Tom Gannon

"Thomas Gannon" redirects here. For the American football player, see Thomas Gannon (American football).
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

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

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

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

  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".
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 161st district
1979–2006 		Succeeded by