Constantine "Gus" Yatron (October 16, 1927 – March 13, 2003) was an American businessman, boxer, and politician who served twelve consecutive terms as a Democratic member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

for

Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district is a district in the state of Pennsylvania. It includes almost all of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County and the southeastern portion of Berks County, Pennsylvania, Berks County including the ci ...

from 1969 to 1993.

Early life and education

Gus Yatron was born in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

, to George H. and Theano Lazo Yatron, working-class Greek immigrants from the Greek city of

Mytilene Mytilene (; ) is the capital city, capital of the Greece, Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of the Aegean. It was fo ...

, of the island

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

. His father, George, was a carpenter and his mother, Theano, worked as a maid. Yatron graduated from Reading High School, serving as class president during his senior year. Following high school, Yatron received his bachelor's degree at

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (Kutztown University or KU) is a public university in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher ...

in 1950, where he also met his wife to be, Mildred L. Yatron. While attending Kutztown University, Yatron played college football for the Golden Bears, and was later inducted into the Kutztown University Athletic Hall of Fame. During his college years, he also took up boxing, becoming a heavyweight division

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

in 1947, with a professional career record of 13-2-1, nine of which were TKO.

Career

After graduating from college, Yatron ran 'Yatron Ice Cream,' the business he founded with his father and built it into a local success in his home town, eventually expanding the business with an additional hardware store. In 1968, he sold 'Yatron Ice Cream' to a local competitor and began to focus on his career in political public service.

Political career

Yatron started his career in public service on the Reading School Board from 1955 to 1961. He served in the

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 ...

for

Berks County Berks County (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading, the fourth-most populous city in the state. The ...

from 1956 until 1960. He served as a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

for the 11th district from 1961 to 1968. In 1968, campaigning as a moderate in support of fiscal responsibility and opposition to further military involvement in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, Yatron was elected to the

91st United States Congress The 91st 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, 19 ...

, representing the 6th congressional district of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Upon entering office, Yatron quick made a name for himself as a workhorse for his constituency. His first major legislation, in 1971, expanded black lung benefits and extended eligibility requirements for afflicted miners, their widows and children. Yatron sponsored legislation, signed into law in 1975, which set up a committee to review the volume of paper wasted in U.S. federal government and offer recommendations to reduce that waste. After its investigation, the Paperwork Commission made recommendations that resulted in savings of $3.5 billion. As a Greek-American, Yatron found personal hardship during the 1974

Turkish invasion of Cyprus The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of Cypriot intercommunal violence, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots, Greek and Turkish Cy ...

. As one in a few Greek-Americans in the U.S. Congress, he took leadership in implementing U.S. assistance that ultimately led to a cease-fire in the region. In 1973, Yatron traveled to Europe delivering a speech to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

in France, urging

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

countries to take more initiative in absorbing the costs of defending Europe. As a member of the

House Foreign Affairs Committee The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs ...

, Yatron became a passionate advocate for centering human rights as the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. He took the chairmanship of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Inter-American Affairs in 1979 and began investigations into the

Iran–Contra affair The Iran–Contra affair (; ), also referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the Iran Initiative, or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States that centered on arms trafficking to Iran between 1981 and 1986, facilitat ...

. In 1983, Yatron become the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight.

Retirement and death

After serving 24 years in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

, Yatron retired in 1992. He died in

Fairfax Station, Virginia Fairfax Station is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,420 at the 2020 census. Located in Northern Virginia, its center is located southwest of Washington, D.C. History Establishe ...

in 2003. He was buried in

Charles Evans Cemetery Charles Evans Cemetery is a historic, nonsectarian, garden-style cemetery located in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Charles Evans (1768-1847), a son of Quaker parents and native of Philadelphia who became a prominent attorne ...

Notes

Sources