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.