Pennsylvania Governor. From 1971 until 1979, he served as the 40 th Governor of Pennsylvania. Born Milton Jerrold Shapiro in Cleveland, Ohio, into a Jewish family, his father was a hardware wholesaler, his mother was active in political and women's rights causes. Intrigued by the inter-workings of radios during his youth, he focused on education in that field and attained a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Case Institute of Technology. After graduation, he worked as a coal truck driver and later established a sales business for companies whom produced electrical components. After serving in the European Theater with the United States Army Signal Corps during World War II, he relocated to Pennsylvania and established Jerrold (his middle name) Electronics Corporation. At this time period, he changed his last name to Shapp to avoid anti-Semitism. During the 1950s the entity exploded into one of the country's earliest and most successful cable television providers amassing Shapp's wealth. In addition, the company earned a highly positive image for employing several minority groups. From his glowing reputation as a businessman, Shapp achieved national attention. This recognition ignited his interest in the political arena and during the 1960 Presidential Campaign, he became a strong supporter of John F. Kennedy. It is also believed he made the suggestion of the establishment of the Peace Corps to Robert Kennedy and following John F. Kennedy's presidential victory, Shapp was named an advisor to the Peace Corps in addition to serving as a consultant to the Secretary of Commerce. In 1966, Shapp had an unsuccessful bid as Pennsylvania Governor but prevailed in the 1970 election to become the first governor elected under the state Constitution of 1968 for which allowed him to serve two successive terms in office. During his tenure the liberal Democrat took a progressive approach towards tackling issues among them welfare reform, programs for the elderly and handicapped. Additionally, he utilized his skills as a businessman in negotiations to avert a national strike by independent truck drivers in 1974. In 1976, he formed an exploratory committee in order to launch a bid for the Democratic nomination as president but failed to garner national support and withdrew. Shapp retired from public service in 1979 and died at his Merion, Pennsylvania home at the age of 82 in 1994.