Charles L. Gerlach
Charles Lewis Gerlach (September 14, 1895 – May 5, 1947) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.[1]
Charles L. Gerlach | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 3, 1939 – May 5, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | Oliver W. Frey |
| Succeeded by | Franklin H. Lichtenwalter |
| Constituency | 9th district (1939–1945) 8th district (1945–1947) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 14, 1895 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | May 5, 1947 (aged 51) Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
Biography
Charles Lewis Gerlach was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 1914, he moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he became the organizer, and later president, of a fuel and heating supply company.[2]
A Republican State committeeman in 1936 and 1937, he was elected to the 76th Congress in 1938, and served until his 1947 death in Allentown.[3]
A confidential 1943 analysis of the House Foreign Affairs Committee by Isaiah Berlin for the British Foreign Office described Gerlach as:[4]
A newcomer to the committee. A rugged Isolationist before Pearl Harbour, who voted only for purely defensive measures, such as conscription and arming of United States ships. Though he opposed the original Lend-Lease, he favoured its continuation, but would be difficult to say exactly where he stands on the larger questions of post-war American policy.
References
- "Gerlach, Charles Lewis" (G000135), in Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Washington, D.C.: Offices of the Historians of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, March 18, 2023.
- "Gerlach, Charles Lewis," in Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- "Gerlach, Charles Lewis," in Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Hachey, Thomas E. (Winter 1973–1974). "American Profiles on Capitol Hill: A Confidential Study for the British Foreign Office in 1943" (PDF). Wisconsin Magazine of History. 57 (2): 141–153. JSTOR 4634869. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-21.