Richard A. "Rick" Geist (November 21, 1944 – August 29, 2019) was an American politician who served as a
Republican 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 ...
for the
79th District, first elected in 1978.
Career
Prior to his election to the House, Geist worked as a senior manager with EADS, a civil engineering firm, in Altoona.
He was elected to the House in 1978 and has won re-election to each succeeding session of the House.
In 2001, Geist briefly considered running for the vacant
ninth district congressional seat held by Rep.
Bud Shuster
Elmer Greinert "Bud" Shuster ( ; January 23, 1932 – April 19, 2023) was an American politician who represented Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1973 to 2001. He was ...
. He stayed out of the race, only offering himself as a compromise candidate between two rival factions.
He was Republican chairman of the House Transportation Committee and House Committee on Committees. He also sat on the House Rules and Commerce Committees. Geist was president of the High Speed Ground Transportation Association and the first chairman of the Pennsylvania High-Speed Intercity Rail Passenger Commission.
Geist was defeated by a member of the Tea Party in the primary on April 24, 2012, while seeking re-election to an anticipated 18th term.
John D. McGinnis, a finance professor from Penn State Altoona who held the position for three terms.
Personal
Geist was a graduate of
Altoona Area High School
Altoona Area High School (AAHS) is the public high school for the Altoona Area School District in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The high school serves the communities of Altoona, Logan Township, and a small portion of Tyrone Township.
The school di ...
and an associate degree from Penn State University - College of Engineering. He was also a Kellogg Fellow and a graduate of the Public Affairs Leadership Program.
Geist and his wife resided in Altoona.
Geist died in
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
on August 29, 2019.
References
External links
Pennsylvania House profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geist, Richard A.
1944 births
2019 deaths
Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Penn State College of Engineering alumni
Politicians from Altoona, Pennsylvania
20th-century American engineers
American civil engineers
21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly