Representative Frederick Reimold Lehlbach

Frederick Reimold Lehlbach (January 31, 1876 – August 4, 1937) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1915 to 1937. He was born in New York City on January 31, 1876, and lived there until the age of eight, when he moved with his parents to Newark, New Jersey. He was a nephew of Herman Lehlbach, who served as a Republican U.S. Representative from New Jersey’s 6th congressional district from 1885 to 1891, a family connection that placed him early within the state’s political tradition.

Lehlbach was educated in the public schools of Newark before attending Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, from which he graduated in 1897. He then pursued legal studies at New York Law School. Admitted to the bar in February 1899, he commenced the practice of law in Newark, gaining his first professional experience in the office of the firm Pitney & Hardin. His early legal career in Newark provided the foundation for his later public service, combining private practice with growing involvement in local and state affairs.

Lehlbach’s public career began in municipal service. He was a member of the Newark Board of Education from 1900 to 1903, participating in the administration of the city’s public schools during a period of urban growth. He then served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1903 until 1905. On April 3, 1905, he became clerk of the New Jersey state board of equalization of taxes, a position he held until his resignation on April 14, 1908, when he was appointed assistant prosecutor of Essex County. He served as assistant prosecutor from 1908 until April 6, 1913, when he resigned in order to resume the private practice of law in Newark.

Lehlbach entered national politics as the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1914 election. Running in New Jersey’s 10th congressional district, he defeated the incumbent Democrat Edward W. Townsend, receiving 47.5 percent of the vote to Townsend’s 42.4 percent. He was reelected in 1916 by a comfortable margin, but faced a more competitive race in 1918, when he narrowly prevailed over Democrat Dallas Flannagan with a majority of 2.2 percent. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his New Jersey constituents during a significant period in American history that encompassed World War I, the interwar years, and the early years of the Great Depression.

Over the course of his congressional career, Lehlbach served eleven consecutive terms. He represented New Jersey’s 10th congressional district from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1933, and, following redistricting, represented New Jersey’s 12th congressional district from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1937. During the 66th through 68th Congresses he served as chairman of the Committee on Reform in the Civil Service, reflecting his involvement in federal personnel policy and administrative reform. In the 69th through 71st Congresses he was chairman of the Committee on Civil Service, continuing his leadership in this area. He was also a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1924, underscoring his standing within the party at both the state and national levels.

Lehlbach’s long tenure in the House came to an end following his shift to New Jersey’s 12th congressional district after eighteen years representing the 10th district. In the 1936 election he sought reelection but faced a closely contested race against Democrat Frank W. Towey Jr. In that campaign he was narrowly defeated, receiving 49.6 percent of the vote to Towey’s 49.9 percent, thus concluding more than two decades of continuous congressional service from 1915 to 1937 as a Republican representative from New Jersey.

After leaving Congress, Lehlbach returned to the practice of law, this time in Washington, D.C., where he continued his legal work until his death. He died of a heart attack on August 4, 1937, at the age of 61. His remains were returned to New Jersey, and he was buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Newark, closing a life closely associated with that city and with the political and legal affairs of his state and nation.