Topic: Dick Thornburgh

Richard Lewis "Dick" Thornburgh (born July 16, 1932) is a lawyer and Republican politician who served as the Governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the U.S. Attorney General from 1988 to 1991.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Thornburgh attended Mercersburg Academy and later majored in engineering at Yale University, graduating in 1954. He later earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1957, and joined the law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart a year later.

Thornburgh married Ginny Hooton and fathered three children. Ginny Hooton Thornburgh was killed in an automobile accident that also injured all three of their children. Their youngest son Peter was left disabled due to brain damage. Four years later, Thornburgh married his second wife, the former Ginny Judson, who adopted his three sons. The couple had a fourth child together. Ginny Judson Thornburgh later became an advocate for the disabled and served as a representative of the National Organization on Disability. Mrs. Thornburgh was a vocal advocate for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law while her husband was a member of George H.W. Bush's cabinet. Mrs. Thornburgh continues her work running the Interfaith Initiative program at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).