# Ivan Itkin > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ivan_Itkin > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ivan_Itkin.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Itkin > Source revision: 1304637195 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American politician (1936–2020)}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Ivan Itkin |image = Ivan Itkin 1980.jpg |caption = Itkin {{circa}} 1980 |office = Majority Leader of the
[Pennsylvania House of Representatives](/source/Pennsylvania_House_of_Representatives) |term_start = January 5, 1993 |term_end = January 3, 1995 |predecessor = [Bill DeWeese](/source/Bill_DeWeese) |successor = [Bill DeWeese](/source/Bill_DeWeese) |state_house1 = Pennsylvania |district1 = [23rd](/source/Pennsylvania_House_of_Representatives%2C_District_23) |term_start1 = January 2, 1973 |term_end1 = January 5, 1999 |predecessor1 = [Gerald Kaufman](/source/Gerald_Kaufman_(Pennsylvania_politician)) |successor1 = [Dan Frankel](/source/Dan_Frankel_(American_politician)) |birth_date = {{birth date|1936|3|29}} |birth_place = {{nowrap|[New York City](/source/New_York_City), [New York](/source/New_York_(state)), U.S.}} |death_date = {{death date and age|2020|4|5|1936|3|29}} |death_place = [Fort Lauderdale, Florida](/source/Fort_Lauderdale%2C_Florida), U.S. |party = [Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) |spouse = Joyce Hudak |children = 3 |education = [New York University](/source/New_York_University) ([BS](/source/Bachelor_of_Science), [MS](/source/Master_of_Science))
[University of Pittsburgh](/source/University_of_Pittsburgh) ([PhD](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy)) }} '''Ivan Itkin''' (March 29, 1936 – April 5, 2020) was an American politician who served as a [Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) member of the [Pennsylvania House of Representatives](/source/Pennsylvania_House_of_Representatives) from 1973 to 1998. He was the Democratic nominee for [Governor of Pennsylvania](/source/Governor_of_Pennsylvania) in [1998](/source/1998_Pennsylvania_gubernatorial_election). ==Early life== Itkin was born in [New York City](/source/New_York_City) on March 9, 1936.{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19981029&id=dosyAAAAIBAJ&pg=3986,3009270 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-06-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312103752/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19981029&id=dosyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zeYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3986,3009270 |archive-date=2016-03-12 |url-status=dead }} In 1956, he graduated from the [Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn](/source/Polytechnic_Institute_of_Brooklyn) with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. Itkin went on to receive a master's degree from [New York University](/source/New_York_University) in Nuclear Engineering in 1957. After a stint working as a reactor physicist at Westinghouse Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19620515&id=OcUwAAAAIBAJ&pg=5252,2256604 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-06-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312103817/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19620515&id=OcUwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JWwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5252,2256604 |archive-date=2016-03-12 |url-status=dead }} Itkin received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the [University of Pittsburgh](/source/University_of_Pittsburgh) in 1964. He worked as a nuclear scientist and applied mathematician until 1972, when he was elected to the [Pennsylvania House of Representatives'](/source/Pennsylvania_House_of_Representatives) [23rd District](/source/Pennsylvania_House_of_Representatives%2C_District_23), which includes portions of [Allegheny County](/source/Allegheny_County%2C_Pennsylvania).{{cite web|url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/mg/mg469.htm |title=PA State Archives - MG-469 - Scope and Content Note - Ivan Itkin Papers |website=Phmc.state.pa.us |date=1936-03-29 |accessdate=2017-05-17}} ==Political career== ===State House of Representatives=== thumb|left|Palm card, 1980 Itkin held a variety of leadership positions with the House's Democratic caucus. He served as [majority whip](/source/whip_(politics)) from 1990 though 1992. He was elected majority leader in 1992, and minority whip in 1994. He was also appointed Speaker Pro Tempore during the 1987-1988 session. ===Candidate for governor=== {{Main|1998 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election}} Itkin ran against [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) [incumbent](/source/incumbent) [Tom Ridge](/source/Tom_Ridge). He and his running mate, former [Congresswoman](/source/U.S._House_of_Representatives) [Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky](/source/Marjorie_Margolies-Mezvinsky), lost the election with 31% of the vote.{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1998&fips=42&f=0&off=5&elect=0|title=1998 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Pennsylvania|website=Uselectionatlas.org|accessdate=2017-05-17}} {{Election box begin no change| title=[1998 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election](/source/1998_Pennsylvania_gubernatorial_election)}} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Republican Party (US) |candidate = '''Tom Ridge'''
Running mate: '''Mark Schweiker''' |votes = 1,736,844 |percentage = 57.42 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (US) |candidate = Ivan Itkin
Running mate: Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky |votes = 938,745 |percentage = 31.03 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Constitution Party (US) |candidate = Peg Luksik
Running mate :Jim Clymer |votes = 315,761 |percentage = 10.04 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Libertarian Party (US) |candidate = Ken Krawchuk
Running mate: Henry Haller III |votes = 33,591 |percentage = 1.11 }} {{Election box end}} ==Later career== Itkin retired from the House following his gubernatorial defeat and was subsequently appointed director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management in the [Department of Energy](/source/United_States_Department_of_Energy) by [President](/source/President_of_the_United_States) [Bill Clinton](/source/Bill_Clinton) in 1999. He died of heart failure on April 5, 2020, in [Fort Lauderdale, Florida](/source/Fort_Lauderdale%2C_Florida) at age 84.{{cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2020/04/15/Ivan-Itkin-obituary/stories/202004150150 |title=Obituary: Ivan Itkin, former state representative admired for his intellect throughout 13 terms |publisher=Post-gazette.com |date=2020-04-15 |accessdate=2020-04-30}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/mg/mg469.htm PA State Archives: Ivan Itkin] {{s-start}} {{s-par|us-pa-hs}} {{s-bef|before=[Bill DeWeese](/source/Bill_DeWeese)}} {{s-ttl|title=Majority Leader of the [Pennsylvania House of Representatives](/source/Pennsylvania_House_of_Representatives)|years=1993–1995}} {{s-aft|after=[Bill DeWeese](/source/Bill_DeWeese)}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=[Mark Singel](/source/Mark_Singel)}} {{s-ttl|title=[Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) nominee for [Governor of Pennsylvania](/source/List_of_Governors_of_Pennsylvania)|years=[1998](/source/1998_Pennsylvania_gubernatorial_election)}} {{s-aft|after=[Ed Rendell](/source/Ed_Rendell)}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Itkin, Ivan}} Category:1936 births Category:2020 deaths Category:American nuclear physicists Category:Candidates in the 1998 United States elections Category:Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Category:Politicians from New York City Category:Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni Category:University of Pittsburgh alumni Category:Scientists from New York (state) Category:20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ivan Itkin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Itkin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Itkin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.