Mark Stephen Schweiker (born January 31, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th governor of Pennsylvania from October 5, 2001 to January 21, 2003. Schweiker, a Republican, assumed the governorship in 2001, when his predecessor, Tom Ridge, resigned to become Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush. Schweiker serves as the SVP and Chief Relationship Officer of Renmatix. Early life Mark Schweiker, second son of John and Mary Schweiker, was born in Levittown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He is of German and Irish descent. He attended Bishop Egan High School in Bucks County and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He holds a master's degree in administration from Rider University. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Rider University in 2004. After college he entered the business world and held positions at Sadlier Oxford and McGraw Hill. Later, he formed his own management consulting firm. Political career Bucks County politics Schweiker entered politics in 1979 when he successfully ran for supervisor of Middletown Township. In 1987, he was elected Bucks County Commissioner. Schweiker and fellow Republican Andrew Warren overturned a Democratic majority on the board, largely on the strength of opposition to a water project planned for Point Pleasant. Lieutenant governor In 1994, Schweiker successfully ran for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor. Schweiker ran in the fall general election alongside Congressman Tom Ridge, the gubernatorial nominee. The Ridge/Schweiker ticket won the election, beating the Democratic ticket of incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel (the gubernatorial nominee), and State Labor and Industry Secretary Tom Foley (the nominee for Lieutenant Governor) by a margin of 45.40% to 39.89%. Constitution Party candidate Peg Luksik captured 12.8 percent of the vote. The Ridge–Schweiker ticket easily won re-election in 1998. As lieutenant governor, Schweiker chaired the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council, The Board of Pardons, The Governor's Council on Recycling Development and Waste Reduction, oversaw the State-wide Radio Network, and was involved with Pennsylvania's anti-terrorism task force and the "Weed and Seed" anti-crime initiative. In a 2002 PoliticsPA feature story designating politicians with yearbook superlatives, he was named "Missing in Action". Governor Schweiker had decided against a run for the governor's office in 2002 and was preparing to finish out his term when the September 11 terrorist attack occurred. Ridge resigned as governor on October 5, 2001, to join the Bush administration as