Edward B. Mifflin (September 26, 1923 – January 2, 1971) was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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 ...

for Delaware County from 1963 to 1968 and the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 161 Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 161 includes part of Delaware County. It is currently represented by Democrat Leanne Krueger. District profile The district includes the following areas: Delaware County: * Aston Township * Br ...

from 1968 to 1971.

Early life and education

Mifflin was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He attended

Swarthmore High School Swarthmore High School was a four-year public high school in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania serving the Boroughs of Swarthmore and Rutledge. History Swarthmore established its own independent school district when Swarthmore Borough incorporated in 18 ...

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Swarthmore ( , ) is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Swarthmore was originally named "Westdale" in honor of noted painter Benjamin West, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to "Swarthmore" after the es ...

and graduated from the

Westtown School Westtown School is a Quaker, coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, 20 miles west of Philadelphia. Founded in 1799 b ...

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...

in 1941. He served as a navigator in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

from 1943 to 1945 and received the air force medal with an oak leaf cluster. He served as a 1st lieutenant with the

United States Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...

from 1946 to 1951. Mifflin obtained a B.A. from

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

in 1948.

Business career

Mifflin worked for the

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, as a textile sales executive and as a director and vice president of a textile firm in Wilmington, Delaware. Mifflin became a close friend of

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 ...

while working at the Sporting News and is credited with convincing Williams to stay in baseball longer in order to improve his baseball statistics before retirement.

Political career

Mifflin was a member of the Delaware County Republican Committee from 1958 to 1962. He served as tax assessor for Delaware County from 1960 to 1963. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County in 1962 and was reelected in 1964 and 1966. He became a member of the Appropriations Committee and served as chairman of the Labor Relations Committee. In 1968 Mifflin was elected to the newly created Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 161 and was reelected in 1970. He died in office on January 2, 1971, and was succeeded by

Edmund Jones Edmund Jones (April 15, 1918 – September 14, 2019) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 161 from 1971 to 1974. Early life and education Jones was ...

. Mifflin is interred at the

Springfield Friends Meeting House The Springfield Friends Meetinghouse is a Quaker meeting house that is located at 1001 Old Sproul Road in Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known a ...

Burial Ground in Springfield, Pennsylvania.

Personal life

Mifflin had three daughters and two sons.

References

1923 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from Philadelphia Military personnel from Philadelphia Swarthmore College alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Westtown School alumni {{Pennsylvania-PARepresentative-stub