George Michael Leader (January 17, 1918 – May 9, 2013) was an American politician. He served as the 36th

governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

from January 18, 1955, until January 20, 1959. He was a member of the Democratic Party, and a native of

York County, Pennsylvania York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...

. He was the only person from that county ever to be elected governor of the state until the election of

Tom Wolf Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 gu ...

in 2014.

Early life

George Leader was the third child of Guy and Beulah Leader. He grew up on their York County poultry farm, and was educated in a

one-room school One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

house. He later graduated from York High School, then attended

Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a private liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about 2,600 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women. ...

, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, before transferring to the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

from which he received an undergraduate degree. He did graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, with a focus on philosophy, politics, and economics. Leader received an

MGA MGA can refer to: Transport *MGA, IATA code for Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (Managua International Airport) in Managua, Nicaragua * Monongahela Railway, a former coal-hauling short line railroad in the United States *The MG MGA, a p ...

from the

Fels Institute of Government The Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania is a graduate school of public policy and Public administration, public management. Founded in 1937 by Samuel Simeon Fels of the Fels-Naptha, Fels Naptha Soap Company, the Fel Inst ...

at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1939, he married Mary Jane Strickler, and, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he served on an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

in the Pacific Theater.Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
website

Career

Following the war, Leader began a family-operated chicken

hatchery A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish, poultry or even turtles. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled cond ...

, and served in leadership positions in the York County Democratic Party. He successfully ran for

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealt ...

in 1950, winning the 28th district seat previously held by his father, Guy. In 1952, he ran for

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

of Pennsylvania. Despite narrowly losing that race, he built name recognition for himself that would be useful for any future run for statewide office. Leader utilized this name recognition to run for governor in 1954. The Republicans had a large edge in voter registration in Pennsylvania at this time, and no Democrat had been elected governor since 1934. Despite these disadvantages, Leader picked up substantial support from labor and agricultural interests, and managed to defeat Lt. Governor

Lloyd Wood Lloyd Hobart Wood (October 25, 1896 – February 15, 1964) was an American Republican politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who served as the 20th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1955. He served in the Pennsylvan ...

, the Republican nominee, by 280,000 votes. Sworn in on January 18, 1955, one day after turning 37, he was the second youngest person ever to be elected to the post. During his administration, Leader initiated programs to deal with Pennsylvania's lackluster economy and its substantial

budget deficit Within the budgetary process, deficit spending is the amount by which spending exceeds revenue over a particular period of time, also called simply deficit, or budget deficit; the opposite of budget surplus. The term may be applied to the budget ...

. Shortly after taking office, in June 1955 he signed legislation that authorized the construction of a Curtiss-Wright research facility at Quehanna, in

Clearfield County Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822. ...

; the Sanitary Water Board also issued a permit for the discharge of radioactive waste into Mosquito Creek and the Atomic Energy Commission issued a twenty-year license to operate a four megawatt nuclear reactor. He also increased funding to education, engaged in a highly publicized campaign to reform Pennsylvania's state

mental hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

s, and carved out a role for the state in protecting the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

of African-Americans and other minorities. He appointed

Andrew M. Bradley Andrew M. Bradley (1906–1983) was an American accountant and public official who served as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's budget secretary (1955–1957) and then as secretary of property and supplies from July 1957 to 1960. Serving under t ...

as the first African American to serve in a Cabinet-level position in Pennsylvania. As governor, Leader unsuccessfully attempted to create a graduated income tax. D783-042 (26220558617)

Leader was unable to run for re-election in 1958 because the Pennsylvania Constitution that was in place at that time

term limited A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potent ...

governors to a single four-year term. Instead, he opted to run that year for a seat in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, a race which he lost to Republican Congressman

Hugh Scott Hugh Doggett Scott Jr. (November 11, 1900 – July 21, 1994) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1959 and in the U.S. Senate, from 195 ...

Later life and death

Although Leader never again sought elected office following his 1958 defeat, he stayed active in Democratic politics and had spoken out on a number of issues. He and his family established Country Meadows and Providence Place Retirement Communities in the 1980s and 90s, and resided in

Hummelstown, Pennsylvania Hummelstown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,535 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Originally named Fredrickstown, the town was estab ...

. Leader remained active in operating the non-profit Providence Place Retirement Communities, while his family operated Country Meadows facilities. Country Meadows' CEO is Leader's son G. Michael Leader, COO is son David Leader, and CFO is son-in-law Ted Janeczek. Mary Jane Leader died March 15, 2011, due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.The Philadelphia Inquirer
/ref> Upon the death of former

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

governor Elbert Carvel in 2005, Leader became the earliest serving US governor of any state still living until his death in 2013. Leader died on May 9, 2013, in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is lo ...

, at the age of 95 at Country Meadows Retirement Community, which he founded.

References

External links

*
George Michael Leader entry
at the

National Governor's Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politic ...

"George M Leader, 1918-2013"
by Michael J. Birkner and Charles H. Glatfelter , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Leader, George M. 1918 births 2013 deaths Politicians from York, Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government alumni Gettysburg College alumni Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Democratic Party governors of Pennsylvania American Lutherans 20th-century Lutherans United States Navy personnel of World War II