Carol Aichele is an American politician and teacher. She previously served as

Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania The secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (or "secretary of state") administers the Pennsylvania Department of State of the U.S. state (officially, " commonwealth") of Pennsylvania. The secretary is appointed by the governor subject to co ...

from January 2011 to January 2015. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Aichele previously served on the Chester County Board of Commissioners.

Teaching career and early political involvement

Aichele worked as a part-time teacher at the

Agnes Irwin School The Agnes Irwin School is a non-sectarian college preparatory day school for girls from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. It was founded in 1869 by Agnes Irwin in Philadelphia. Irwin, a great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, later beca ...

in Rosemont, and served on the board of directors of the

Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Tredyffrin/Easttown School District (T/E in short) is a school district based in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. T/E School District serves the townships of Tredyffrin Township and Easttown Township, and is one of the seve ...

. She was also a member of the Republican State Committee.

Political career

County Controller

Aichele successfully ran for the office of Chester County Controller in 1997. Aichele defeated two other candidates in the

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

, including future

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Duane Milne, and succeeded retiring

incumbent Joseph Carpenter.

County Commissioner

After serving two terms as County Controller, Aichle sought and was elected to a seat on the Chester County Board of Commissioners in November 2003. She was re-elected four years later. She briefly ran for the Republican nomination for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, but withdrew from the race several months before the election.

State Senate special election

In 2006,

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Bob Thompson died from

pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failu ...

at the

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is the flagship hospital of Penn Medicine and is located in the University City section of West Philadelphia. It is consistently ranked as one of the top hospitals in the United States. Histor ...

. Thompson, a longtime political force, had been re-elected to his 19th District Senate seat in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

without opposition. Aichele received the nomination of the county Republican Party for the May special election, and squared-off against her fellow County Commissioner

Andy Dinniman Andrew E. Dinniman (born 1944) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 19th District from June 2006 until 2020. Early life and education Dinniman was born in New Haven, Connecticut. ...

. In what was considered a stunning upset, Dinniman defeated Aichele by twelve percentage points to become the first Democrat to represent

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

in the State Senate since 1890.

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Incoming

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Tom Corbett Thomas Wingett Corbett Jr. (born June 17, 1949) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 46th governor of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1995 ...

announced his intention to nominate Aichele for the position of Secretary of the Commonwealth in January 2011. Aichele resigned from the Board of Commissioners later that month, and served as Acting Secretary until her nomination was unanimously approved by the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

in April. She served until January 20, 2015.

Personal life

Her husband, Stephen Aichele, is an attorney who previously served as the Governor's

General Counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

, and as the governor's

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

.Mary Wilson, witf:
Corbett’s chief of staff leaves amid reports of shake-up
', May 25, 2012. URL last accessed 2012-10-29. The couple has three children, Steve, Kate and Tom.

References

External links

Carol Aichele, Secretary of the Commonwealth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aichele, Carol 1950 births Living people Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Republicans Cornell University alumni Chester County Commissioners (Pennsylvania)