George Kunkel (March 10, 1893 – May 18, 1965) was an American lawyer and politician 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, Ma ...

who served as a

Democratic 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 ...

member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 15th district from 1937 to 1941.

Early life and education

Kunkel was born in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in P ...

and went to the public schools. He graduated from the

Harrisburg Academy Harrisburg Academy is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a diverse student body in nursery through 12th grade. The school was established in 1784 by John Harris Jr., the foun ...

and Franklin & Marshall College in 1915. He attended law school at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

from 1915 to 1917. He attended Officer's Training Camp at

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and was commissioned second lieutenant in September 1917. He was sent to Camp Meade in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

and assigned to the 30th Machine Gun Battalion. He spent nine months at Camp Meade then in July 1918 was assigned to the 79th Infantry Division of the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alo ...

(AEF). He saw active duty during the Meuse–Argonne offensive in and was promoted to first lieutenant. He served in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

for 10 months. He returned to the United States in June, 1919 and was honorably discharged. In 1920, Kunkel graduated from Dickinson School of Law with A.M. and LL.B. degrees and was admitted to the Dauphin County bar.

Career

He practiced law in Harrisburg and served on the Dauphin County Commissioners Board. Kunkel was involved with the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Kunkel served in the Pennsylvania Senate for the 15th district from 1937 to 1941. He died at the

Harrisburg Hospital UPMC Harrisburg is a 409-bed urban hospital in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system. The hospital serves as the hub for the UPMC network, providing advanced care to the residents through ...

from heart problems and is interred in Harrisburg Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunkel, George 1893 births 1965 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Harrisburg Cemetery Dickinson School of Law alumni Franklin & Marshall College alumni Harrisburg Academy alumni Harvard Law School alumni Military personnel from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Politicians from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania United States Army officers Burials in Pennsylvania Dauphin County Commissioners (Pennsylvania)