Former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh is Dead at 88
Dick Thornburgh, a former Pennsylvania Governor who received high praise for his collective decision making of the 1979 Three Mile Island crisis and a former U.S. Attorney General who brought back credibility to a Justice Department that was damaged by the Iran-Contra scandal, has died. He passed away Thursday morning at the age of 88 in a retirement community near Pittsburgh. He had suffered a stroke in 2014.
Thornburgh earned his merits as a law and order type federal prosecutor in Pittsburgh and as a middle ground Republican Governor. As the country’s number one law enforcement official, he prosecuted the savings and loan scandal. He also spearheaded the Americans with Disabilities Act; inspired by his son whom had his brain severely damaged in an automobile wreck.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey said Thornburgh led Pennsylvania and the Department of Justice “successfully and with integrity. The steady nature in which he guided Pennsylvania through one of its most dangerous crises (the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island) should serve as an example for all elected officials.” Pennsylvania’s current Governor Tom Wolf (Democrat), also shared his thoughts, describing Thornburgh during the nuclear accident as a “necessary and steady voice of calm in the midst of a crisis.” Dick really exemplified what it meant to be a great person. We keep his friends and family in our thoughts and appreciate all the hard work he did for our country.