John Irving Whalley (September 14, 1902 – March 8, 1980) 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, ...

Early life and business activities

J. Irving Whalley was born in

Barnesboro, Pennsylvania Barnesboro, Pennsylvania was a borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The Borough of Barnesboro evolved from a tract of land which was rich in timber and coal resources. The tract of land, located i ...

to Isabella (née Ashurst) and James H. Whalley, both

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immigrants. He took his first job at age 10 in a

Windber, Pennsylvania Windber is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States, about south of Johnstown. It was at one time a place of industrial activities which included coal mining, lumbering, and the manufacture of fire brick. In 1897, the community ...

, grocery store. By age 14 he was working at the local

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garage. Twelve years later he owned the dealership, after having worked as a mechanic, salesman, bookkeeper, delivery man and driving instructor. Whalley purchased a second dealership three years later, and would open or acquire 11 more before

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 eventually established a chain of 13 automobile dealerships in central and western Pennsylvania.

Public service

Whalley campaigned on issues related to the automotive industry. He fought against taxes that were considered unfair to new car buyers. Whalley also secured support for improvements to the

Pennsylvania turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's w ...

and campaigned for better highways everywhere. He was a member of advisory board of Johnstown College branch of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

. He was chairman of the Somerset County Redevelopment Authority and the

Windber Windber is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States, about south of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Johnstown. It was at one time a place of industrial activities which included coal mining, lumbering, and ...

Planning Commission. He served as a member of the Windber School Board from 1935 to 1947. He 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 ...

, representing one of Somerset County's at-large seats, from 1951 to 1954. He also served in the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1955 to 1960, representing the 36th district. He was appointed by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

to serve as delegate to

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for the 1969 session.

U.S. House of Representatives

He was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-sixth Congress, originally by special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Doug Elliott. He was subsequently reelected to the five succeeding Congresses, and was a high-ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. He retired in 1972. The following year, Whalley was accused of taking staff salary kickbacks, but said the money was used for office purposes only. He pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and two counts of obstruction of justice, was fined $11,000 and served three years probation.

Later

He was inducted into the

Automotive Hall of Fame The Automotive Hall of Fame is an American museum. It was founded in 1939 and has over 800 worldwide honorees. It is part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. the Automotive Hall of Fame includes persons who have contributed greatly to a ...

in 1981. Whalley died at the age of 77 and is buried in Grandview Cemetery, Johnstown.

References

The Political Graveyard
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Whalley, J. Irving 1902 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians American automobile salespeople American people of English descent Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators People convicted of obstruction of justice People from Cambria County, Pennsylvania People from Somerset County, Pennsylvania Politicians convicted of mail and wire fraud Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania School board members in Pennsylvania

Early life and business activities

Public service

U.S. House of Representatives

Later

See also

References