Abigail E. Major is an American politician serving as a member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from the 60th district. She was elected in a March 2021 special election and assumed office on June 7, 2021.

Early life and education

A native of Ford City, Pennsylvania, Major graduated from

Ford City High School The Armstrong School District is a large, public school district which encompasses approximately . The District is one of the 500 public school districts of Pennsylvania. In Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Armstrong School District covers th ...

. She then joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, serving as an intelligence analyst from 2004 to 2007. After leaving the Army, she attended the

Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science is a funeral service program based in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Notable alumni * James Huberty – Perpetrator of the San Ysidro McDonald's massacre. * John J ...

and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mortuary science from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Career

Major previously worked as the funeral director of the Curran-Shaffer Funeral Home. She later joined the staff of State Rep.

Jeff Pyle Jeffrey Paul Pyle (August 30, 1964 – September 14, 2022) was an American politician and educator who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2005 to 2021, representing the 60th legislative district. E ...

, serving as a legislative assistant and later as his chief of staff. Major was elected to the

in a May 2021 special election to succeed Pyle. She assumed office on June 7, 2021. She was re-elected for a full term in 2022. In March 2023, after a lobbyist and a campaign manager for Democratic state representative

Michael Zabel Michael Zabel (born 1978) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He has represented the 163rd district since 2019. After graduating from St. Joseph's Preparatory School in 1996, Za ...

accused him of

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

, Major accused him of sexual harassing her as well. Zabel resigned due to these allegations.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Major, Abby Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania People from Ford City, Pennsylvania Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians