Representative Daniel Ermentrout

Daniel Ermentrout (January 24, 1837 – September 17, 1899) was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Over the course of his federal legislative career, he represented Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district from 1881 to 1889 and the 9th congressional district from 1897 to 1899, serving six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and contributing to the legislative process during a significant period in American history. At the state level, he served in the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 1st district from 1873 to 1874 and for the 11th district from 1875 to 1888.

Ermentrout was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, to William and Julia (Silvis) Ermentrout. He was educated in Pennsylvania institutions, attending the Elmwood Institute in Norristown and later Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster. After completing his formal education, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1859. He then commenced the practice of law in his native city of Reading, establishing himself professionally before entering public office.

Ermentrout’s public career began at the local and county level. In 1862 he was elected district attorney of Berks County, a position in which he served for three years during the Civil War era. He subsequently served as solicitor for the city of Reading from 1867 to 1870, providing legal counsel to the municipal government. From 1868 to 1876 he was a member of the board of school control of Reading, participating in the oversight and administration of the city’s public schools. Active in Democratic Party politics, he was chairman of the standing committee of Berks County in 1869, 1872, and 1873, and he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1868 and 1880, helping to shape party affairs at the state and national levels.

Building on his local prominence, Ermentrout was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate, where he represented the 1st district from 1873 to 1874 and the 11th district from 1875 to 1887. (Other contemporary accounts list his service in the 11th district as extending to 1888.) During this extended tenure in the state legislature, he participated in the development of state policy in the post–Civil War and Reconstruction periods. In October 1877, Governor John F. Hartranft appointed him as a member of the Pennsylvania Statuary Commission, a body charged with overseeing the selection and placement of statuary representing the Commonwealth, reflecting his standing in state public life.

Ermentrout entered national office when he was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-seventh Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1881, to March 3, 1889, as the representative of Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by industrial expansion, labor unrest, and debates over tariffs and monetary policy. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in Berks County and the surrounding region. In 1888 he was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination, which temporarily interrupted his federal legislative career.

Following his initial congressional service, Ermentrout remained active in Democratic politics. He resumed the practice of law in Reading and served as a delegate to the Democratic State conventions from 1895 to 1899, continuing to exert influence within the party at the state level. He returned to national office when he was elected again as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses, this time representing Pennsylvania’s 9th congressional district. His second period of congressional service began on March 4, 1897, and continued until his death in 1899, bringing his total service in the U.S. House to six terms.

In his personal life, Daniel Ermentrout was married to Adelaide Louise Metzger. He remained closely tied to his hometown of Reading throughout his life, both in his legal practice and in his political career. On September 17, 1899, while still serving in the Fifty-sixth Congress, he died in Reading due to the effects of a choking incident. His death in office placed him among the members of the United States Congress who died while serving between 1790 and 1899. He was interred in Charles Evans Cemetery in Reading, Pennsylvania, closing a career that had spanned local, state, and national public service.