Raymong Philip Shafer (1917-2006)
Meadville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Pa. State Senator, 1959-63, Lt. Governor, 1963-67, and Governor, 1967-71. The 1874 state charter was substantially reformed at a constitutional convention during his term. He promoted improvements in welfare, transportation, education, and environment, an… transcription continues on the marker
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The Story
Raymond P. Shafer climbed Pennsylvania's political ladder through the 1960s, serving as state senator and lieutenant governor before winning the governorship in 1967. His single term coincided with a sweeping modernization of state government: delegates met in a constitutional convention that overhauled Pennsylvania's long-outdated 1874 charter, reshaping the judiciary, finances, and local government. Shafer pushed the state to invest in social welfare, roads, schools, and the fledgling cause of environmental protection.
Why it matters
Shafer's term marks the moment a large industrial state dragged its Gilded-Age constitution into the modern era, part of a nationwide wave of postwar governmental reform.
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Related people
- · Raymond Philip Shafer
Related events
- · Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention of 1967-1968
Themes & tags
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