Phil English
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Phil English | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania | |
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Tom Ridge |
Succeeded by | Kathy Dahlkemper |
Constituency | 21st district (1995-2003) 3rd district (2003-2009) |
Personal details | |
Born | Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S. | June 20, 1956
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Christiane English |
Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA) |
Signature | |
Philip Sheridan English (born June 20, 1956) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995–2009 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, representing the state's 3rd Congressional district.
After 14 years in the U.S. House, he was defeated for reelection by Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper on November 4, 2008.
Early life and career
English is a lifelong resident of Erie and is of Irish and German descent.[1] He attended Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. While in college, he served as Chairman of the PA Federation of College Republicans.
English served as Erie City Controller from 1985 to 1989. In 1988 he was the Republican nominee for State Treasurer but was defeated by Democrat Catherine Baker Knoll. He stayed in politics and served as Chief of Staff for then State Senator Melissa Hart.
U.S. House of Representatives
English was elected to the
English was re-elected in a close race in
English was liberal on economic matters and conservative on social matters. Unusually for a Republican, he had strong ties to organized labor. However, this served him well in a district that was dominated by the heavily Democratic and thoroughly unionized city of Erie (no other city in the district has more than 17,000 people).
English moved up the seniority ladder in the House over the years. From his first term, he was a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee—the first freshman Republican to be appointed to this committee since 1975. In the 110th Congress, English served as the ranking member on the Subcommittee of Select Revenue Measures.
2008 election
English's narrow win in 2006 led the Democrats to target his seat in 2008. He faced first-time candidate and small businesswoman Kathy Dahlkemper in the November election.
The race captured considerable national attention. Although English outspent Dahlkemper—raising $2.2 million to Dahlkemper's $872,000—the Democratic House Campaign Committee overwhelmed English overall in spending on media buys and direct mail.[citation needed]
In the election, English was defeated, taking 48 percent of the vote to Dahlkemper's 52 percent. English carried five of the district's seven counties, but could not overcome a 14-point deficit in his native Erie County, the largest county in the district.
References
- ^ "english". freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2014-09-06.[dead link]
- ^ DCCC.org: Erie Times News – Foust makes strong foe for English Archived 2007-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Database of 2006 Pennsylvania congressional spending from OpenSecrets
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- PoliticsPA interview