Kerry Albert Benninghoff (born January 14, 1962) is an American politician and

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

serving as a member of 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 ...

from the 171st district. Elected in November 1996, he assumed office on January 7, 1997.

Early life and education

Benninghoff was born in

Lebanon, Pennsylvania Lebanon ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lebanon was founded by George Steitz in 1740 and was originally named ...

on January 14, 1962. He graduated from

State College Area High School State College Area High School, colloquially known as "State High," is a public high school in State College, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the only public high school in the State College Area School District and is within walking dista ...

and attended

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

from 1980 to 1981. He is also a graduate of the Certified Coroners Training Program of the

Pennsylvania State Police The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) is the state police, state police agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, responsible for statewide law enforcement. The Pennsylvania State Police is a full service law enforcement agency which handles both ...

Academy.

Career

While working as an orderly at

Mount Nittany Medical Center Mount Nittany Medical Center (MNMC), formerly Centre Community Hospital, is a hospital in College Township, Pennsylvania near State College. It is an acute-care facility offering emergency, medical, surgical, diagnostic and community services. ...

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...

, Benninghoff was appointed as deputy coroner of

Centre County, Pennsylvania Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County is composed of the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

in 1985. In 1991, when Coroner Robert Neff retired, Benninghoff was elected to the office. He was re-elected in 1995. In 1996, when Representative Ruth Rudy retired, Benninghoff declared his candidacy to succeed her. He defeated

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Keith Bierly in the general election that year and has been re-elected to each succeeding session of the House. In 2018, after being re-elected to the House, Benninghoff was elected by members of the Republican Caucus to serve as House majority whip. On June 22, 2020, Bennighoff was elected House majority leader. As majority leader, Benninghoff is the second highest-ranking Republican in the chamber behind Speaker

Bryan Cutler Bryan Dean Cutler (born 1975) is an American politician and former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A Republican, Cutler represents the 100th legislative district of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He was first ...

. Benninghoff is against legalizing adult-use

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

in Pennsylvania. He has described it as a gateway drug and cites the opioid epidemic as a concern.

House of Representatives

For the 2025-2026 Session, Benninghoff sits on the following committees: * Transportation (Republican Chair) * Gaming Oversight * Rules

Personal life

Benninghoff lives in

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania The Borough of Bellefonte is a borough in and the county seat of Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is approximately 12 miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania metropolitan statistical area. ...

. He has five children.

References

External links

Representative Kerry Benninghoff's official web site
, - American coroners Living people Politicians from Centre County, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives State College Area High School alumni 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians 1962 births People from Lebanon, Pennsylvania 21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly {{Pennsylvania-PARepresentative-stub