Charles W. Staudenmeier (November 4, 1894 – January 12, 1988) was a Republican Pennsylvania State Senator from 1933 to 1936. He also served in 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 ...

for 10 consecutive years from 1923 until 1932. Later he was elected as a

Schuylkill County Schuylkill County (, ; Pennsylvania Dutch: Schulkill Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the heart of Pennsylvania's Coal Region and is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the populat ...

judge from 1947 to 1967.

History

Staudenmeier was the son of Joseph Staudenmeier (1856-1944) and Margaret Lutz (1852-1950). He married Sara E. Daley on August 20, 1922. He had four children, Charles W. Jr, Dr. James J, Margaret Whalen, and Sally Margraf. He graduated from Ashland High School in 1912 and went on to attend

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

before graduating from

Dickinson School of Law Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separately accredited law schools of The Pennsylvania State University. According to Penn State Dickinson Law's 2019 ...

in 1916. Staudenmeier 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 ...

shortly thereafter and served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as an instructor at Camp Meigs, Washington, DC. When he returned to Ashland, he began his law practice in Ashland and

Pottsville Pottsville usually refers to the city of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Pottsville may also refer to: Other communities *Pottsville, New South Wales, Australia *Pottsville, Arkansas, United States *Pottsville, Kentucky, United ...

. He first ran for public office in 1922 and won election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He served 4 more consecutive terms there and also served as Assistant District Attorney for Schuylkill County from 1927 to 1929, serving under Charles A. Snyder, who had served in the State Senate earlier. He then ran for the Pennsylvania Senate in 1932, winning the 29th District. During his tenure there he was a vehement opponent of

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

policies being passed in Washington. This led to his defeat at the polls in 1936 to Joseph P. Dando, the first Democratic Party Senator from this District in the 20th century. After his legislative service, he served as

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

for Schuylkill County; was elected, judge, Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas in 1947 (winning by less than 800 votes) and served for twenty consecutive years until 1967. While a judge, Staudenmeier presided during the 1961 trial of Ralph Staino, Jr., Robert H. Poulson and John C. Berkery who stole nearly $500,000 from Pottsville coal magnate, John B. Rich, whom another Pottsville mogul had revealed the presence of cash at Rich's home to Staino's girlfriend, showgirl, Lillian (Tiger Lil) Reis. Staudenmeier also served as the Appeals Agent for the Selective Service and as President of the Citizen's National Bank in Ashland.Evening Herald, 1972 He died at the age of 93 on January 12, 1988 in Ashland, Pennsylvania.

References

External links

Lillian Reis, famous Philly showgirl, dies at 79 (retrieved April 6, 2019)The Selective Service System: An Administrative Obstacle Course, Charles H. Wilson, p. 2147 (retrieved April 6, 2019)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staudenmeier, Charles W. 1894 births 1988 deaths Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators Villanova University alumni People from Ashland, Pennsylvania Dickinson School of Law alumni 20th-century American legislators 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians