David P. Reese Jr. (November 17, 1905 – July 19, 1962) was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania. He served in

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 ...

from 1939 to 1948.

Early life

David P. Reese Jr. was born on November 17, 1905, in

Plymouth, Pennsylvania Plymouth is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, located west of Wilkes-Barre, along the Susquehanna River. The population was 5,763 as of the 2020 census. History Plymouth was first settled in 1769 by the Susquehanna C ...

, to Ellen T. and

David P. Reese David Philip Reese (March 29, 1871 – April 16, 1935) was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania. He served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1905 to 1906. Early life David Philip Reese was born on March 29, 1871, ...

. He attended schools in Plymouth,

Wyoming Seminary Wyoming Seminary, founded in 1844, is a Methodist college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The "Lower School," which consists of preschool to eighth-grade students, is located in Forty Fort. The "Up ...

and

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

. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

and a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from Dickinson College School of Law.

Career

After graduating law school, Reese was in the taxing office of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. He was an attorney and counselor-at-law. He was elected as a Republican to the

, representing

Dauphin County 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 is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth-most populous city. ...

from 1939 to 1948. He was chair of the joint state government commission sub-committee on unemployment compensation from 1945 to 1946. He was chair of the legislative committee on unemployment compensation from 1947 to 1948. He was chair of the joint legislative committee on uniform practice and procedure from 1947 to 1948. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was chairman of the Dauphin County Ration Board. Reese also worked as a lobbyist for Anthracite Institute. He was a director of the Pennsylvania National Horse Show Association. He was trustee and secretary of Harrisburg Academy.

Personal life

Reese married Gertrude McDevitt, daughter of William H. McDevitt, of

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

on November 21, 1936. He was a member of the Harrisburg Country Club, Union League of Philadelphia, Westmoreland Club, Farmington Country Club, Pennsylvania Society and the American Bar Association. Reese died on July 19, 1962, at his home on Front Street in Harrisburg. He was buried in

Harrisburg Cemetery Harrisburg Cemetery, sometimes referred to as Mount Kalmia Cemetery, is a prominent rural cemetery and national Historic district (United States), historic district in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, located at 13th and Liberty streets in the Allison ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reese, David P. Jr. 1905 births 1962 deaths People from Plymouth, Pennsylvania People from Dauphin County, Pennsylvania University of Virginia alumni Dickinson School of Law alumni Pennsylvania lawyers Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly Burials at Harrisburg Cemetery