Tom Foerster
| Tom Foerster | |
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| Member of the Allegheny County Council from the 13th District |
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In office January 3, 2000 – January 11, 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Board Created |
| Succeeded by | Brenda Frazier |
| Member of the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners |
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In office January 1, 1968 – January 1, 1996 |
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| Preceded by | John McGrady |
| Succeeded by | Bob Cranmer |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Allegheny County district |
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In office January 6, 1959 – November 8, 1967 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1928 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | January 11, 2000 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Georgeann Zupancic |
| Alma mater | Slippery Rock College |
Thomas J. "Tom" Foerster (1928 – 2000) was a Democratic politician. Foerster held a variety of political positions in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and was seen as one of the last "machine" politicians from the area.
A native of Pittsburgh, Foerster was active in athletics while a high school student, and while attending Slippery Rock College (now a university). He also began coaching youth football, where he often coached against Dan Rooney, who would become a close friend.
Foerster unsuccessfully sought a seat in the Pennsylvania State House in both 1954 and 1956. He was successful in his third bid in 1958, winning one of Allegheny County's allotted at-large seats by defeating former Steelers quarterback John "Harp" Vaughn. Foerster joined Leroy Irvis (who would go on to serve as the first African American Speaker of the State House) and State Senator Eugene Scanlon in a much-heralded freshman legislative class. While in the State House, he championed the cause of outdoorsmen and environmentalists, distinguishing himself by authoring Pennsylvania's Clean Streams Law.
Foerster was persuaded to run for one of the three seats on Allegheny County's Board of Commissioners in 1967. He received significant backing from the political machine of former Pittsburgh Mayor David Lawrence, whom Foerster had long admired. Lawrence, who had been elected Governor the same year Foerster won his State House seat, supported Forester and his running mate, former State Senator Leonard Staisey. Together, Staisey and Foerster toppled incumbent Democratic Commissioners William McClelland and John McGrady in the primary election. Foerster would go on to be re-elected to the Board of Commissioners a record six more times.
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