‘Blunt-as-a-cudgel’ 5-term Beaver Valley congressman
JOSEPH P. KOLTER l Sept. 3, 1926 - Sept. 8, 2019
It wasn’t until C-SPAN was on the TV and the clock was nearing 3 a.m. that U.S. Rep. Joseph Kolter would kick off his shoes and crack a few jokes.
Awaiting late floor votes was where legislative aide Bill O’Neil came to know his boss as a friend — a venue where he could catch an unfettered glimpse of the “gentle soul” of the five-term representative, a legislator who was once deemed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a “blunt-as-a-cudgel congressman from the Beaver Valley.”
“That’s when we would talk about our family, our goals, our dreams and hopes,” Mr. O’Neil recalled. “He would just let his hair down, relax and we would joke. He would tell me about his daughter, Julie. It was just an awesome time.”
Mr. Kolter, a staple in Western Pennsylvania politics for more than two decades of service in Congress and in Pennsylvania’s Legislature, died Sept. 8 at Hershey Medical Center. He was 93.
Friends and family remember Mr. Kolter as a generous public servant and family man who was always responsive to his constituents’ concerns, and one whose good outweighed his bad — a man whose involvement in the infamous House Post Office scandal in the 1990s didn’t define him, they’ll insist.
Mr. Kolter’s life took roots in New Brighton. After he graduated from the borough’s high school in the class of 1944 and served in the Air Force for three years, he cycled through jobs as an accountant, teacher and New Brighton council member before winning a seat in the Pennsylvania House.
His 13 years in Harrisburg saw him rise to the top of the House Transportation Committee, giving him enough clout to run for Congress in 1982. He won the 14th District seat — which covered Beaver and parts of Butler, Lawrence, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties — cementing himself as a fixture in the region’s political circles.
Over five terms in Congress, the Democrat touted his success in bringing millions of dollars’ worth of projects into his district — including money to build the New Brighton-Beaver Falls bridge.
“I could go into his office in Washington, D.C., and feel as comfortable sitting with Joe as I would on his sofa at home,” said family friend George Rossick. “When he represented the people of Beaver County, they were his family.”
But that wasn’t enough to win him a sixth term, as he lost re-election in 1992 to former KDKA-TV news anchor Ron Klink. After the election, Mr. Kolter said, “I’m a big man. I can take it. But I will be back. I will be watching Mr. Klink.”
Mr. Klink, reached by phone Friday, said he had “big disagreements” with Mr. Kolter, and that the transition between offices didn’t go smoothly — but that all is forgiven.
During the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, Mr. Kolter complimented Mr. Klink for his speech in defense of the president. The two made peace, Mr. Klink recalled, and he came to realize that Mr. Kolter had “done some really good things” for the district, including obtaining money for bridges and roads.
“We were able to follow up on a lot of work Joe Kolter had done, and he had done some good work in his 10 years,” Mr. Klink said.
But Mr. Kolter’s political tenacity wasn’t free of scandal. Most notably, in 1996, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to trade government-purchased postage stamps for personal cash and was sentenced to six months in prison — becoming the 12th person to be convicted of charges stemming from a probe into the House Post Office.
“I regret my actions as they have caused pain and have been embarrassing to my family, loyal friends, colleagues and former constituents,’’ Mr. Kolter told the judge before receiving his sentence.
Mr. Rossick said his friend made a mistake and regretted it, but that the former congressman shouldn’t be defined by it.
“I just think that when we live our lives and when we look back through our lives, I would want people to look at the good in Joe Kolter,” Mr. Rossick said. “The good far, far outweighed the one incident he had that was less fortunate.”
Mr. Rossick described a memory from last year, when his own father — George, who considered Mr. Kolter a brother — passed away. When Father’s Day came, Mr. Rossick called Mr. Kolter and wished him well.
It was the way Mr. Kolter responded that he’ll always remember.
“Joe stated to me that he loved me and how much he cared about my father and the relationship that he had over the years,” Mr. Rossick said.
“I loved him, and I know that he loved me.”
Mr. Kolter is survived by three sons, Dave, Joseph Kolter Jr. of Gilbert, Ariz., and James Kolter of Spring City, Pa.; daughter Julie Kolter of New Brighton; a sister, Josephine Milligan of Sewell, N.J.; and seven grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
Visitation is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at the Saul-Gabauer Funeral Home, 273 Route 67 in Rochester. Afterward, members of the Beaver County Special Unit will present military honors, followed by a brief service.