A Brief Look at Peter Amuso

Peter Amuso is the declared Democratic candidate for District Attorney in Montgomery County. Amuso adds to the ranks of Army lawyers who are running for office these days. He is a former U.S. Army prosecutor, serving as a Judge Advocate in Albania and Germany. A Harvard Law School graduate in 1997, he served in the military from 1998 to 2002. After leaving the military he worked at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll in Philadelphia. In 2003, he and the future Deputy Speaker of the House, Josh Shapiro (D-153) were both on the firm’s Government Enforcement / White Collar Crime Group. While there he was also involved in product liability; one case involved medical devices. Most recently he has been an attorney at Toll Brothers.

His father is a school superintendent and Peter Amuso currently serves on the Springfield School Board, but he seems to have found inspiration in the life of his maternal grandfather, who emigrated from Italy. Both attended Georgetown (Peter on an ROTC scholarship). His grandfather was also a lawyer and also served with the Judge Advocate General’s Corp, though in World War II.

The general view at the outset is that this is likely a difficult race to win. Regardless, Amuso should not be taken lightly. For one thing he was a Pennsylvania State Political Leader Fellow in 2005. Other fellows that year were Derek Green, currently running an at large seat on the Philadelphia City Council, recently elected state Rep. Tony Payton, Jr., and Marc Stier of the city’s Neighborhood Networks and also a candidate for at large city councilman. In his bio for the Fellowship he listed his ambitions as running for District Attorney or the state house. He stepped down as chair of the Springfield Township Democrats this month to focus on the campaign. Amuso is also one of the founders of the Blue Future PAC, which raises money for state and local candidates in the state. Politics must to be in the blood; the grandfather who seems to have inspired him once served as an assistant Attorney General of Ohio

Selected Sources:

Amuso to Seek Democratic Nomination for Montco District Attorney [press release, 2/07/07]

2006 Pennsylvania State Political Leader Fellows

Augustine "Gus" Leonard [obituary, 2/09/06]

"Wyndmoor Resident Amuso Announces Run for DA Post," by Carl Hessler, Jr., Springfield Sun 2/08/07