvania.
He re-entered the public arena in 1988 when a judge appointed him to monitor the Allegheny County jail while it was under the court's supervision. Not long afterwards, President George H. W. Bush appointed him to serve as the US Attorney, a role in which he would serve until August 1993.
Following his resignation as US Attorney, Corbett returned to private practice, also serving as an advisor to the gubernatorial campaign of Tom Ridge. Following Ridge's victory, Corbett served on a number of state commissions including the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Deliquency, which he served as chairman.
In 1995, Corbett was appointed to the position of State Attorney General by Governor Ridge to fill the remainder of the term left by the conviction of Ernest Preate. As a condition of his Senate confirmation, Senate Democrats required him to pledge that he would not run for re-election in 1996. This is a common practice in Pennsylvania for appointments to elected offices. Jerry Pappert made the same pledge in 2003 when he succeeded Mike Fisher as State Attorney General.
Corbett left office in 1997 and again went into the private sector, first as general counsel for Waste Management, then opening his own practice.
Corbett also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard from 1971 until 1984, having achieved the rank of captain.
2004 Attorney General Race
The race began with Corbett, Montgomery County district attorney Bruce Castor, and Joe Peters fighting for the Republican party endorsement. With Corbett from western Pennsylvania, Castor from the southeast, and Peters from the northeast, it was initially expected that endorsement votes would follow geographic lines. However, four of the five southeastern county chairmen came out in support of Corbett with Castor taking only Montgomery County.
Furious at the symbolic defeat, Castor lashed out at the county chairman with accusations of backroom deals with Bob Asher, the state's national GOP committeeman and a convicted felon connected to Budd Dwyer. His public tirade against party officials led to public reprimands from numerous high-ranking party members including then-U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. Leaked email messages later turned up on political websitea, and revealed dissention amongst the ranks of Castor's campaign team, thus further weakening his support.
Peters opted to drop out of the race, choosing instead to run for State Auditor General. Corbett won the endorsement of the state party, after Castor withdrew at the last minute, realizing that he did not have the votes to win. Castor decided to run against the party endorsement, and the result was a bitter and highly negative primary campaign. Castor attacked Corbett for his work at Waste Management and for receiving the support of national committeeman Bob Asher, while Corbett responded with charges that that as DA, Castor had been lenient with a large donor in a drunk driving case.
In the end, Corbett prevailed in the primary election with 53% of the vote. Castor then announced his support of Corbett in the general election against Democrat Jim Eisenhower.
The General election was not as contentious as it was close. Early on, news outlets called the race for Eisenhower. However, Corbett's vote surged later in the evening and Corbett won narrowly with just over 50%.
Education
- J.D., St. Mary's University Law School
- Bachelor's degree, Lebanon Valley College
Personal
Corbett is married; he and his wife Susan have two children, Tom and Katherine.
References
- Bio from Montgomery County GOP, used to cite dates
- Editorial: A rare public dispute in ranks of the GOP, Delco Times, 02/06/2004
- Corbett, Eisenhower win in attorney general race, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/28/04
- Most still undecided on Corbett, Castor, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 4/22/04
- Castor backs Corbett in attorney general race The Colonial, 6/4/04
- PA's Attorney General Race May Trigger Recount, WPXI-TV 11/3/04
- Primary Election Results, Pennsylvania Department of State
- General Election Results, Pennsylvania Department of State
External links
| Preceded byJerry Pappert | Attorney General of Pennsylvania 2005 - present |
Succeeded byincumbent |
| Preceded byErnest Preate, Jr. | Attorney General of Pennsylvania 1995 - 1997 |
Succeeded byMike Fisher |