Stewart J. Greenleaf is a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the Pennsylvania State Senate

Pennsylvania State Senate

The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...

, representing the 12th District

Pennsylvania Senate, District 12

Pennsylvania's 12th Senatorial District includes parts of Bucks and Montgomery CountiesBucks County* Upper Southampton Township* Warminster Township* Warrington TownshipMontgomery County* Ambler* Bryn Athyn* Franconia Township* Hatboro* Hatfield...

 since 1979. His district includes portions of Montgomery

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...

 and Bucks

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...

 Counties.

Biography

Greenleaf is a 1961 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 and received his J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from the University of Toledo College of Law

University of Toledo

The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...

. He served as an assistant district attorney in Montgomery County from 1970 to 1977 and also an assistant public defender in Bucks County. Greenleaf continues to serve as a partner in his law firm, Elliott Greenleaf, whose attorneys include Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor

Bruce L. Castor, Jr.

Bruce L. Castor, Jr. is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Castor was district attorney for Montgomery County from January 2000 through January 2008 when he took a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners...

 and former State Rep. Melissa Murphy Weber

Melissa Murphy Weber

Melissa Murphy Weber is an attorney and Pennsylvania politician.Weber graduated with a degree in Economics from Denison University in 1991. While attending Denison University, Weber achieved All-American honors in lacrosse. She received her LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University School of...

.

Career

In 1971, Greenleaf was elected as a Commissioner for Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania

Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania

Upper Moreland Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 24,015 at the 2010 census. Upper Moreland Township is primarily a residential community with distinctive neighborhoods that are complemented by several thriving business, industrial, and...

. After one term, Greenleaf was elected to a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....

 in 1976. He served a single term in the house before winning his bid for the State Senate in 1978. Greenleaf has been re-elected seven times, most recently over Democrat Jeff Albert in 2006.

Greenleaf considered a run for Congress

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 in 1993, briefly forming an exploratory committee to take on Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky

Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky

Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and a women's right activist. She is a former journalist and a former politician for the Democratic Party. From 1993 to 1995 she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing...

. However, he dropped out before the county endorsement convention. In 2000, Greenleaf did run for Congress, attempting to defeat Rep. Joe Hoeffel

Joe Hoeffel

Joseph Merrill "Joe" Hoeffel III is an American politician. A Democrat, he is currently a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, having previously served from 1992 to 1998....

. Hoeffel won the race with nearly 53% of the vote to Greenleaf's 46%.

Senator Greenleaf is Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and serves on the Appropriations, Banking & Insurance, Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure and Environmental Resources & Energy Committees.

Greenleaf has strongly supported an indoor smoking ban for the state of Pennsylvania, introducing smoking ban legislation in every session since 1993.

2012 presidential election

Greenleaf signed up to be on the presidential ballot for the Republican Party's New Hampshire primary

New Hampshire primary

The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years , as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November.Although only a...

. He explained that he did so to focus the debate of the election on the balancing of the federal budget.

External links

• Pennsylvania State Senate - Stewart Greenleaf official PA Senate website
• Greenleaf for Senate official campaign website