John Crain Kunkel (July 21, 1898 – July 27, 1970) was a Republican member of 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 ...

from

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 ...

. He was the grandson of John Christian Kunkel, great-grandson of John Sergeant, and great-great-grandson of Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant and Robert Whitehill. The John Crain Kunkel and Katherine Smoot Kunkel Memorial in Riverfront Park in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

, 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. The building was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with de ...

along the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

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 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 also attended

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

, in 1916, and from the law department of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Cambridge, MA Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 U.S. census was 118, ...

, in 1926. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 anticommunis ...

. 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 consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

. He served as county commissioner of

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the populati ...

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 Walter Mann Mumma (November 20, 1890 – February 25, 1961) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Mumma was born in Steelton. He graduated from the Pennsylvania State Forestry Academy in Mont Alto in ...

. 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 Harrisburg Academy alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives