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Beginning in 1886 and continuing through 1897, county commissioners and other county officials throughout the commonwealth were coming together each year at an Annual Convention to discuss important issues and enjoy the camaraderie such an event afforded them.

We believe a chairman of either the Executive Committee or a Convention Committee served as the group’s leadership until 1897. In 1897 at its October 6 and 7 Convention in Gettysburg, the Executive Committee made a motion to the full convention to create a more permanent association. That motion was approved. Wilson C. Kress, Esq., Clinton County was duly elected as the first president of the newly created permanent Association.

Wilson C. Kress, Esq. was first a teacher and later joined the Army. He also served as deputy provost marshal. He was shot in the line of duty. Passed the bar after the war and was admitted to practice at May term, 1866. Later he would argue some important cases in the PA Supreme Court and of course he was a county commissioner. Alas, there are no photos.

We only have the name of one chair and have not been able to identify those serving in that capacity prior to 1896.

*Number of Presidents by County (Includes repeat office holders):

  • Nine: Erie, Montgomery
  • Seven: Tioga
  • Six: Washington
  • Five: Berks, Indiana
  • Four: Butler, Dauphin, Lancaster, McKean, Mercer
  • Three: Armstrong, Blair, Cambria, Delaware, Lehigh, Luzerne, Northampton
  • Two: Adams, Beaver, Bradford, Clinton, Cumberland, Fayette, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Venango, Warren, Westmoreland
  • One: Allegheny, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Elk, Franklin, Greene, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Snyder, Susquehanna, Union, Perry, Venango 
  • None: Bedford, Cameron, Carbon, Clearfield, Columbia, Crawford, Forest, Fulton, Juniata, Lawrence, Mifflin, Potter, Somerset, Sullivan, Wayne, Wyoming, York

