Honoring the Life and Legacy of Stephen J. Harmelin, Esquire.

Honoring the Life and Legacy of Stephen J. Harmelin, Esquire. WHEREAS, Stephen J. Harmelin was born on May 7, 1939 to a Jewish family and raised in Northwest Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, Harmelin graduated from Central High School and went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated cum laude in 1960. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1963, Harmelin briefly served in active duty in the United States Coast Guard; and WHEREAS, A call from the White House to a Harvard fraternity for Harmelin would land him a position as Director of Speechwriting for President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. While serving in the White House, Harmelin was tasked by the President with creating and developing the prestigious White House Fellows program; and WHEREAS, In 1965 Harmelin returned to his hometown of Philadelphia to begin his career as a high-powered corporate law and financial securities attorney at Dilworth Paxson LLP under former Mayor Richardson Dilworth. He stayed at the firm till his retirement in 2019, departing only briefly in 1970 to serve as a Special Assistant District Attorney under District Attorney and future U.S. Senator Arlen Specter; and WHEREAS, Harmelin’s legal work included serving as General Counsel for the Legislative Reapportionment Commission on behalf of the Pennsylvania State Senate and the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1992 following the 1990 U.S. Census. From 2007 to 2008, he worked as the receiver ad litem for the Commodity Futures Tra…