Patricia Ann Carone (born March 21, 1943), also known as Patricia Ann Carone Krebs or Patricia Carone Krebs, is an American high school teacher who became a member of 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 ...

during the 1990s.

Formative years and family

Born in

Greenville, Pennsylvania Greenville is a borough with home rule status in northwestern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the Shenango River, it lies roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. It is 1.89 square miles in area, and had ...

on March 21, 1943, Patricia Ann Carone graduated from Greenville High School in 1961. She then attended

Thiel College Thiel College (, ) is a private college in Greenville, Pennsylvania, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is one of the smallest colleges in the region with about 100 full-time and part-time faculty ...

, earned her Bachelor of Science degree from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 1967 and her Master of Arts in history from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in 1974. She married fellow Pennsylvania House member Edward H. Krebs on November 1, 1996.

Public service career

Carone served as an aide in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

, and was then employed as a high school-level educator who taught government studies for twenty-one years. As an educator with the Seneca Valley School District in 1989, Carone researched and produced a video documentary about the community histories of

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

and Middle Lancaster for oral history instruction in the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West ...

. It was one of four projects recognized that year with an Innovative Teaching Award by the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Elected as a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1988, she was employed as chair of the social studies department at

Seneca Valley High School Seneca Valley High School (SVHS) is a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Germantown, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) system. The current building was finished in 2021, and has a capac ...

in February 1990 when she announced her intention to secure her party's nomination to represent the 12th legislative district in the

. She was elected to the Pennsylvania House in 1990 as a Democrat, and was then reelected as a Democrat in 1992. In 1991, she proposed two bills that would have restricted the ability of power companies to place new, high-voltage power lines near homes and business due to the potential health impacts from electromagnetic field emissions. Following her reelection in November 1992, Carone joined forces with her future husband, Rep. Edward H. Krebs, a fellow Democrat and freshman member of the Pennsylvania House, in publicly criticizing the intense campaigning by incumbent Speaker of the House Bob O'Donnell and House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese to be appointed as the next leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Calling it "very disillusioning to return from a tough campaign to face a new kind of campaigning," Carone added:

"I've been sitting on the House floor watching so much energy expended trying to win votes for either side that I feel badly that the legislative issues that need to be addressed are not getting full attention.... This has been wrong for the commonwealth. It should never have happened."

Krebs observed that bills weren't "getting the attention and pressure needed to get a resolution," and said, "If we don't get a resolution, it would be a serious mistake." Both Carone and Krebs then switched political parties in December 1992, citing their dissatisfaction with Democratic Party leaders. In response, DeWeese "said the only date more appropriate than Pearl Harbor Day for her defection would have been Benedict Arnold's birthday," while Carone "ripped the Democratic Party for being anti-business and pro-spending," according to Allentown's ''Morning Call'' newspaper. Carone was reelected to the Pennsylvania House as a Republican in 1994 and 1996. Carone and Krebs were married on November 1, 1996 during a ceremony that area newspapers referred to as "the first time in the history of the Commonwealth that two legislators married each other." Throughout the remainder of her legislative career, Carone continued to use the surname under which she was first elected. She was not a candidate for reelection to the House in 1998. Following her departure from the Pennsylvania House, she began using the professional name, Patricia Carone Krebs. In February 1999, she was actively involved as a volunteer with Pennsylvania's chapter of the citizen activist group,

Common Cause Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon ...

. She was subsequently hired as the executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges."Carone Krebs, Patricia Ann" (biography), "Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carone, Patricia Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Women state legislators in Pennsylvania Living people 1943 births People from Greenville, Pennsylvania Politicians from Mercer County, Pennsylvania 21st-century American women 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 20th-century American women politicians