Robert W. O'Donnell
83rd Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
January 23, 1990[1] – January 5, 1993
Preceded byJames Manderino
Succeeded byBill DeWeese
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 198th district
In office
January 2, 1973 – January 7, 1994[2]
Preceded byDavid Savitt
Succeeded byRosita Youngblood
Democratic Leader of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 23, 1990
Preceded byJames Manderino
Succeeded byBill DeWeese
Democratic Whip of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
January 4, 1983 – November 30, 1988
Preceded byJames Manderino
Succeeded byBill DeWeese
Personal details
BornSeptember 25, 1943
Philadelphia, PA[3]
Political partyDemocratic

Robert W. O'Donnell (born September 25, 1943) is an American Democratic Party politician who is a former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

O'Donnell was first elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1974.[3] He was the majority leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1989–90, and was the speaker from 1990–92.[4] He was elected in January 1990 following the death of James Manderino.[5]

O'Donnell is a graduate of Temple University[6] and earned a juris doctor.[3][7]

In 1995, he formed O’Donnell Associates, a lobbying and governmental relations firm to represent business and governmental clients before state and local governments in Pennsylvania.[7]

O’Donnell has had a distinguished career in law, government and politics before founding the firm. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for twenty years, having served as Speaker of the House, Majority Leader, Whip and Caucus Chairman. He is the author or prime sponsor of a number of significant and complex legislative proposals that have been enacted into law, including the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority Act (PICA) which was the vehicle for the financial recovery of the City of Philadelphia; the Municipal Pension Reform Act, which provided for the financial soundness of public pensions in Pennsylvania and legislation reforming insurance underwriting procedures. Speaker O’Donnell also introduced the first charter schools legislation in the Commonwealth, a version of which was passed later during Governor Tom Ridge's tenure.[7]

A practicing attorney for thirty five years, O’Donnell’s area of specialization has been public finance and he has served as counsel to the firms of Saul Ewing in Philadelphia and Thorp, Reed and Armstrong, LLC in Pittsburgh.[7]

O’Donnell has also been actively involved in all levels of politics and enjoys positive personal and professional relationships with the leadership of both political parties. He has served as President of the Electoral College of Pennsylvania and on the boards of directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2000, the University of Pittsburgh, National Conference of State Legislatures, Chesapeake Bay Commission, Commonwealth General State Authority, Joint State Government Commission, Philadelphia Port Corporation and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Facilities Authority.[7]

In addition to its research and administrative employees, the firm enjoys strategic partnerships with firms and individuals based in Harrisburg whose specific expertise is used by the firm according to the client’s needs. The firm’s clients have included the School District of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, MBIA Insurance Corporation, The Pittsburgh Municipal Trust and PA Early Stage Partners. The firm’s principal office is located in Philadelphia.[7]

Sources

  1. ↑ http://nl.newsbank.com
  2. ↑ Cox, Harold (November 3, 2004). "Pennsylvania House of Representatives – 1993–1994" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  3. 1 2 3
  4. ↑ Archived September 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "The Pennsylvania General Assembly" (PDF). Legis.state.pa.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ "pacharterschools.org". pacharterschools.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Robert W. O'Donnell Pt. 1". YouTube. Retrieved September 20, 2011.

http://www.odonnellassociates.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijsr8oQCQIY

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