John Crain Kunkel (July 21, 1898 – July 27, 1970) 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 the grandson of John Christian Kunkel, great-grandson of John Sergeant, and great-great-grandson of

Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant (1746 – October 8, 1793) was an American lawyer from Princeton, New Jersey. He represented New Jersey in the Second Continental Congress in 1776 and 1777. He later served as Attorney General for the state of Pennsylvan ...

and Robert Whitehill. The John Crain Kunkel and Katherine Smoot Kunkel Memorial in Riverfront Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, also known as "Kunkel Plaza," is a scenic amphitheater at Front Street & State Street down from the

Pennsylvania State Capitol The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania located in downtown Harrisburg which was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with decorative ...

along the Susquehanna River dedicated in 1992 for their many years of service and dedication to the community.

Early life and career

He was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he attended Harrisburg Academy. He also attended Phillips Academy in

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

, in 1916, and from the law department of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Cambridge, MA Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

, in 1926. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served in the Students' Army Training Corps

U.S. House of Representatives

He was elected as a Republican to the 76th Congress and to the five succeeding Congresses. In 1947–8, he served on the

Herter Committee The House Select Committee on Foreign Aid, or Herter Committee, was established to study the proposal that had been launched by General George Marshall in his speech at Harvard on June 5, 1947 for a Marshall Plan, in part as Cold War anticommunism, ...

. During World War II Kunkel spoke out against Nazi Germany, even before American entry into the war. After the Fall of France and before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, when Great Britain was effectively fighting alone, Kunkel advocated helping Britain in their war against the Nazis. He voted in favor of both the 1941 Lend Lease Act to send more military aid to Great Britain, and the 1944 Lend Lease Act as well. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1950 but was an unsuccessful candidate for the nomination for

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. He served as county commissioner of

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat and the largest city is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth ...

from 1952 to 1956. He was elected as a Republican to the

87th Congress The 87th 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, 1961 ...

, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Walter M. Mumma. He was reelected to the two succeeding Congresses and served until his resignation on December 30, 1966. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1966.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard

External links

*
Kunkel Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunkel, John C. 1898 births 1970 deaths Burials at Harrisburg Cemetery Harvard Law School alumni Military personnel from Pennsylvania Politicians from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century American politicians Harrisburg Academy alumni