Member Biography

Edward P. Zemprelli 

Member
Sessions Office Position District Party
1969       45 Democrat
1970       45 Democrat
1971       45 Democrat
1972       45 Democrat
1973       45 Democrat
1974       45 Democrat
1975       45 Democrat
1976       45 Democrat
1977       45 Democrat
1978       45 Democrat
1979     Majority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1980     Majority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1981     Minority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1982     Minority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1983     Minority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1984     Minority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1985     Minority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1986     Minority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1987     Minority Floor Leader 45 Democrat
1988     Minority Floor Leader 45 Democrat

COUNTIES: Allegheny, Washington, Westmoreland  


Biography

05/11/1925 - 12/04/2017


Edward P. Zemprelli (D45) Allegheny (Part), Washington (Part), and Westmoreland Counties (Part), 1969-1988

Early Life:

Edward P. Zemprelli, born May 11, 1925, Clairton, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; son of John and Maria Mercurio Pelegrini Tomaselli Zemprelli; public school education; Penn State College of the Liberal Arts, Bachelor of Arts; Commerce and Finance, 1945; University of Pittsburgh, Juris Doctor, 1949; admitted Pennsylvania bar, 1950; private law practice; elected, Solicitor, City of Clairton, 1952-1960; elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1963-1968; married, Margaret “Marge” Antoinette Antonietta Zemprelli; daughter, Carla Zemprelli Corum; elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State Senate, 1969-1988; Senate Majority Leader, 1979-1980; Senate Democratic Floor Leader, 1981-1988; died, December 4, 2017 (age 92), Jupiter, Palm Beach County, Florida; internment, Jefferson Memorial Park, Pleasant Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Early Career:

Established, private law practice, located in his home, Clairton, Pennsylvania.

Professional titles; business ownership; board memberships; local government; club memberships:

Gubernational appointee, Penn State Board of Trustees, 1978-1996; Trustee Emeritus, Penn State Board of Trustees, 1997; trustee, University of Pittsburgh; distinguished alumnus, University of Pittsburgh, 1988. Trust officer, Lincoln Bank and Trust Company.

Member, Clairton Public Library Board of Trustees; 4th Degree Knight, Knights of Columbus; member, Sons of Columbus; member, Italian Sons and Daughters of America; member, Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.

Awards:

Conference of State Legislators’ Distinguished Legislative Leader Award, 1988.

Pennsylvania Politics:

Elected, Solicitor, City of Clairton, 1952-1960.

Chair, Clairton Democratic Committee.

Elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1963-1968.

Elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State Senate, 45th District, Allegheny, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties, 1969-1988; Senate Majority Leader, 1979-1980; Senate Democratic Floor Leader, 1981-1988; committee assignments, Rules and Executive Nominations (minority chair), Urban Housing and Development, 1987-1988, session.

Appointed, Pennsylvania Commission on Interstate Cooperation, 1971-1980 (chair, 1979-1980); appointed, Joint State Government Commission, 1979-1988; appointed, Pennsylvania Higher Educational Facilities Authority, 1981-1988; appointed, State Public School Building Authority, 1981-1988; appointed Pennsylvania MILRITE (Make Industry and Labor Right in Today’s Economy) Council, 1981-1982.

Pennsylvania House Archives Biography:

https://archives.house.state.pa.us/people/member-biography?ID=1609

Legacy:

Active in the Penn State community, from his college years as a first-down chain worker at football games up to his confirmation as Trustee Emeritus, 1997.

Cited:

Bekavac Funeral Home and Crematory. “Edward P. Zemprelli, Esq.” Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.bekavacfuneralhome.com/notices/Edward-ZemprelliEsq

Doukas, Ozzie (Editor). (1987). The Pennsylvania Manual, (vol. 108). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pages 90, 99-100.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/186768819/edward-p-zemprelli  

The Pennsylvania State University. “2004 Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony Excerpt.” Accessed November 28, 2022. https://www.alumni.psu.edu/s/1218/16/interior.aspx?gid=4&pgid=4782&q=Zemprelli

The Pennsylvania State University. “Trustee emeritus Edward Zemprelli dies.” Last modified January 23, 2018. https://www.psu.edu/news/administration/story/trustee-emeritus-edward-zemprelli-dies/

The Pennsylvania State University. “Trustee emeritus Edward Zemprelli dies.” Last modified January 23, 2018. Trustee emeritus Edward Zemprelli dies | Penn State University (psu.edu).