John Armand Lafore Jr. (May 25, 1905 – January 24, 1993) was an American politician who was 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

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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, ...

. He was also president of the American Kennel Club.

Biography

Lafore was born in Bala, Pennsylvania on May 25, 1905. He was a student at Swarthmore College in 1923 and 1925 and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1925 and 1926. One of his brothers,

Laurence Lafore Laurence David Lafore (born Laurence Davis Lafore, 1917, Narberth, Pennsylvania-November 24, 1985, Iowa City, Iowa) was an American historian. Background Lafore was born into a wealthy family off the Main Line of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Th ...

, became known for his work as an American historian. He was an automobile dealer in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, from 1932 to 1957. He was the comptroller of Montgomery County, and chairman of the

Lower Merion Township Lower Merion Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Philadelphia Main Line. The township's name originates with the county of Merioneth in north Wales. Merioneth is an English-language transcription of the ...

Committee. He served as a lieutenant commander in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1942 to 1945. Lafore was a member of the

Pennsylvania State 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 ...

from 1950 to 1957. He was elected as a Republican to the 85th Congress to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Samuel K. McConnell Jr. He was reelected to the

86th Congress The 86th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 195 ...

, but was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1960. Lafore voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1960 The Civil Rights Act of 1960 () is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote. It dealt primarily wi ...

. After his time in Congress, Lafore was the president of an aircraft company in

Willow Grove, Pennsylvania Willow Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Upper Dublin Township, Abington To ...

, from 1961 to 1964, and as vice president of Day and Zimmerman of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

from 1965 to 1966. Lafore served as executive vice president of the American Kennel Club from 1968 to 1971 and president from 1971 to 1979. He died on January 24, 1993. Mr. Lafore was an ardent breeder and fancier of both Keeshonden and Collies during his lifetime.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafore, John A. Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives University of Pennsylvania alumni 1905 births 1993 deaths American automobile salespeople Swarthmore College alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century American politicians