Joseph Ted Doyle (October 6, 1931 – December 18, 2012) was an American politician and judge from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who served as a 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 ...

for the 163rd district from 1971 to 1978. He also served as judge of the

Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of Pennsylvania's two intermediate appellate courts. The Commonwealth Court's headquarters is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with jurisdiction over administrative and civil public law. The Superior ...

from 1982 to 2002 including as president judge from 1992 to 2002.

Early life and education

Doyle was born in

Ridley Park, Pennsylvania Ridley Park is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 7,002 at the 2010 census. Ridley Park is the home of The Boeing Company's CH-47 Chinook helicopter division. History Native American The Lenape inhabited the Delaw ...

to Frank J. and Mary Bellwoar Doyle and graduated from St. James High School in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

. He received a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from

La Salle College La Salle College (LSC) (, Demonym: Lasallian) is a boys' secondary school in Hong Kong. It was established in 1932 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic religious teaching order founded by St. John Bapti ...

in 1951, a J.D. from

Villanova University Law School Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law (known as Villanova University School of Law) is a law school of the Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1953, the School of Law is approved by the American Bar Associat ...

in 1958 and a

LL.M A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

in 1990.

Career

Doyle worked as an attorney, as editor of the Delaware County Legal Journal, as solicitor for the Borough of Yeadon and as solicitor for the Borough of Brookhaven Zoning Board. He was elected to the

for the 163rd district in 1971 and served 4 consecutive terms until 1978. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1979. He had an unsuccessful campaign for the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate 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 ev ...

in 1978 and an unsuccessful campaign for reelection to the House in 1980. He was elected judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and served from 1982 to 2002 including as president judge from 1992 to 2002. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from

Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...

in 2001. He is interred at the Calvary Cemetery in

West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania West Conshohocken is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,320 at the 2010 census. Its sister community is Conshohocken, located across the Schuylkill River. Montgomery County's seat, Norristown, is lo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, Joseph T. 1931 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American legislators Judges of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania La Salle University alumni Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives People from Ridley Park, Pennsylvania University of Virginia School of Law alumni Villanova University School of Law alumni 20th-century American judges