Jim Cawley

James Cawley (born June 22, 1969) is an American politician who served as the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015. A Republican, he previously served on the Board of Commissioners of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Jim Cawley
32nd Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
In office January 18, 2011 – January 20, 2015
Governor	Tom Corbett
Preceded by	Joe Scarnati
Succeeded by	Mike Stack
Member of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners
In office January 4, 2005 – January 18, 2011
Preceded by	Mike Fitzpatrick
Succeeded by	Robert G. Loughery
Personal details
Born	(1969-06-22) June 22, 1969 Bristol, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Suzanne Cawley
Children	1
Alma mater	Temple University (BA, JD)

Early life, education, and early political career

He graduated from Bishop Egan High School in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He then graduated cum laude from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He received a law degree from Temple University School of Law.[1]

Career

Prior to being elected to the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, he was Chief of Staff to State Senator Tommy Tomlinson. In 2000, he ran for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 141st District. Incumbent Democrat State Representative Anthony Melio won re-election by defeating Cawley 56%–42%.[2] He was also a former Pennsylvania state chairman and national co-chairman of the College Republicans and served as an elected member of the Bristol Township School Board.

He served on the County Commissioner's Association of Pennsylvania's Energy, Environment, & Land Use Committee as Chairman. Jim is a former member of the board of directors for Lower Bucks Hospital, a former trustee of Bucks County Community College and a Commonwealth trustee of Temple University.

Bucks County Commission

He was appointed to the Bucks County Board of Commissioners following the resignation of Mike Fitzpatrick (who had been elected to Congress).

In 2007, he won re-election with 26% of the vote.[3]

He became chairman of the board after he was re-elected. According to self-supplied biographical information, he helped expand the Bucks County Community College, kept taxes low for four consecutive years, and helped increase the county's bond rating to its highest level ever.[1]

Lieutenant Governor

In 2010, he ran for the state lieutenant governor and won the Republican primary in a crowded nine candidate field with just 26% of the vote. He only won 14 out of the state's 67 counties. He only won three counties with a majority: Bucks (70%), Montgomery (51%), and Delaware (56%) counties.[4] He was on the ticket with Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett, the state's Attorney General. He defeated Democrat Lieutenant Gubernatorial nominee Scott Conklin, a State Representative, 54%–46%.[5] He took office on January 18, 2011.

Cawley briefly served as Acting Governor on February 27, 2014 while Governor Tom Corbett was anesthetized during surgery. The Pennsylvania Constitution states that when the Governor is incapacitated, the Lieutenant Governor shall serve as acting governor until the disability is removed. Corbett awoke after surgery and was cleared to resume power approximately 85 minutes after going under. Cawley was the third Lieutenant Governor in Pennsylvania history to assume power as Acting Governor.[6]

Cawley was unopposed in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor in May 2014. He was Governor Corbett's running mate again in the general election on November 4, 2014, in which the Republican ticket was defeated by the Democrats Tom Wolf and Mike Stack.

Cawley was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.[7]

Later career

On February 9, 2015, Cawley became the new president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.[8]

On August 13, 2017, Temple announced the appointment of Cawley as a Vice President of Institutional Advancement.[9]

Personal life

Cawley, lives in Wrightstown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife and son.

See also

• Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2018
• Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2014
• Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

References

1. "Full Biography for Jim Cawley". Samrtvoter.org. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
2. "Our Campaigns – PA State House 141 Race – Nov 07, 2000". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
3. "Our Campaigns – Bucks County Board of Commissioners Race – Nov 06, 2007". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
4. "Our Campaigns – PA Lieutenant Governor – R Primary Race – May 18, 2010". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
5. "Our Campaigns – PA Lieutenant Governor Race – Nov 02, 2010". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
6. Sofield, Tom. "Levittown Native Taking Helm of State on Thursday". Levittownnow.com. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
7. "About the Rodel Fellowship Program". Aspeninstitute.org. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
8. "United Way names lieutenant governor as new CEO". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
9. "Former Pa. lieutenant governor to be Temple's chief fund-raiser". Philly.com. Retrieved 28 November 2017.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Political offices
Preceded by Joe Scarnati	Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania 2011–2015	Succeeded by Mike Stack
Preceded by Mike Fitzpatrick	Member of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners 2005–2011	Succeeded by Robert G. Loughery
Party political offices
Preceded by Jim Matthews	Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania 2010, 2014	Succeeded by Jeff Bartos