List of Past Presidents

1896-1937

1896 W.W. Griest, Lancaster County (chair)

1897 Wilson C. Kress Esq., Clinton County

1898 R. F. Hopwood, Fayette County

1899 A. E. Sisson, Erie County

1900 F. I. Lott, Susquehanna County

1901 J. Calvin Meyer, Centre County

1902 William Davis, Cambria County

1903 J. P. Hale Jenkins, Montgomery County

1904 J. P. Hale Jenkins, Montgomery County

1905 George W. Fassett, Erie County

1906 J. P. Hale Jenkins, Montgomery County

1907 J. P. Hale Jenkins, Montgomery County

1908 J. P. Hale Jenkins, Montgomery County

1909 Philip Hastings Dewey, Tioga County

1910 Philip Hastings Dewey, Tioga County

1911 J. M. Marshall, Indiana County

1912 Edward M. Ansley, Indiana County

1913 Edward M. Ansley, Indiana County

1914 H. R. Fleming, Lycoming County

1915 J. C. Thomas, Erie County

1916 Thomas D. Beatty, Mercer County

1917 William Jack, Armstrong County

1918 W. D. Reamer, Westmoreland County

1919 A. C. Gumbert, Allegheny County

1920 Harry M. Kuenzel, Philadelphia County

1921 P. A. Meixell, Luzerne County

1922 H. M. Stine, Dauphin County

1923 John Centennial Gorsuch, Blair County

1924 J. W. Walker, Washington County

1925 Walter A. Ringler, Berks County

1926 Joseph R. Rogan, Erie County

1927 George F. Homes, Philadelphia County

1928 M. Harvey Taylor, Dauphin County

1929 Frank G. Werley, Lehigh County

1930 George W. Hibbs, Fayette County

1931 John Centennial Gorsuch, Blair County

1932 H. Stanley Drake, Montgomery County

1933 T. F. Hungiville, McKean County

1934 Joseph F. Rogan, Erie County

1935 John N. Mark, Venango County

1936 Ernest B. Posey, Berks County

1936 Helen Schluraff, Erie County*

1937 John N. O'Neill, Washington County

1938-1970

1938 James B. Miller, Delaware County

1939 Andy Anderson, McKean County

1940 John Thomas Jr., Cambria County

1941 Fred Peters, Montgomery County

1942 Arthur W. Coombs, Beaver County

1943 John E. Snedeker, Bradford County

1944 Alvin E. Maurer, Schuylkill County

1945 William C. Cruikshank, Butler County

1946 Steele Clark, Indiana County

1947 Robert Lloyd, Luzerne County

1948 Norman A. Peil, Northampton County

1949 Clyde A. Patton, Montour County

1950 Robert C. Huling, Venango County

1951 Herman C. Kersteen, Luzerne County**

1952 Joseph H. Clapper, Bedford County***

1953 R. Roscoe Simons, Mercer County

1954 John H. Doherty, Delaware County

1955 Pat Farrell Cambria, County

1956 Victor H. Hurd, Tioga County

1957 Sam M. McCune, Beaver County

1958 William H. Claypoole, Armstrong County

1959 Fred W. Lamberton, Erie County

1960 Norman H. Flores, Lehigh County

1961 Edmund H. Reif, Lackawanna County

1962 Ray E. Youngquist, McKean County

1963 Peter Yonavick, Berks County

1964 Herbert R. Wagaman, Lancaster County

1965 Blain M. Mead, Warren County

1966 W. Fred Kohler Jr., Northumberland County

1967 Donald C. Broadbent, Huntingdon County

1968 Elmer Johnson, Schuylkill County

1969 Russel J. Weston, McKean County

1970 Patrick J. Stapleton Jr., Indiana County

1971 A. Russell Parkhouse, Montgomery County

1972 Thomas G. Gorman, Elk County

1973 Michael R. Flynn, Washington County

1974 Harry A. McNichol, Delaware County

1975 John Caldwell, Jefferson County

1976 Martin J. Bechtel, Northampton County

1977 Thomas Behney, Lebanon County

1978 James R. Duffy, Pike County

1979 David K. Rice, Warren County

1980-2022

1980 Nelson A. Punt, Cumberland County

1981 Oliver R. Bartlett, Tioga County

1982 Ted Simon, Westmoreland County

1983 Stanley B. Williams, Snyder County

1984 Norman P. Hetrick, Dauphin County

1985 James A. Green, Butler County

1986 Paul B. Bartle, Montgomery County

1987 Cathy Cowan, Adams County

1988 Larry O. Sather, Huntingdon County

1989 Frank R. Mascara, Washington County

1990 Thomas R. Armagost, Clarion County

1991 Anthony J. Carabello, Berks County

1992 Andrew L. Warren, Bucks County

1993 Donna D. Gority, Blair County

1994 Oliver R. Bartlett, Tioga County

1995 Ladd Siftar Jr., Northampton County

1996 James E. Cadue, Monroe County

1997 Terry Kauffman, Lancaster County

1998 Olivia M. Lazor, Mercer County

1999 Earl R. Keller, Cumberland County

2000 Harry A. VanSickle, Union County

2001 James V. Scahill, Armstrong County

2002 Thomas J. Weaver, Adams County

2003 Erick Coolidge, Tioga County

2004 Mark Keller, Perry County

2005 J. Bracken Burns Sr., Washington County

2006 David E. Mitchell, Erie County

2007 Percy Dougherty, Lehigh County

2008 Dave Coder, Greene County

2009 James Kennedy, Butler County

2010 Joe Giles, Erie County

2011 Mark Hamilton, Tioga County

2012 Jo Ellen Litz, Lebanon County

2013 Christian Leinbach, Berks County

2014 Jeff Haste, Dauphin County

2015 Craig Lehman, Lancaster County

2016 Bob Thomas, Franklin County

2017 Harlan Shober, Washington County

2018 Dennis Stuckey, Lancaster County

2019 Kathi Cozzone, Chester County

2020 Jeffrey Snyder, Clinton County

2021 Kevin Boozel, Butler County

2022 Daryl Miller, Bradford County

2023 Albert 'Chip' Abramovic, Venango County

*Helen Schluraff was appointed to fill the 1936 term of Ernest Posey and in so doing, became the first female president.

**Robert Huling died in office and Herman Kersteen served the remainder of Robert Huling’s term as president.

***R. Roscoe Simons fulfilled the unexpired term of Joseph H. Clapper in 1952.