Jump to content

Tom Wolf

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jsepe (talk | contribs) at 13:23, 20 January 2015. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Tom Wolf
47th Governor of Pennsylvania
Assumed office
January 20, 2015
LieutenantMichael Stack
Preceded byTom Corbett
Secretary of Revenue of Pennsylvania
In office
April 25, 2007 – November 30, 2008
GovernorEd Rendell
Preceded byGregory Fajt
Succeeded byStephen Stetler
Personal details
Born
Thomas Westerman Wolf

(1948-11-17) November 17, 1948 (age 75)
York, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseFrances (1975–present)
Children2
Alma materDartmouth College
University of London
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
WebsiteCampaign website

Thomas Westerman "Tom" Wolf[1] (born November 17, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who is the Governor of Pennsylvania, who took office in January 2015. A Democrat, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 gubernatorial election.[2][3] Previously, Wolf served as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue from April 2007 until November 2008.[4][5][6]

Wolf was chairman of his family-owned business, The Wolf Organization Inc., a building-product company specializing in kitchen cabinets. He stepped down as CEO at the end of December 2013 to focus on his gubernatorial campaign.[7] Following his election as Governor, Wolf stepped down from the board altogether on December 31, 2014.[8]

Early life, education and career

Wolf was born on November 17, 1948, in York, Pennsylvania, the son of Cornelia Rohlman (née Westerman) and William Trout "Bill" Wolf, a business executive.[9][10][11] Wolf was raised in Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania, which was named after his ancestor, the town's postmaster.[12] He was raised Methodist.[13] Wolf received an A.B. magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1972, an M.Phil. from the University of London in 1978 and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981.[5] While a student, Wolf joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in India.[14][15] He met his wife, Frances, at school and married her in 1975. They have two adult daughters.[16]

After graduating, Wolf began working for the Wolf Organization Inc., a family-owned building materials company based in York, as a forklift operator until purchasing the company in 1985 with two business partners. During the administration of Governor Robert P. Casey, Wolf served on an economic development board and on the Pennsylvania Legislative Commission on Urban Schools.[17]

After selling his company to a private equity firm in 2006, Wolf was nominated in January 2007 by then-Governor Ed Rendell to be the Secretary of Revenue of Pennsylvania. He served in that position on Rendell's cabinet from his April 2007 confirmation by the Pennsylvania State Senate until resigning in November 2008.[5][15][18] He had planned to run for Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2010 election, but ultimately did not in order to repurchase the Wolf Organization, which was facing bankruptcy.[15][17][18]

Wolf serves as Chair of the York County United Way, the York County Community Foundation, the York College Board of Trustees, and as Chairman of the York County Chamber of Commerce. He has also been active in the York Jewish Community Center, the Memorial Hospital of York, and a regional public television system.[19]

2014 gubernatorial campaign

See also: Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2014

On April 2, 2013, Wolf announced his candidacy for Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2014 election. He pledged $10 million of his personal wealth toward the primary election, with an intent to raise at least $5 million from supporters throughout the state. He was the third person to announce candidacy, following John Hanger of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Max Meyers, a minister from Cumberland County, but at least four others were expected to join the race.[3]

By March 2014, several polls suggested Wolf was the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination following an extensive television and radio advertising campaign.[20][21] A Franklin & Marshall College poll conducted in late February 2014 showed Wolf with a 27-point lead over his nearest competitor, Allyson Schwartz,[22] and a Harper poll showed him leading Schwartz by 26 percentage points,[23] as did an additional Franklin & Marshall poll in late March 2014.[24]

In late April and early May, Wolf faced attacks from fellow candidate Rob McCord over his relationship with controversial former York, Pennsylvania, mayor Charlie Robertson.[25] Allyson Schwartz also accused Wolf's campaign of plagiarizing his "Fresh Start" plan from an energy equipment company.[26] Despite the attacks, a Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll suggested Wolf continued to lead with 38% to Allyson Schwartz's and Rob McCord's respective 13% and 11%.[27]

In the May 20 primary, Wolf defeated Schwartz, McCord, and Katie McGinty, to win the Democratic nomination for Governor. As such, he faced incumbent Governor Tom Corbett in the November general election.[2] Heading into the final two months of the campaign, a number of polls indicated a varying but consistent advantage for Wolf over Corbett. Although Corbett slightly narrowed the deficit as the election approached, Wolf maintained a persistent lead in the race.[28][29][30][31] On November 4, Wolf was elected Governor with 54.9% of the vote. He is scheduled to take office on January 20, 2015.[32][33]

