George Kunkel (March 10, 1893 – May 18, 1965) was an American lawyer and 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
Democratic member of the
Pennsylvania Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...
for the
15th district from 1937 to 1941.
Early life and education
Kunkel was born in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
and went to the public schools. He graduated from the
Harrisburg Academy
Harrisburg Academy is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a diverse student body in nursery through 12th grade. The school was established in 1784 by John Harris Jr., the foun ...
and
Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Fran ...
in 1915. He attended law school at
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
from 1915 to 1917.
He attended Officer's Training Camp at
Fort Niagara in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and was commissioned second lieutenant in September 1917. He was sent to
Camp Meade
Camp George G. Meade near Middletown, Pennsylvania, was a camp established and subsequently abandoned by the U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish–American War.
History
Camp Meade was established August 24, 1898, and soon thereafter was occupi ...
in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and assigned to the 30th Machine Gun Battalion. He spent nine months at Camp Meade then in July 1918 was assigned to the
79th Infantry Division of the
American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). He saw active duty during the
Meuse–Argonne offensive in and was promoted to first lieutenant. He served in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
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 ...
for 10 months. He returned to the United States in June, 1919 and was honorably discharged.
In 1920, Kunkel graduated 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 ...
with A.M. and LL.B. degrees and was admitted to the
Dauphin County bar.
Career
He practiced law in Harrisburg and served on the Dauphin County Commissioners Board. Kunkel was involved with the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. Kunkel served in the
Pennsylvania Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...
for the 15th district from 1937 to 1941. He died at the
Harrisburg Hospital
UPMC Harrisburg is a 409-bed urban hospital in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system. The hospital serves as the hub for the UPMC network, providing advanced care to the residents through ...
from heart problems and is interred in
Harrisburg Cemetery
Harrisburg Cemetery, sometimes referred to as Mount Kalmia Cemetery, is a prominent rural cemetery and national historic district in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, located at 13th and Liberty streets in the Allison Hill/East Harrisburg neighborhoods o ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunkel, George
1893 births
1965 deaths
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American legislators
United States Army personnel of World War I
Burials at Harrisburg Cemetery
Dickinson School of Law alumni
Franklin & Marshall College alumni
Harrisburg Academy alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Military personnel from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania lawyers
Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators
Politicians from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
United States Army officers
Burials in Pennsylvania
Dauphin County Commissioners (Pennsylvania)