Stanley A. Prokop (July 29, 1909 – November 11, 1977) was a Democratic

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

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, ...

from 1959 to 1961.

Biography

Born on July 29, 1909, in

Throop, Pennsylvania Throop is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, adjoining Scranton. Formerly, coal mining and silk manufacturing provided employment for the people of Throop, who numbered 2,204 in 1900 and 5,133 in 1910. In 1940, 7,382 peo ...

, a community in

Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

, Prokop attended

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

in Philadelphia. At the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he enlisted 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 ...

as a private, and was assigned to the 30th Infantry Division. He subsequently rose to the rank of captain. Post-war, he served on the North Pococno Joint Board of Education for ten years, and was then elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

in 1958, defeating incumbent Republican Congressman Joseph L. Carrigg. A one-term member, Prokop was defeated for re-election in 1960 by future Pennsylvania

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

William Scranton William Warren Scranton (July 19, 1917 – July 28, 2013) was an American Republican Party politician and diplomat. Scranton served as the 38th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967, and as United States Ambassador to the United Nations fr ...

, a

moderate Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...

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 ...

. He was then hired as Lackawanna County's director of Veterans' Affairs, a position he held for fourteen years.

Final years, death and interment

Prokop moved to

Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania Lake Ariel is a village in Lake and Salem Townships of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in northeastern Pennsylvania, Lake Ariel was founded by settlers with the name of Jones, and was previously known as Jonestown. Following ...

, during his county government tenure, and remained in that job until his death on

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than d ...

in 1977. His remains were interred at the St. Catherine Cemetery in

Moscow, Pennsylvania Moscow is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,039 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Scranton and southwest of Honesdale. Name Moscow was settled in the 1830s and is said to be named fo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prokop, Stanley A. 1909 births 1977 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Villanova University alumni Politicians from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania American politicians of Polish descent Military personnel from Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century American legislators School board members in Pennsylvania United States Army officers