Jesse Willis Topper (born September 19, 1981) is 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 ...

representing the 78th District since 2014.

Early life and education

Topper was born on September 19, 1981 to John and Ruth Topper. He was home schooled, and graduated from

Frostburg State University Frostburg State University (FSU) is a public university in Frostburg, Maryland. The university is the only four-year institution of the University System of Maryland west of the Baltimore-Washington passageway in the state's Appalachian highlan ...

''magna cum laude'' with a bachelor of arts degree in music performance.

Political career

Topper won a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

on January 28, 2014, to succeed Pennsylvania State Representative Dick Hess, who died during his term. He was reelect to four more consecutive terms. Prior to his election as a state representative, Topper served on the

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

Borough Council for two years.

Committee Assignments

*Appropriations Committee (Vice Chair) *Committee On Committees *Education Committee **Subcommittee on Higher Education (Chair) *Liquor Control Committee *Rules Committee

Political Positions

Topper is fiscally and socially conservative. He is also

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

and a "strong supporter" of the

Second Amendment The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

. Topper opposes legalizing adult use

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

in Pennsylvania.

Personal life

Topper is married to Christy Smith, the couple live in

Bedford, Pennsylvania Bedford is a borough and spa town in and the county seat of Bedford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Harrisburg, the state capital, and east of Pittsburgh. Bedford's population was 2,861 at the 2020 census. His ...

and have two sons. He previously served as a minister at a

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

in his hometown.

References

External links

Living people Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives People from Bedford, Pennsylvania 1981 births 21st-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-PARepresentative-stub