Gerald Joseph Spitz (June 23, 1941 – December 5, 2013) was an American politician 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 for the 162nd district from 1977 to 1984.

Early life and education

Spitz was born in

Ridley Park, Pennsylvania Ridley Park is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 7,002 at the 2010 census. Ridley Park is the home of The Boeing Company's CH-47 Chinook helicopter division. History Native American The Lenape inhabited the Del ...

and attended Ridley Park High School. He received a B.A. from Pennsylvania Military College in 1963 and a J.D. from

Dickinson Law School 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 A ...

in 1966. He served as 1st lieutenant in the 101st airborne in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

from 1966 to 1969 during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

Career

Spitz served as Deputy District Attorney and as Special Prosecutor for Delaware County. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 162nd district and served from 1977 to 1984. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1985. He worked as an

Administrative Law Judge An administrative law judge (ALJ) in the United States is a judge and trier of fact who both presides over trials and adjudicates claims or disputes involving administrative law. ALJs can administer oaths, take testimony, rule on questions of evi ...

for the

United States Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify for ...

. Spitz died on December 5, 2013, of

sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis (also known as ''Besnier-Boeck-Schaumann disease'') is a disease involving abnormal collections of inflammatory cells that form lumps known as granulomata. The disease usually begins in the lungs, skin, or lymph nodes. Less commonly a ...

. He was 72. He is interred at the Edgewood Memorial Park in

Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Glen Mills is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States about 27 miles west of Philadelphia. T ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spitz, Gerald J. 1941 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American legislators United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American judges Dickinson School of Law alumni County district attorneys in Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers People from Ridley Park, Pennsylvania Widener University alumni 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Deaths from sarcoidosis 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians