Representative Benjamin Jarrett

Benjamin Bryant Jarrett (July 18, 1881 – July 20, 1944) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Over the course of three terms in Congress, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Pennsylvania constituents and contributing to the work of the Republican Party at the national level.

Jarrett was born on July 18, 1881, in Sharon, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Little is recorded about his immediate family background, but his early life unfolded in the industrial environment of western Pennsylvania at the turn of the twentieth century. As a young man, he entered the workforce in positions closely tied to the region’s growing industrial and communications sectors, experiences that would later inform his understanding of labor and economic issues.

Before entering the legal profession, Jarrett worked as a telegraph operator and later as a foreman in a steel mill. These early occupations placed him in the midst of the industrial economy that defined much of Pennsylvania’s development during this era. Seeking professional advancement, he studied law and prepared for admission to the bar while remaining rooted in the communities of Mercer County.

Jarrett was admitted to the bar in 1907 and commenced the practice of law in Farrell, Pennsylvania. His legal career quickly intersected with public service. From 1910 to 1930 he served as city solicitor of Farrell, acting as the municipality’s legal adviser and representing the city in legal matters for two decades. During this period, he also entered state-level politics. He served in the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1911 to 1913, participating in the legislative affairs of the Commonwealth. Further extending his involvement in public administration, he was a member of the Pennsylvania State Workmen’s Compensation Board from 1919 to 1923, a role that placed him at the center of issues involving industrial labor, workplace safety, and compensation for injured workers. In addition, he served as chairman of the Mercer County Republican committee, solidifying his influence within the party’s local and regional organization.

Building on this extensive record of local and state service, Jarrett was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election in 1937. He served three consecutive terms, sitting in the Seventy-fifth, Seventy-sixth, and Seventy-seventh Congresses, from 1937 until 1943. His tenure in Congress coincided with the latter years of the Great Depression and the early period of World War II, a time of major federal legislative activity involving economic recovery, social welfare, and national defense. As a member of the Republican Party representing Pennsylvania, he contributed to the legislative process during these critical years, participating in debates and votes that shaped national policy while representing the interests of his constituents in Mercer County and the surrounding region. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1942, bringing his congressional service to a close at the end of his third term.

After leaving Congress in 1943, Jarrett resumed the practice of law, returning to the profession that had anchored much of his public life. He continued to reside in western Pennsylvania while maintaining his legal work. On July 20, 1944, he died while on a visit to Zanesville, Ohio. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery in his birthplace of Sharon, Pennsylvania, closing a career that spanned local, state, and national public service over more than three decades.