Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Sr. (January 9, 1932 – May 30, 2000) was an American politician from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995. He previously served as a state senator (1963–68) and Auditor General of Pennsylvania (1969–77).
Casey was best known for leading the pro-life wing of the Democratic Party, taking the lead in fighting Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a major Supreme Court case that upheld almost all the prohibitions on abortion that Casey signed into law. He championed unions, believed in government as a beneficent force, and supported gun rights.
He was the father of Bob Casey, Jr., who is currently a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.
Casey was born in Jackson Heights, in the Queens borough of New York City, the son of Marie (née Cummings) and Alphonsus Liguori Casey. His family, of Irish descent, was originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, but his parents moved to New York in order for his father, a devoutly Roman Catholic former coal miner who began working as a coal miner at age 10, to attend Fordham University School of Law. The family returned to Scranton following Casey's birth.
Robert P. "Bob" Casey is a former Democratic Party politician from Pennsylvania. Casey bears no relation to Robert P. Casey, the former Governor of Pennsylvania. Casey, a political anomaly, famously won the Democratic primary for the 1978 nomination for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor by capitalizing on having the same name as a well known official. Casey worked as a biology teacher for Pittsburgh Public Schools and owned an ice cream shop in the city's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
In 1976, the Cambria County Treasurer named Robert E. Casey won the nomination for Pennsylvania Treasurer. In 1978, the well known Robert P. Casey ran for Pennsylvania Governor, losing in the Democratic primary to Pittsburgh Mayor Pete Flaherty. However, Casey the Pittsburgh teacher was victorious in a crowded 14-way primary for lieutenant governor; the win came despite the fact that Casey spent almost no money on his campaign. Analysts theorize that voters believed they were selecting the better known Casey for this position.
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Sr. (January 9, 1932 – May 30, 2000) was an American politician from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995. He previously served as a state senator (1963–68) and Auditor General of Pennsylvania (1969–77).
Casey was best known for leading the pro-life wing of the Democratic Party, taking the lead in fighting Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a major Supreme Court case that upheld almost all the prohibitions on abortion that Casey signed into law. He championed unions, believed in government as a beneficent force, and supported gun rights.
He was the father of Bob Casey, Jr., who is currently a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.
Casey was born in Jackson Heights, in the Queens borough of New York City, the son of Marie (née Cummings) and Alphonsus Liguori Casey. His family, of Irish descent, was originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, but his parents moved to New York in order for his father, a devoutly Roman Catholic former coal miner who began working as a coal miner at age 10, to attend Fordham University School of Law. The family returned to Scranton following Casey's birth.