Charles L. Gerlach

Charles L. Gerlach
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 8th district
In office January 3, 1945 – May 5, 1947
Preceded by	James Wolfenden
Succeeded by	Franklin H. Lichtenwalter
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 9th district
In office January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1945
Preceded by	Oliver W. Frey
Succeeded by	J. Roland Kinzer
Personal details
Born	September 14, 1895 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Died	May 5, 1947 (aged 51) Allentown, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican

Charles Lewis Gerlach (September 14, 1895 – May 5, 1947) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Biography

Charles Lewis Gerlach was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1914. He was the organizer, and later president, of a fuel and heating supply company. He was a Republican State committeeman in 1936 and 1937. He was elected to Congress as a Republican in 1938 to the 76th Congress and served until his 1947 death in Allentown.

A confidential 1943 analysis of the House Foreign Affairs Committee by Isaiah Berlin for the British Foreign Office described Gerlach as^[1]

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

1. 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.

Sources

• United States Congress. "Charles L. Gerlach (id: G000135)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

External links

• Charles L. Gerlach at Find a Grave