Donald A. Bailey | |
|---|---|
 Bailey in 1979 | |
| 45thAuditor General of Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 15, 1985[1] – January 17, 1989[2] | |
| Governor | Dick Thornburgh Bob Casey Sr. |
| Preceded by | Al Benedict |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Hafer |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's21st district | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1983 | |
| Preceded by | John Dent |
| Succeeded by | Tom Ridge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Donald Allen Bailey (1945-07-21)July 21, 1945 Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 9, 2020(2020-03-09) (aged 74) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (BA) Duquesne University (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank |  First lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | |
Donald Allen Bailey (July 21, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania. He was aDemocratic member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1983,Auditor General of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 1989, and a candidate for the Democratic nomination forUnited States Senate andGovernor of Pennsylvania. His Congressional District (PA-21) included all ofWestmoreland County, Pennsylvania with a sliver ofAllegheny County, Pennsylvania, prior to the 1981 redistricting.
Bailey was born in Allegheny County to Glenn and Anna Bailey. He was raised in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. He graduated from Greensburg High School in 1963. He received a BA from theUniversity of Michigan in 1967. He playedcollege football at theguard position for theMichigan Wolverines football team from 1964 to 1966.[3] He played in the 1965Rose Bowl and North/South All Star Game.[4]
After college, he entered theUnited States Army, serving with the82nd and101stAirborne Divisions inVietnam. He was awarded theSilver Star, threeBronze Stars, two with theValor device, one for meritorious achievement,Army Commendation Medal, with "V" for Valor,Air Medal, and a second Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service.
After Vietnam, Bailey, worked at a number ofblue-collar jobs, including as a steelworker atJ. & L. Steel Corp., during which time he was a member of theUnited Steelworkers of America. He also graduated fromDuquesne University School of Law with aJ.D., in 1976, on theG.I. Bill. He was admitted to thePennsylvaniabar the same year.
In 1978, incumbent DemocratJohn Dent ofPennsylvania's 21st congressional district decided to retire. Bailey ran and won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 23% in an 11 candidate field.[5] He won the general election with 53% of the vote.[6]
In 1980, he was challenged by two candidates in the primary, but he defeated both of them in April with 60% of the vote.[7] He won re-election to a second term with 68% of the vote.[8]
After redistricting by the state legislature, Bailey's district in 1982 was one of two eliminated as a result of slow-growth in Pennsylvania compared to other states. Most of his district, including his home in Westmoreland County, was merged with the12th District of fellow Democratic CongressmanJohn Murtha, who had been serving since1974. Despite the fact that most of the district was represented by Murtha, Bailey decided to run in the newly redrawnPennsylvania's 12th congressional district. Murtha defeated Bailey in the primary 52%–38%.[9]
He was generally considered as a moderate-to-conservative Democrat.[citation needed] In 1979, he sponsored legislation to fundsynthetic fuel.[10]
He frequently criticized Democratic PresidentJimmy Carter.[11][12] However, when Carter was challenged by liberal U.S. SenatorTed Kennedy, Bailey and most Western Pennsylvania Democrats endorsed Carter. Bailey said "Carter is still the best alternative."[13]
He negotiated for loans for theWheeling-Pittsburgh Steel company.[14] In 1981, he opposed raising the retirement age.[15] He also voted against spending cuts proposed by Republican PresidentRonald Reagan[16] and against aBalanced budget amendment.[17]
In 1984, Bailey ran forPennsylvania Auditor General as a Democrat, defeating Republican Susan Shanaman 51%–48%.[21] He was the only Democratic nominee to win statewide that year. During his tenure as Auditor General, Bailey established the first work-site child daycare facility in Pennsylvania government, established minimum education standards for state auditors, and generally modernized auditing procedures.[citation needed]
After leaving the Auditor General office in 1989, Bailey became a full-time attorney, based inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania. His specialties includedcivil rights. He was also quoted as calling himself, an "equal opportunity suerLawyers Weekly USA: LOTY" and does take clients litigating with both Democrats and Republicans. On October 2, 2013, theSupreme Court of Pennsylvania suspended Bailey from practice for 5 years for professional misconduct, including accusing lower-case judges of conspiring against him.[22]
Bailey decided to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. SenatorArlen Specter. However, he lost the Democratic primary to U.S. CongressmanBob Edgar 47%–45%.[23]
Bailey ran for re-election in 1988, but lost to RepublicanBarbara Hafer, an Allegheny County Commissioner, 49%–48% (difference of 35,618 votes).[24]
Bailey ran for Auditor General again in 1992. He lost the Democratic primary to State SenatorH. Craig Lewis, who won with a plurality of 40% of the vote. Businessman Jack O'Brien ranked second with 27%, Bailey ranked third with 20%, and State SenatorRoy Afflerbach was last with 12%.[25]
In 1998, Bailey ran forGovernor of Pennsylvania, seeking the right to challenge incumbent Republican GovernorTom Ridge. Bailey lost the Democratic primary to State RepresentativeIvan Itkin 49%–39%.[26]
After fourteen years, Bailey decided to run for public office again, running unsuccessfully forPennsylvania Attorney General as an independent.[27]
Bailey died on March 9, 2020, at age 74.[28]
Much of the information is taken from the Congressional Biography website and the offlinePennsylvania Manual, volumes 105 (1981) and 108 (1987).
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 21st congressional district 1979–1983 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Auditor General of Pennsylvania 1985–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forAuditor General of Pennsylvania 1984, 1988 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
