M. Shapp; Ex-Governor of Pennsylvania

Former Gov. Milton Shapp, a creative populist who guided Pennsylvania through the 1970s and was believed to be the first person of Jewish faith to declare for the presidency, has died at 82.

Shapp, a millionaire businessman before he turned to politics, died Thursday of complications of Alzheimer’s disease at a hospital in suburban Wynnewood, said family friend Richard Gross.

While governor from 1971 to 1979, the Democratic and popular Shapp instituted a state income tax and a state lottery and brought modern management to Pennsylvania government. He also lifted Pennsylvania from near-bankruptcy, leaving it with a $50-million surplus when he left office after serving the two-term limit.

Shapp aimed for higher office, but gave up a run for president in 1976 after losing to “no preference” in the Florida primary. He jokingly titled his unpublished memoirs, “I Never Became the First Jewish President.”

Much of his legacy will be as an advocate of the powerless.

Pennsylvania’s lottery provides money for programs for the elderly. Shapp also set up a toll-free citizen hot line to the governor and agencies controlling strip mining and land reclamation that became national models.

He established financial disclosure requirements for top state officials, a strict ethics code for state employees and a “sunshine law” to open government to more public access.

His involvement with national politics began with his work for John F. Kennedy’s presidential bid in 1960. Shapp was later a consultant to the Kennedy Administration on business and the Peace Corps.

The son of a hardware salesman who was a Republican, Shapp preceded his political career by spending 20 years building Jerrold Electronics Corp.--his middle name was Jerrold--to bring cable television to mountain-locked communities. He sold the company in 1966 for more than $50 million.

Shapp’s gubernatorial tenure was tainted by corruption. Though never linked to wrongdoing, some of his aides and Democratic allies were indicted. However, only one lower-level official was convicted for taking kickbacks.