Tom Gannon

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Thomas P. Gannon
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 161st district
In office
January 2, 1979[1] – November 30, 2006[2]
Preceded byPeter O'Keefe
Succeeded byBryan Lentz
Personal details
Born(1943-05-05)May 5, 1943
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedJanuary 10, 2021(2021-01-10) (aged 77)
Upland, Pennsylvania
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKathleen
ResidenceWoodlyn, Pennsylvania
Alma materTemple University (BA)
Widener University (JD)
OccupationAttorney

Thomas P. Gannon (April 5, 1943 – January 10, 2021) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 161 from 1979 to 2006.

Early life and education[edit]

Gannon was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Cardinal Dougherty High School in 1961.[3] He earned a degree in political science from Temple University in 1968 and a J.D. from the Widener University School of Law in 1976.[3]

Business career[edit]

Gannon worked as a Contract Surety Bond Claim Attorney for Reliance Insurance Company.[4] On December 21, 2018, Gannon was suspended from practicing law for filing multiple "meritless and frivolous appeals" over a course of 8 years in a single case.[5][6]

Political career[edit]

Gannon was elected as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 161 in 1978 and was reelected for 13 consecutive terms. He had an unsuccessful campaign in 2006 and lost to Bryan Lentz.[7] During his tenure, he sought to eliminate insurance discrimination against persons suffering from mental illness.[4][8]

Gannon was a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Delaware County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyer's Association, before his license was suspended.[9]

After leaving public office, Gannon worked as an independent government affairs consultant.[7] He died on January 10, 2021.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Session of 1979 - 163rd of the General Assembly - Vol. 1, No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 1979-01-02.
  2. ^ Per Article II, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the legislative session ended on November 30, 2006
  3. ^ a b "Thomas P. Gannon (Republican)". Official Pennsylvania House of Representatives Profile. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Archived from the original on January 10, 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Profile". Official Pennsylvania Republican Caucus Biography. Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus. Archived from the original on 2003-10-30.
  5. ^ Cassens Weiss, Debra (January 3, 2019). "Lawyer who 'won't take no for an answer' is suspended for two years". ABA Journal. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  6. ^ McLellan, Lizzy (December 26, 2018). "Former State Rep. Suspended From Practicing Law for Filing Dozens of 'Frivolous' Appeals: Thomas Gannon filed 49 appeals in a case over a structural defect in his client's townhouse". The Legal Intelligencer. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "THOMAS P. GANNON". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  8. ^ "NAMI Urges Pennsylvania to Remove Barriers to Medical Treatment". www.nami.org. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Gannon, Thomas P. "Tom"". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Thomas P. Gannon".

External links[edit]

Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 161st district

1979–2006
Succeeded by