James Cawley (born June 22, 1969) is an American politician and administrator who has served as president of

Rosemont College Rosemont College is a private Catholic university in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1921 as a women's college by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, the undergraduate program opened to male students beginning in fall 2009. ...

since 2022. Cawley previously served as

Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor of Pennsylvania, governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutena ...

from 2011 to 2015. As of 2025, he is the most recent Republican to hold the office. He has also served on the Board of Commissioners for

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...

Early life, education, and early political career

He graduated from Bishop Egan High School in Bristol Township,

. He then graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. He received a J.D. degree from

Temple University School of Law The James E. Beasley School of Law (known as Temple Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Temple University, a public university, public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls ...

Career

Prior to being elected to the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, he was chief of staff to

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

Tommy Tomlinson. In 2000, he ran for a seat in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

in the 141st District. Incumbent Democratic State Representative Anthony Melio won re-election by defeating Cawley 56%–42%. He was also a former Pennsylvania state chairman and national co-chairman of the

College Republicans College Republicans is an umbrella term that describes college and university students who support the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. The College Republican National Committee (CRNC) is the oldest campus- ...

and served as an elected member of the Bristol Township School Board. He served on the County Commissioner's Association of Pennsylvania's Energy, Environment, & Land Use Committee as chairman. Jim is a former member of the board of directors for Lower Bucks Hospital, a former trustee of Bucks County Community College and a Commonwealth trustee of Temple University.

Bucks County Commission

He was appointed to the Bucks County Board of Commissioners following the resignation of

Mike Fitzpatrick Michael Gerard Fitzpatrick (June 28, 1963 – January 6, 2020) was an American attorney and politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 2005 to ...

(who had been elected to Congress). In 2007, he won re-election with 26% of the vote. He became chairman of the board after he was re-elected. According to self-supplied biographical information, he helped expand the Bucks County Community College, kept taxes low for four consecutive years, and helped increase the county's bond rating to its highest level ever.

Lieutenant governor

In 2010, he ran for the state

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

and won the Republican primary in a crowded nine candidate field with just 26% of the vote. He only won 14 out of the state's 67 counties. He only won three counties with a majority: Bucks (70%), Montgomery (51%), and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

(56%) counties. He was on the ticket with Republican gubernatorial nominee

Tom Corbett Thomas Wingett Corbett Jr. (born June 17, 1949) is an American politician, lobbyist, and former prosecutor who served as the 46th governor of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was also attorney general of Pen ...

, the state's Attorney General. He defeated Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Scott Conklin, a state representative, 54%–46%. He took office on January 18, 2011. Cawley briefly served as

acting governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or a ...

on February 27, 2014, while Governor Tom Corbett was anesthetized during surgery. The Pennsylvania Constitution states that when the governor is incapacitated, the lieutenant governor shall serve as acting governor until the disability is removed. Corbett awoke after surgery and was cleared to resume power approximately 85 minutes after going under. Cawley was the third lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania history to assume power as acting governor. Cawley was unopposed in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in May 2014. He was Governor Corbett's running mate again in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

on November 4, 2014, in which the Republican ticket was defeated by the Democrats

Tom Wolf Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2023. He previously served as chairman and CEO of his business, The Wolf Organization, and l ...

and Mike Stack. Cawley was named a 2014

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home. Its stated miss ...

Rodel Fellow.

Later career

On February 9, 2015, Cawley became the new president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. On August 13, 2017, Temple announced the appointment of Cawley as a vice president of institutional advancement. On June 3, 2022, the board of trustees of

Rosemont, Pennsylvania Rosemont is a neighborhood and census-designated place in Pennsylvania, United States. Partly in Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County and partly in Radnor Township in Delaware County, it is on the Philadelphia Main Line. It is best kno ...

, announced the appointment of Cawley as interim president of the college. On October 28, 2022, the board of trustees of Rosemont College announced the appointment of Cawley as president of the college. On March 31, 2025, Rosemont College announced that it was merging with

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

in 2028 under Cawley's leadership.

Personal life

Cawley, lives in Langhorne Manor Borough, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and son.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cawley, Jim 1969 births Living people Lieutenant governors of Pennsylvania People from Bristol, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Republicans College Republicans Temple University alumni Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni School board members in Pennsylvania Bucks County Commissioners (Pennsylvania) 21st-century Pennsylvania politicians