Agnes M. Scanlon (December 22, 1923 – October 3, 2018) was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives."Agnes M. Scanlon" (biography). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, retrieved online May 24, 2023.
Formative years and family Born as Agnes M. Ruddock in Springfield, Massachusetts, on December 22, 1923, Scanlon graduated from the High School of Commerce in Springfield, the Springfield Vocational School, the Philadelphia Flore Academy of Beauty Culture, and the Berlitz School of Languages."Agnes M. Scanlon" (biography), Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
She and her husband, Pennsylvania Senator Joseph J. Scanlon, were the parents of three children, the grandparents of eight grandchildren and the great-grandparents of six great-grandchildren.
Her husband preceded her in death. Still a sitting member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, he died on September 13, 1970, at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia while undergoing treatment for diabetes. He was buried at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania."The Dignity of a Kensington Goodbye." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Daily News, September 18, 1970, p. 57 (subscription required).
Career Employed during her early adult years as a beautician, she and her husband, Joe, owned and operated Joe Scanlon's Tavern at the corner of Allegheny Avenue and G Street in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood.Fox, Tom. "Joe Scanlon's Legacy." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Daily News, September 16, 1970, p. 4 (subscription required).
Hired as an administrative assistant for the Register of Wills office in Philadelphia, Agnes Scanlon later worked as an administrative assistant for the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Executive committee leader for the Democratic Party's 33rd Ward from 1970 to 1974, she ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Philadelphia City Council in 1971.Padwe, Sandy. "Agnes Scanlon: Tired of Talking." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 22, 1971, p. 23 (subscription required).
She was then elected as a Democrat to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 1977 term, during which she worked to increase state funding for Pennsylvania schools,Moyle, Mike. "State Unit Hints Hotel Tax Okay for Expo Hall." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 21, 1977, p. 9 (subscription required). but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, losing the opportunity to serve for the 1979 term by less than three hundred votes.Fox, Tom. "An election full of oddities." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 21, 1978, p. 10 (subscription required).
Death Scanlon died in Philadelphia on October 3, 2018.
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