Dante Santoni Jr. (born September 1, 1960) is former a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the

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. It ...

, representing the 126th Legislative District from 1993 to 2010. The district is located in Berks County, covering Alsace Township,

Laureldale Laureldale is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,911 at the 2010 census. Geography Laureldale is at (40.389293, -75.914150). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all ...

, Lower Alsace Township, Mount Penn, Muhlenberg Township, and

St. Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...

, and parts of Exeter Township and Reading.

Biography

Santoni was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Dante and Carmella (née Cagnetti) Santoni. He graduated from Muhlenberg High School in 1978, and earned a B.S. in accounting from Villanova University in 1982. He then worked as a field representative and loan officer with Southeast Farm Credit Service until 1983. Between 1984 and 1992, he served as finance director, township secretary, and commissioner in Muhlenberg Township. Santoni was elected to the

on November 3, 1992, and was sworn into office on January 5, 1993. He has subsequently been re-elected nine times. Following the death of

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 ...

Michael O'Pake Michael A. O'Pake (February 2, 1940 – December 27, 2010) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 11th District from 1973 to 2010. He served as the Democratic Whip in Pennsylvania fr ...

in 2010, he briefly ran for the Democratic nomination for the

11th District 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

but withdrew in favor of

Judy Schwank Judith Schwank (born 1951) is an American politician. A Democrat, she was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate from the 11th district in a special election on March 15, 2011 to succeed the late Michael O'Pake. The district includes the city of Rea ...

, a former Berks County Commissioner.

References

External links

Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Dante Santoni (Democrat)
official PA House website
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Dante Santoni
official Party website {{DEFAULTSORT:Santoni, Dante Living people Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 1960 births 21st-century American politicians