Profile of Robert Casey on Famous Like Me

Robert Patrick Casey, Sr. (January 9, 1932-May 30, 2000), also known as Bob Casey was an American politician who served Pennsylvania in several capacities, most notably as its 41st Governor from 1987 to 1995.

Early Life

Born in Jackson Heights, Queens, Casey grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the son of Athanasius Casey, a devoutly Roman Catholic former coal miner (who began mining at the age of 10) who became a lawyer by the age of 40.

Robert P. Casey turned down an offer to play for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1949, opting to go to college instead. He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in 1953, and received his Juris Doctor from George Washington University in 1956.

Political Career

Unsuccessful Tries for Governor

A Democrat, Casey first sought the governor's office in 1966, losing the Democratic party primary. He tried on two other occasions without success, in 1970 and again in 1978. Considered a moderate and despite growing frustration with Democratic Party policies, Casey rejected Republican offers to run for Governor on their ticket on two occasions.

Auditor General

In 1967 Casey served as a member of Pennsylvania's constitutional convention, and became the state's auditor general in 1968, serving in that role through 1977. Casey was lauded for his aggressive stances on fiscal waste and corruption, and remained active in his maintenance of a private law practice while serving as Auditor General.

Will the real Bob Casey Please Stand...

Restricted from seeking another term as Auditor General, Casey declined to seek the office of state treasurer in 1976. Instead, a county official who also was named Robert Casey won the primary and the general election, spending virtually no money and doing virtually no campaigning. Voters merely assumed that they were voting for the outgoing Auditor General. In 1980 the Republicans launched an extensive advertising campaign to clarify that "Casey isn't Casey," and the state treasurer was defeated for re-election.

In 1978, another candidate named Robert Casey, a different Robert Casey, this one a teacher and ice cream parlor owner, likewise received the Democratic party's nomination for lieutenant governor, again with a no-spending, no-campaigning strategy. This Casey, who joined Democratic gubernatorial nominee Pete Flaherty, narrowly lost to Richard Thornburgh and William Scranton III.

Fourth Time is the Charm

After a decade practicing law, Casey made a fourth bid for governor in 1986, billing himself as the "real Bob Casey" to distinguish himself and make light of the mistaken identity follies of the past. Dubbed "the three-time loss from Holy Cross" by detractors, Casey hired James Carville and Paul Begala to his campaign staff, two then-generally unknown political strategists.

Unlike his three previous tries, Casey won the Democratic primary, defeating Philadelphia district attorney (and future governor) Ed Rendell. He then faced Thornburgh's lieutenant governor, William Scranton III in the general election. The race was considered too close to call until the week before the election, when the Casey campaign staff, led by Carville, launched the now infamous "guru ad" which attacked Scranton's practice of transcendental meditation. The ad campaign depicting Scranton as a "dope smoking hippie," complete with 1960's-era pictures of the lieutenant governor wearing long hair, a beard, and tie-dyed clothing. Casey defeated Scranton by a razor-thin margin of 79,000 votes.

Governor

Inaugurated on January 20, 1987, Casey was immediately confronted with issues as R. Budd Dwyer, the state's treasurer who had been convicted on charges of accepting kickbacks, committed suicide at a press conference just two days into his term.

Casey brought what he called an "activist government" to Pennsylvania, expanding health care services for women, introducing reforms to the state's welfare system, and introducing an insurance program for uninsured children. Despite charges that his administration squandered a budget surplus and ran the state into record annual budget deficits, Casey remained popular with voters, easily winning re-election in 1990 against Republican nominee Barbara Hafer. Hafer would eventually go on to become Pennsylvania State Treasurer and switch parties during her second term in that office. Thus, in an ironic twist, the now Democratic Hafer endorsed Governor Casey's son, Robert Patrick Casey, Jr., when he decided to run against U.S. Senator Rick Santorum in the 2006 election.

Casey also introduced a "capital for a day" program, where the state's official business was conducted from eighteen different communities throughout the state.

Though popular, Casey was not without critics from both major political parties. A fierce pro-life advocate, Casey refused to campaign for candidates (even Democrats) who supported abortion rights - including his own lieutenant governor when he sought to succeed Casey. In 1992, Casey refused to endorse Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton due to his stance on the issue, and as a result was denied the opportunity to speak at that year's Democratic National Convention. Casey was told he was refused to speak because he did not endorse the nominee and not because of his views on abortion, although Casey supporters bring up the fact that there were other speakers at the 1992 Democratic Convention who did not endorse the nominee, namely former rival Jerry Brown. In 1994, Casey refused to endorse Harris Wofford, the Democrat who was running for re-election to the United States Senate, because of his pro-choice views, although it was Casey who first appointed Wofford to the Senate in 1991 following John Heinz's tragic death. Some blamed Casey when Wofford was unseated by Rick Santorum, although Casey's supporters claim that Wofford's loss had more to do with his support of President Clinton's failed health care plan.

Illness

In 1990, Casey was diagnosed with Appalachian familiar amyloidosis, a genetic condition where proteins invade and destroy bodily organs. To combat the disease, he underwent an extremely rare heart-liver transplant on the morning of June 14, 1993. The announcement of Casey's disease was made just days before he underwent the transplant, and as a result many unfairly accused him of receiving preferential treatment with respect to donor waiting lists. In fact, Casey had been on the list for over a year, but this information was not widely known.

Before undergoing the operation, he transferred executive authority to lieutenant governor Singel, marking the first time Pennsylvania was under the leadership of an acting governor. Casey resumed his duties on December 13, 1993, almost six months to the day he underwent the operation.

Following his operation, Casey strongly supported legislation that encouraged organ transplants by guaranteeing access to the families of potential organ donors by organ recovery organizations, providing drivers' license identification of potential donors, and establishing an organ donation trust fund from voluntary donations to promote the benefits of organ donation. Today the organ donation trust fund is named in his honor.

Post-Political Career

Prohibited from seeking a third term, Casey left office in 1995 but contemplated a run for President to oppose Bill Clinton in the 1996 Democratic primaries. His failing health and lack of support for the effort caused him to abandon his plans.

Despite the transplants, Casey continued to suffer long-term effects of his disease, to which he finally succumbed on May 30, 2000, at the age of 68. He was survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Ellen Casey, as well as his seven children and numerous grandchildren.

Casey's oldest son, Robert Patrick Casey, Jr., followed in his father's footsteps, being elected to two terms as Pennsylvania's auditor general. In 2002 he sought the governor's office, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Ed Rendell. In 2005, he was sworn in as state treasurer, and he is now considered the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate in 2006, where if nominated he would attempt to unseat incumbent Rick Santorum.

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