Electoral history

Democratic gubernatorial primary results, 2014[34]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Wolf 488,917 57.86
Democratic Allyson Schwartz 149,027 17.64
Democratic Robert McCord 142,311 16.84
Democratic Kathleen McGinty 64,754 7.66
Total votes 845,009 100
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2014[35]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Wolf / Mike Stack 1,920,355 54.93
Republican Tom Corbett / Jim Cawley (Incumbent) 1,575,511 45.07
Total votes 3,495,866 100
Democratic gain from Republican

References

  1. ^ "Sen. Harris Wofford's Advisory Committee on Judicial and U.S. Attorney Nominations for the Middle District". Times Leader. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b Foster, Brittany (20 May 2014). "PA-Gov: Wolf Wins Democratic Nomination". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b Gibson, Keegan (2 April 2013). "Wolf Declares for Gov, Pledges $10 Mil to Campaign". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Thomas Wolf's Biography". Project Vote Smart. (an archive from 25 November 2008 is also available)
  5. ^ a b c "About Us - Thomas W. Wolf, Secretary". www.revenue.state.pa.us. Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007.
  6. ^ "GOVERNOR RENDELL ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION OF TOM WOLF, APPOINTMENT OF STEPHEN STETLER AS REVENUE SECRETARY (11/12/2008)" (Press release). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 12 November 2008. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009.
  7. ^ Levy, Marc (5 March 2014). "Company gives info in Democrat's race for Pa. gov". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  8. ^ Field, Nick (7 November 2014). "PA-Gov Round-Up: The End". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  9. ^ "Tom Wolf Profile: Perfect Stranger". Philadelphia Magazine.
  10. ^ "Notices". York Gazette and Daily. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  11. ^ Who's who in Finance and Industry. Marquis Who's Who. 1987. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  12. ^ Fitzgerald, Thomas (12 May 2014). "Tom Wolf seeks to bring small-town ethos to gubernatorial race". Philly.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  13. ^ Esack, Steve (9 May 2014). "Tom Wolf runs as gentleman politician". The Morning Call. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  14. ^ "2014 Election Watch". Committee of Seventy. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  15. ^ a b c Sidhu, Sonia (17 September 2013). "Penn Dems to host Pa. gov candidate Tom Wolf". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Meet Tom Wolf". Tom Wolf for Governor. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  17. ^ a b "Tom Wolf says he won't run for governor". York Daily Record. 4 February 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  18. ^ a b O'Toole, James (13 March 2014). "York's Wolf spending own fortune in his bid for governor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  19. ^ "Thomas W. Wolf". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  20. ^ O'Toole, James (6 March 2014). "Pittsburgh-area leaders expected to back Tom Wolf". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  21. ^ Smith, Vincent J. (8 March 2014). "PA-Gov: Pittsburgh Politicos Back Wolf". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  22. ^ "Franklin & Marshall College Poll" (PDF). Franklin & Marshall College. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  23. ^ "Pennsylvania Democratic Primary Poll". Harper Polling. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  24. ^ Durantine, Pete. "FM Poll: Wolf Holds Lead in Democratic Primary". Franklin & Marshall College. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  25. ^ Foster, Brittany (2 May 2014). "PA-Gov: McCord Releases Chilling Negative Ad Against Wolf". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  26. ^ Foster, Brittany (24 April 2014). "PA-Gov: Schwartz Accuses Wolf of Plagiarizing "Fresh Start" Plan". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  27. ^ "Poll: Wolf maintains lead in Democratic governor race". The Morning Call. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  28. ^ "National Poll Report" (PDF). Robert Morris University Polling Institute. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  29. ^ "Franklin & Marshall College Poll" (PDF). Franklin & Marshall College. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  30. ^ "Pennsylvania Statewide Poll September 2–3, 2014". Harper Polling. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  31. ^ "Pennsylvania Governor Poll October 26–27, 2014". Harper Polling. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  32. ^ Lavender, Paige (4 November 2014). "Pennsylvania Governor Election Results: Tom Wolf Defeats Incumbent Tom Corbett". Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  33. ^ "NBC News Projects: PA's Corbett Ousted by Democrat Tom Wolf". NBC News. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  34. ^ "2014 General Primary - Governor". Pennsylvania Department of State. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  35. ^ "2014 General Election". Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania
2014 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Pennsylvania
Taking office, 2015 		Incumbent

Template:Person data

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tom_Wolf&oldid=643367261"