Richard A. "Rick" Geist (November 21, 1944 – August 29, 2019) 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 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 the 79th District, first elected in 1978.

Career

Prior to his election to the House, Geist worked as a senior manager with EADS, a civil engineering firm, in Altoona. He was elected to the House in 1978 and has won re-election to each succeeding session of the House. In 2001, Geist briefly considered running for the vacant ninth district congressional seat held by Rep.

Bud Shuster Elmer Greinert "Bud" Shuster (; born January 23, 1932) is an American politician who represented Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1973 to 2001. He is best known for his ad ...

. He stayed out of the race, only offering himself as a compromise candidate between two rival factions. He was Republican chairman of the House Transportation Committee and House Committee on Committees. He also sat on the House Rules and Commerce Committees. Geist was president of the High Speed Ground Transportation Association and the first chairman of the Pennsylvania High-Speed Intercity Rail Passenger Commission. Geist was defeated by a member of the Tea Party in the primary on April 24, 2012, while seeking re-election to an anticipated 18th term. John D. McGinnis, a finance professor from Penn State Altoona who held the position for three terms.

Personal

Geist was a graduate of

Altoona Area High School Altoona Area High School (AAHS) is the public high school for the Altoona Area School District in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The high school serves the communities of Altoona, Logan Township, and a small portion of Tyrone Township. The school dis ...

and an associate degree from Penn State University - College of Engineering. He was also a Kellogg Fellow and a graduate of the Public Affairs Leadership Program. Geist and his wife resided in Altoona. Geist died in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

on August 29, 2019.

References

External links

Pennsylvania House profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geist, Richard A. 1944 births 2019 deaths Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Penn State College of Engineering alumni Politicians from Altoona, Pennsylvania 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American engineers American civil engineers