Robert Maxwell McCord (born March 5, 1959) is an American former politician and convicted felon. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
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*Botswana Democratic Party
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, he served as the
Treasurer of Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms.
The Pennsylva ...
from 2009 to 2015. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for
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 ...
in the
2014 election.
In January 2015 he announced his resignation as Treasurer of Pennsylvania.
On February 17, 2015, McCord pleaded guilty to two counts of extortion.
Early life and education
McCord was born in
California to William Maxwell McCord (1930-1992) and
Joan Fish McCord (1930-2004), both of whom worked at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
. His older brother is
Geoffrey Sayre-McCord
Geoffrey Sayre-McCord (né McCord, born December 10, 1956) is an Americans, American philosopher who works in moral theory, ethics, meta-ethics, the history of ethics, and epistemology. He teaches at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ...
, a professor at
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His father, a sociologist, and his mother, a criminologist, separated when McCord was 4 years old.
When he was 10, McCord moved to
Ardmore, Pennsylvania and later attended
Lower Merion High School. After graduating from Lower Merion High, McCord took a year off and then went to
Harvard College. At Harvard he did one year abroad and went to
Trinity College in
Ireland and (back at Harvard) met Leigh Alexandra Jackson, his future wife. McCord also obtained an
MBA from the
University of Pennsylvania before he moved to
Washington, D.C. McCord traveled back to Pennsylvania and set up home in
Narberth, less than a mile from Ardmore. After having two children, the McCord family ventured to
Bryn Mawr. McCord moved to North Carolina to become a yoga instructor. He lived in
Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch is a beachside City (New Jersey), city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,[< ...]
prior to his arrest and conviction.
Career
From 1994 through 1998 McCord was a senior executive at
Safeguard Scientifics. McCord founded and from 1998 to 2007 ran the Eastern Technology Council. McCord was elected the
Treasurer of Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms.
The Pennsylva ...
in 2008. He, his wife, and their sons Jackson and Grant lived in
Bryn Mawr.
In 2014, McCord ran for
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 ...
in the Democrat primary. He finished third in the May 20 primary, however, behind nominee
Tom Wolf and U.S. Representative
Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Schwartz (née Young; born October 3, 1948) is an American Democratic Party politician who represented parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2015 and Northeast and ...
.
Federal trial and conviction
On January 29, 2015, McCord announced his resignation, effective February 12. The next day, he announced his resignation effective immediately and said he intended to plead guilty to federal charges of extortion relating to campaign fundraising.
On February 2, 2015, McCord was formally charged, and on February 17, 2015, he pled guilty to two counts of extortion.
After being made aware that he was being investigated but before he resigned, McCord cooperated as an informant on political donors. McCord's case was delayed after he pled guilty, possibly to assess the usefulness of his cooperation.
On August 28, 2018, McCord was sentenced to 30 months in prison by Judge
John E. Jones III.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McCord, Robert
1959 births
American venture capitalists
Harvard College alumni
Living people
Pennsylvania Democrats
Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes
People from Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Politicians convicted of extortion under color of official right
State treasurers of Pennsylvania
2012 United States presidential electors
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni
Lower Merion High School alumni