Remembering those who served

In honor of Memorial Day, City & State is paying homage to Pennsylvania leaders who served both in the halls of legislatures and in the United States military, putting their lives on the line for our country and our commonwealth. Their stories range from courageous to confounding, but what each of them had in common was a shared devotion to serving the nation and their fellow Americans.

John Murtha

Former U.S. Representative and U.S. Marine veteran

The late U.S. Rep. John Murtha served Pennsylvanians in Congress from 1974 until his death in 2010 – a tenure that made him the longest-serving U.S. member of Congress ever elected from Pennsylvania. Prior to his political career, Murtha was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War, later becoming the first Vietnam veteran elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Murtha remained in the Marine Corps Reserves after leaving active duty in 1955. 

Richard Schweiker

Former U.S. Senator and U.S. Navy veteran

Richard Schweiker, who passed away in 2015, served as both a U.S. representative and U.S. senator from Pennsylvania prior to becoming President Ronald Reagan’s secretary of Health and Human Services, a position he held from 1981 to 1983. Before rising through the political ranks, Schweiker served in the U.S. Navy, working aboard an aircraft carrier from 1944 to 1946 during World War II and its aftermath. Schweiker was also Reagan’s running mate during his unsuccessful 1976 presidential bid. 

Peter Muhlenberg

Former U.S. Representative and Continental Army veteran

Yes, that Muhlenberg family: Peter was the son of the founder of American Lutheranism and Muhlenberg College's namesake. Born in Montgomery County, Peter Muhlenberg was a minister and, during the Revolutionary War, a colonel in the Continental Army. He followed the now-classic war hero’s trajectory into politics, holding leadership positions in the early Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – including as President Thomas Jefferson’s supervisor of revenue – and serving in both Congress and the U.S. Senate. 

John Creely

Former U.S. Representative and Keystone Battery veteran 

There are absentee politicians, and then there was John V. Creely of Philadelphia, a Civil War veteran who disappeared in 1872, halfway through his only term in Congress – and was never seen again. Creely, an attorney, was a Union Army captain who served on the Philadelphia Common Council before winning election to Congress in 1871. He remained commander of the state militia’s Keystone Battery until his term expired – possibly after he did, though his death remains a mystery. What’s less mysterious is the serious debt he was in when he vanished.

Lucien Blackwell

Former U.S. Representative and U.S. Army veteran

Prior to his time as a member of Philadelphia City Council and the U.S. House of Representatives, Lucien Blackwell spent time as a dockworker and boxer before being drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in the Korean War. He served in the Army from 1952 to 1954. According to historical records kept by the U.S. House of Representatives, Blackwell continued boxing during his military stint, becoming the middleweight boxing champion of his infantry division. He was also awarded a unit commendation and two Bronze Stars.