Norman S. Berson (November 19, 1926 – December 7, 2019) was a Democratic 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 ...

from 1967 to 1982.

Formative years

Born in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

on November 19, 1926, Berson graduated from the

George School George School is a private Quaker (Society of Friends) boarding and day high school located on a rural campus in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania ( Newtown postal address). It has been at that site since its founding in 1893, an ...

in 1946, before earning his Bachelor of Arts degree 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 ...

in 1950 and his Bachelor of Law (L.L.B) from Temple's Law School in 1953. A member of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served from 1945 to 1946. Professionally, he was then employed as an attorney.

Political career

A Democrat, Berson was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1966, serving a total of eight consecutive terms. Appointed to the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing in 1979, he served until 1982. He was not a candidate for reelection to the House in 1982. In 1977, Berson introduced a bill to reduce the penalty for marijuana possession.

Later professional life

Serving as "of counsel" with Fineman Krekstein & Harris PC from 1981 to the present (as of summer 2019), he has also been a Director for RCM Technologies, Inc. (1987–present).

Death

Berson died of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

on December 7, 2019, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

at age 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berson, Norman 1926 births 2019 deaths Politicians from New York City Military personnel from New York City Lawyers from New York City Lawyers from Philadelphia Temple University alumni Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly