'Tom' most common name for Pa. governors
Pennsylvania has been ruled by a "Tom" for a longer period of time than by any other name, according to the University of Minnesota.
The most common name for a Pennsylvania governor, it turns out, is "Thomas" or its derivative "Tom," according to a Smart Politics analysis by a professor at the University of Minnesota.
Regardless of the outcome in November, the streak is sure to continue: incumbent Gov. Tom Corbett (R) is facing a challenge from Democratic nominee Tom Wolf, a York businessman and former state revenue secretary.
Through Sunday, a Tom or Thomas has served as governor of Pennsylvania for 11,067 days since statehood, or slightly more than 30.5 years collectively, said Eric Ostermeier, a research associate at Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and the author of Smart Politics.
Federalist Thomas Mifflin was the first, governing for 11 years, 2 months, 16 days between 1788 and 1799. Mifflin was succeeded by Democratic-Republican Thomas McKean who led the state for 9 years, 3 days from 1799 to 1808.
It would be more than 185 years before the next Tom was sworn into office, but they have been well represented since.
Republican Tom Ridge served 6 years, 8 months, 18 days from 1995 to 2001 when he resigned to become the Secretary of Homeland Security in the second Bush administration.
Governor Corbett, meanwhile, had been in office 1,230 days through Sunday, Ostermeier wrote, but will add at least 233 days to his total through January 20th, 2015. At that point, either he or Wolf will continue the name's streak.
By January 2019, a Thomas/Tom will have run Pennsylvania's government for 15 percent of its history as a state.
What name comes in second? John – Shulze, Geary, Hartranft, Tener, Fisher, Bell and Fine, for 10,988 days in total.