John C. Kunkel

John C. Kunkel

John Crain Kunkel (born July 21, 1898 in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , †  July 27, 1970 there ) was an American politician . Between 1939 and 1951 and again from 1961 to 1966 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Kunkel came from a well-known family of politicians. He was the grandson of Congressman John Christian Kunkel (1816-1870). In addition, other politicians belonged to his ancestors, including John Sergeant (1779-1852), Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant (1746-1793) and Robert Whitehill (1738-1813). He attended the Harrisburg Academy and then the Phillips Academy in Andover ( Massachusetts ). This was followed by a study at Yale University until 1916 . During World War I he served in the Students' Army Training Corps . After studying law at Harvard University and being admitted to the bar in 1926, he began to work in this profession. He also worked as a banker and farmer. Politically, he joined the Republican Party .

In the 1938 congressional elections , Kunkel was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 19th  constituency of Pennsylvania , where he succeeded Democrat Guy J. Swope on January 3, 1939 . After five re-elections, he was able to complete six legislative terms in Congress by January 3, 1951 . Since 1945 he represented the 18th district of his state there. The Roosevelt government's last New Deal laws were passed by 1941 , which Kunkel's party was rather hostile to. Since 1941, the work of the Congress was also shaped by the events of World War II . After that, the Cold War determined American foreign policy.

In 1950, Kunkel renounced another candidacy for the US House of Representatives. Instead, he unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination for the US Senate elections . Between 1952 and 1966 he was the County Commissioner in Dauphin County . After the death of MP Walter M. Mumma , Kunkel was elected to the US House of Representatives in the by-election for the 16th seat of Pennsylvania, where he took up his new mandate on May 16, 1961. After two re-elections, he could remain in Congress until his resignation on December 30, 1966. During this time, among other things, the beginning of the Vietnam War and the climax of the civil rights movement fell . In 1966 Kunkel decided not to run again. His resignation on December 30 of this year took place a few days before the end of the legislative period on January 3, 1967. John Kunkel died on July 27, 1970 in Harrisburg, where he was also buried.

Web links

• John C. Kunkel in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• John C. Kunkel in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Guy J. Swope	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (19th constituency) January 3, 1939 - January 3, 1945	Leon H. Gavin
Richard M. Simpson	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (18th constituency) January 3, 1945 - January 3, 1951	Walter M. Mumma
Walter M. Mumma	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (16th constituency) May 16, 1961 - December 30, 1966	Edwin Duing Eshleman