Ernest P. "Ernie" Kline (June 20, 1929 – May 13, 2009) was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate and the 25th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, serving from 1971 to 1979.
Ernest Kline | |
|---|---|
 Kline in 1975 | |
| 25th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 19, 1971 – January 16, 1979 | |
| Governor | Milton Shapp |
| Preceded by | Raymond Broderick |
| Succeeded by | William Scranton III |
| Democratic Leader of the Pennsylvania Senate | |
| In office August 1, 1967[1] – November 30, 1970 | |
| Preceded by | John Devlin |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Lamb |
| Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 47th district | |
| In office January 5, 1965 – January 5, 1971[2] | |
| Preceded by | John Carl Miller |
| Succeeded by | John Good, Jr. |
| Constituency | Parts of Beaver and Washington Counties. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 20, 1929 Allentown, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 13, 2009 (aged 79) Hershey Medical Center[3] |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 7[4] |
| Residence(s) | Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania[4] Palmyra, Pennsylvania[4] |
| Alma mater | Duquesne University |
Early life, career
editKline was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and grew up in the Webster neighborhood of Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania.[4] He attended Rostraver High School, where he was the starting quarterback and graduated in 1947.[4] He attended Duquesne University, but was unable to afford completing his degree.[4] He took a career in radio news broadcasting in Charleroi, Connellsville, Kittanning, and at WBVP-AM in Beaver Falls.[4] He entered politics after covering city council; he was elected to the Beaver Falls City Council in 1955.[4] In 1961, he was appointed to be a workers' compensation referee for Beaver, Washington, and Greene Counties.[4]
Politics
editHe was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1964, taking office in 1965.[5] In August 1967, he was elected Democratic Floor Leader, becoming the youngest person to hold that position.[4]
He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on the Milton Shapp gubernatorial ticket in November 1970. As a Western Pennsylvanian, Kline provided balance to the Democratic ticket, which had Philadelphian Milton Shapp.[3] Kline held that position from 1971 to 1979. He was the first Lieutenant Governor to live in State House, the Lieutenant Governor's official residence.[6]
He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1972 and 2000.[7] He is credited for taking steps to establish the Governor's Energy Council during the 1973 oil crisis and for leading the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.[8] He ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1978, but lost a highly contested primary to Peter Flaherty, who eventually lost to Dick Thornburgh.[8]
Later life and death
editKline retired from political life after his stint as lieutenant governor and served as a lobbyist.[4] He lived in Palmyra, Pennsylvania until his death in 2009 at the age of 79.[3]
References
edit- ^ https://docs.google.com/viewer?
- ^ Cox, Harold (2004). "Pennsylvania Senate - 1971-1972" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
- ^ a b c Hockensmith, Dustin (May 13, 2009). "Former Lt. Gov. Ernest P. Kline dies at 79". Patriot News. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Gurman, Sadie (2009-05-15). "Obituary: Ernest P. Kline / Lieutenant governor under Shapp". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ Cox, Harold. "Senate Members "K"". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
- ^ "Lieutenant governor moving into grand State House". 11 January 2009.
- ^ Kestenbaum, Lawrence (March 24, 2009). "Index to Politicians: Kline". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ a b Long, Heather (May 25, 2009). "Remembering Ernie Kline: He leaves a legacy that should be followed". Patriot News. Archived from the original on 2009-06-30.