Honorable Raymond P. Shafer

Honorable Raymond Philip Shafer, 89, of 875 Dogwood Dr., Meadville, died Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at Meadville Medical Center.

He was born in New Castle March 15, 1917, a son of the late Rev. David Philip and Mina Belle Miller Shafer.  He married Jane Harris Davies July 5, 1941 in Dormont.

He was a 1934 graduate of Meadville High School, a 1938 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Allegheny College with Bachelor of Science degrees in history and political science, and received his LLD degree with honors from Yale University in 1941. During his career, he was conferred 36 honorary post-graduate degrees from a variety of American academic institutions.

He was commissioned a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in December 1941.  As a Veteran of World War II, he served as Captain, PT 359 in the Pacific Theater of Operations from 1942 to 1944, receiving the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and the Commendation for Meritorious Service.  The most notable fact was that he took General Douglas MacArthur “back” to Corregidor during the Philippine invasion on PT 359.  He was honorably discharged as Lieutenant Commander in 1946 and served in the Naval Reserves.

He entered law practice in the office of Walter McClintock in Meadville in 1946.  He started his independent law office in 1950 in what is now known as the Shafer Law Firm, Meadville.  He was elected Crawford County District Attorney in 1948 and 1952, Pennsylvania State Senator in the 50th district in 1958, Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania with William W. Scranton Governor in 1962, and Governor of Pennsylvania in 1966.  He considered his greatest achievement as governor to be the rewriting and modernization of the Pennsylvania State Constitution.

Among his numerous memberships and activities include the American and the Crawford County Bar Associations, The American Legion, The VFW, Rotary, board member of the Meadville City Hospital (now the Meadville Medical Center) and of the Cleveland Clinic, chairman of the board of Allegheny College, Masonic Lodge of Erie, chair of the Meadville Community Chest, member of the Boots & Saddles luncheon club, Meadville Literary Club, Meadville Area Industrial Commission, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the Crawford County Historical Society.  He was also a social member in Meadville of the Country Club and the Iroquois Club and in Washington, the Metropolitan Club and Burning Tree Golf Club.

He served as chairman of the National Committee on Drug Abuse under former President Richard Nixon in 1972; chief counsel to Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1974-75; partner with Coopers and Lybrand, Washington, DC, 1976-82; chairman of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, 1982-92; President of Allegheny College, 1985-86; and partner at Dunaway and Cross Law Firm, Washington, DC, 1992-2001.

Survivors, in addition to his wife Jane of 65 years of Meadville, include a daughter, Diane Shafer Graham and her fiancée James Domnick of Meadville; a son Raymond Philip Shafer, Jr. of Meadville; a son-in-law, Thomas N. Cranston of Carlisle; 3 grandchildren, Raymond Philip Shafer, III and his wife Anita of Meadville; Shona Strachan of Hartstown; and Matthew Shafer of Albuquerque, NM; a great-grandson, Jacob Daniel Shafer; a nephew, Paul D. Shafer, Jr. and his wife Carolyn of Meadville; a niece, Lee Shafer Bobin of New Jersey; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Jane Ellen Cranston; 2 sisters, Ruth Miller Shafer and Gladys Isobel Shafer Wieland; 2 brothers, Paul David Shafer, Sr. and Harold Roy Shafer and a son-in-law, Larry A. Graham.

Calling hours will be Saturday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the Robert W. Waid Funeral Home, Inc., 581 Chestnut Street, Meadville

A funeral service will be Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Ford Chapel, Allegheny College with Rev. Jane Ellen Nickell, Chaplain, Dr. Terry Clark, Pastor, First Christian Church, Dr. Richard Cook, Allegheny College President and Hugh Flaherty, former Secretary of the Commonwealth, participating.

Interment will be in St. John’s Cemetery, Union Township, Crawford County with military honors provided by the Pennsylvania State Police Ceremonial Unit.

Memorials may be made to the Raymond Philip Shafer Foundation, c/o Crawford Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 908, Meadville, PA 16335.