Robert C. Jubelirer papers

Robert C. Jubelirer was born February 9, 1937, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Dorothy Brett Jubelirer and Samuel H. Jubelirer, a prominent judge in Blair County, Pennsylvania. In 1959, Robert Jubelirer earned a B.A. in history from The Pennsylvania State University and an L.L.D. from Dickinson School of Law in 1962. He was admitted to the bar in Blair County, Pennsylvania, and practiced law in the firm of Jubelirer, Carothers, Krier, and Halpern before running as a Republican for the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1974.

Jubelirer served eight terms (1975 to 2006) in the Pennsylvania State Senate. He was elected majority leader in 1981 and minority leader from November 1992 to March 1994. Jubelirer is most widely known for his influential role as president pro tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate, a position he held from 1985 to November 1992 and from March 1994 to 2006, nearly twenty-one years and the longest term on record.

Jubelirer also served as lieutenant governor. On October 5, 2001, after Governor Tom Ridge resigned to become President Bush's homeland security director, Robert Jubelirer was sworn in as lieutenant governor to the new governor Mark Schweiker. Robert Jubelirer served simultaneously as lieutenant governor (without pay) and as Pennsylvania Senate president pro tempore until January 21, 2003, when Governor Schweiker's term concluded.

During his tenure in the Pennsylvania Senate, Jubelirer led initiatives to improve living standards for Pennsylvanians in many areas, including economic development, improved transportation, farm support, anti-crime measures, judicial reform, employment, education reform, pharmaceutical assistance, and property tax relief. He authored major legislation including: the modern Sunshine Law to provide greater openness in government, legislation to construct or renovate senior centers, the Tuition Account Program a (plan to enable parents to save for their children's higher education), and "Ashley's Law" (a law to provide greater child protection).

Jubelirer represented the 30th District, which from 1981 to 2001 consisted of the south-central Pennsylvania counties of Bedford, Blair, Fulton, and Huntingdon. In the 2001 redistricting, Menno Township in Mifflin County was added. To assist a largely rural, often economically struggling constituency, Jubelirer pushed for economic revitalization and helped secure funding for major community projects, such as the Blair County Ballpark, the Blair County Convention Center, and the restoration of the Bedford Springs Hotel.

In 2006 Robert Jubelirer lost election, a loss attributable to his 2005 vote for a legislative pay raise. In April 2007 he joined the law firm of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel. There he helped launch the firm's Government Affairs Practice in Harrisburg and its regional office in Altoona to develop business opportunities in central Pennsylvania. Jubelirer serves as chairman of the Blair County Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Robert Jubelirer has received numerous awards, including from the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the Blair County Chapter of the NAACP. Others awards included the Pennsylvania Bar Association's President's Award, the Common Cause Champion of Good Government Award, the Dickinson School of Law Career Achievement Award, and The Pennsylvania State University Distinguished Alumni Award. In honor of his service as the longest serving Pennsylvania Senate president pro tempore, a trust fund was established in his name to provide scholarships to students in the College of Information Science and Technology at The Pennsylvania State University.

Bibliography

“Political Profiles,” Pennsylvania Report. 1 April 2004: 3-4. Print.

“Robert C. Jubelirer,” “Attorney Information.” Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP. Web. 1 Aug. 2008.

“Robert Jubelirer,” Wikipedia.Web. 18 Nov. 2008

“Sen. Robert C. Jubelirer (R).” Guidebook to Pennsylvania Legislators 1993-1994. Baltimore, Md.: Legislative Guidebooks, Inc., c 1993: 52-53. Print.

“Sen. Robert C. Jubelirer (R).” Guidebook to Pennsylvania Legislators 1995-1996. Baltimore, Md.: Legislative Guidebooks, Inc., c 1993: 44-45. Print.