George Leader

HARRISBURG — Former Pennsylvania Gov. George M. Leader, the son of a chicken farmer, died Thursday. He was 95.

A Democrat who was the second-youngest person to be elected Pennsylvania governor, Leader fought to rid government of patronage jobs and improve social services.

Leader was 37 when he took office in 1955, and he served one four-year term, the maximum allowed by law at the time.

Under his leadership, the state overhauled its mental health system and made special education a requirement in Pennsylvania schools.