Victor Robert Hewlett Yarnell (October 5, 1919 – January 22, 2015) was a Canadian-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician who served as the Mayor of

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

, as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

between 1968 and 1972.

Life

Yarnell was born on October 5, 1919, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to an Irish father and an English mother. He was educated in England as a boarder at Bedford Modern School after which he served in the British Army throughout World War II seeing action in

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Normandy landings. After the war, Yarnell moved to the United States attending Albright College and later graduating M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. For the following twelve years Yarnell taught government at

Muhlenberg High School Muhlenberg High School is a midsized, public high school in Laureldale, Berks County, Pennsylvania. In the 2018–2019 school year, Muhlenberg High School's enrollment was 911 pupils (10–12th). Extracurriculars Muhlenberg School District offers ...

until his election as a

to 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 ...

in the 1963 session although deciding not to seek reelection to the House in 1964. In 1968, Yarnell was elected 41st

Mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania The Mayor of Reading, Pennsylvania, is the elected, chief executive of the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, the fourth-largest city in the state of Pennsylvania. The Reading city government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor is elect ...

, an office he held until 1972. Thereafter he continued community work in Reading as director of the Schuylkill River Green Association (1979-1997) and as a member of the board of trustees of

Reading Area Community College Reading Area Community College (RACC) is a public community college in Reading, Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1971 and serves the greater Reading area and Berks County, Pennsylvania. The institution is an Hispanic-serving institution ...

. Yarnell died in

, on January 22, 2015. He was survived by his wife, Nancy, and a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yarnell, Victor Robert Hewlett 1919 births 2015 deaths Mayors of Reading, Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives University of Pennsylvania alumni Albright College alumni People educated at Bedford Modern School Politicians from Montreal Canadian emigrants to the United States American people of English descent American people of Irish descent Educators from Pennsylvania British Army personnel of World War II