George Gekas
George Gekas | |
|---|---|
Pennsylvania Senate from the 15th district | |
| In office January 3, 1977 – December 31, 1982 | |
| Preceded by | William Lentz |
| Succeeded by | John Shumaker |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 103rd district | |
| In office January 7, 1969 – November 30, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Stephen R. Reed |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Dauphin County district | |
| In office January 2, 1967 – November 30, 1968 | |
| Preceded by | ??? |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George William Gekas April 14, 1930 Dickinson Law School (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1953–1955 |
George William Gekas (April 14, 1930 – December 16, 2021) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district from 1983 to 2003.
Early life and education
George Gekas was born in
Career
He worked in a private law practice for two years and then served as assistant
Pennsylvania Legislature
In 1966, Gekas was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
After the 1980 census, Pennsylvania lost two congressional districts. The Republican-controlled legislature drew a new Harrisburg-based district that Gekas won in 1982, becoming the second
Gekas was one of the
2002 House Campaign
In a 2002 PoliticsPA feature story designating politicians with yearbook superlatives, he was named "Missing in Action."[6] Pennsylvania lost two districts after the 2000 census and resulting redistricting. One of the districts that was eliminated was the Reading-based 6th District, represented by five-term moderate-to-conservative Democrat Tim Holden. The legislature split the 6th among three other districts, with the largest slice, including Holden's home in St. Clair, going to Gekas' 17th District.
Holden ran in the 17th, even though it was 65% new to him (a small portion of the even more Republican 9th District had been shifted to the 17th). On election night, Holden defeated Gekas by almost 6,000 votes. Gekas was the only Republican incumbent placed in a district with a Democratic incumbent to be defeated for re-election in 2002.[7]
Later life and death
After his electoral defeat in 2002, Gekas returned to Harrisburg, where he established a law practice.[8] He continued to reside in Harrisburg until his death on December 16, 2021, at the age of 91.[9]
References
- "Congressman George W. Gekas Biography". U.S. House of Representatives. Archived from the original on December 25, 2002.
- ^ "Pennsylvania State Manual". 1976.
- ^ "Pennsylvania State Senate - George W Gekas Biography". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ^ "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - GEORGE W. GEKAS Biography". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ^ Cox, Harold (2004). "Pennsylvania Senate - 1981-1982" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
- ^ "List of Individuals Impeached by the House of Representatives | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. United States House of Representatives Office of the Historian, Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "Keystone State Yearbook Committee". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2001. Archived from the original on August 3, 2002.
- ISBN 0-271-02703-7. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ^ George Gekas' obituary
- ^ Ershadi, Julie, May 6, 2013, "George Gekas: Life After Congress", Roll Call.
External links
Media related to George Gekas at Wikimedia Commons