My Turn By Robert A. Gleason, Jr.

Cherishing our past, relishing our future Recently, Republicans from around our Commonwealth gathered in Harrisburg to mark the 150th anniversary of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. As we come together to celebrate our past, we are even more excited to work to make a brighter future for all Pennsylvanians. On Nov. 27, 1854, a small group of like-minded individuals, including former Governor Simon Cameron, Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, Colonel Alexander McClure and former Governor Samuel Curtin, gathered in the home of David Wilmont in Towanda, Pennsylvania with a goal of establishing county Republican clubs. After playing host to the first Republican National Convention in Pittsburgh in 1856, the need for further organization at the state level became evident. Thus, on Sept. 5, 1858, sixty-four Republican clubs representing all but one of their contemporary Pennsylvania counties met again in the Steel City, this time, to officially found the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania. With one of the newly minted organization’s first orders of business, the county officials selected David Wilmont, whose home had played host to that first fateful meeting, to serve as the first state committee Chairman. Not long after, the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania took its place as a driving political force in our Commonwealth. Just one month later, John M. Reid became the first Republican elected official in Pennsylvania when he won a seat on the Supreme Court. That success would continue when the Republicans gained control of the state Senate and the governor’s mansion in 1860, the former of which we retained for three decades. The twentieth century gave witnessed to the continued rise of our Republican Committee. In 1959, Chairman George I. Bloom turned our Republican Committee statewide and established a permanent headquarters at 112 State Street. Our Party also saw tremendous electoral success, as nineteen of our twenty-five governors were Republican, along with ten of the twelve Senators elected in that time. In addition, our hundreds of statewide and local officials were elected to public office throughout Pennsylvania. It is with this rich tradition that our Republican officials gathered, much like they did a century and a half before, to celebrate the common ideas and goals that have and will continue to shape our Party and our Commonwealth in the years to come. Three of the four living Republican governors, Dick Thornburgh, Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker were honored for their great service to both our Party and our Commonwealth. Throughout that weekend, Republican officials from the past and present were in attendance for what was a memorable celebration. We also honored past Chairmen and their families for the dedication and support for the ideals which we espouse. As the current Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, I am humbled to be included in a long line of the distinguished men and women who so faithfully served as the past Chairmen of our great organization. As the Party embarks on its journey into the twenty-first century, we are excited to incorporate a tradition of reduced government and fiscal responsibility into a new era of innovation and cooperation. Our name change from the Republican State Committee to the Republican Party of Pennsylvania last September will hopefully come to symbolize a new era for conservative politics in our Commonwealth. Our longtime headquarters at 112 State Street is currently our State Victory Headquarters, where volunteers are working around the clock to educate Pennsylvania voters about our Republican candidates this November. Currently, our party is taking up temporary residence at 717 North Second Street. We are also embracing a new era of technology. Last year, we launched our new revamped Web site, www.pagop.org, which is dedicated to improving communications between our Party and Pennsylvania voters. The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is embracing new ways to effectively reach out to our fellow members, grassroots volunteers and potential voters. As our Party commemorates and reflects on the goals and accomplishments of our organization, we also celebrate the future, as our Party works to elect a new crop of Republican leaders, like John McCain and Sarah Palin, who will continue our Party’s history of good government. For as rich as our past may be, President Ronald Reagan put it best, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Robert A. Gleason, Jr. is chairman, of the Pennsylvania Republican Party