From January 4, 1875 to January 1, 1969, the following Judges sat on the Orphans' Court of
Philadelphia County:
William B. Hanna
Dennis W. O'Brien
T. Bradford Dwight
William N. Ashman
Clement B. Penrose
Joseph C. Ferguson
Morris Dallett
Joseph F. Lamorelle
Edward A. Anderson
Charles Francis Gummey
John Marshall Gest
George Henderson
Henry C. Thompson, Jr.
Lewis H. Van Dusen
Allen M. Stearne
Charles Sinkler
Charles Klein
Curtis Bok
Robert V. Bolger
Grover C. Ladner
David G. Hunter
John P. Boland
Mark E. Lefever
Harold D. Saylor
Kendall H. Shoyer
Joseph D. Burke
On January 1, 1969, the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia became a division of the Philadelphia
Court of Common Pleas. Since the merger, the following Judges have sat in the Orphans' Court
Division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas:
Charles Klein
Robert V. Bolger
Mark E. Lefever
Harold D. Saylor
Kendall H. Shoyer
Joseph D. Burke
Edmund S. Pawelec
Paul Silverstein
Theodore S. Gutowicz
Joseph C. Bruno
Judith Jamison
Alex Bonavitacola
Theodore A. McKee
Kathryn S. Lewis
Frank X. O'Brien
Levan Gordon
Petrese B. Tucker
Anne E. Lazarus
Joseph D. O'Keefe
Lynn B. Hamlin
John W. Herron
The history of the position of Administrative Judge of the Orphans' Court Division is as follows:
Judge Edmund S. Pawelec January 5, 1976 - July 1, 1992
Judge Kathryn S. Lewis July 1, 1992 - April 1, 1996
Judge Petrese B. Tucker April 1, 1996 - July 14, 2000
Judge Alex Bonavitacola* July 14, 2000 - December 22, 2000
Judge Joseph D. O'Keefe December 22, 2000 - Present
*Judge Bonavitacola, as President Judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, assumed a
"Supervisory" role over the Orphans' Court until Judge O'Keefe was named as successor to
Judge Tucker.
