Representative Harve Tibbott

Harve Tibbott (May 27, 1885 – December 31, 1969) was an American pharmacist, banker, and Republican politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives for five consecutive terms from 1939 to 1949. His decade in Congress spanned a pivotal era in American history, including the Great Depression’s aftermath, World War II, and the early years of the postwar period, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Pennsylvania constituents.

Tibbott was born on May 27, 1885, near Ebensburg, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Details of his early family life are sparse in the public record, but his upbringing in rural western Pennsylvania shaped a career closely tied to the economic and civic life of his home region. He pursued professional training in pharmacy, enrolling at the University of Pittsburgh, where he attended the school of pharmacy and graduated in 1906.

Upon completing his education, Tibbott began his professional life in the retail drug business. In 1906 he returned to Ebensburg and worked as a pharmacist, establishing himself in the community as a health professional and small businessman. His work in pharmacy provided both a livelihood and an entry into local affairs, and over time he expanded his activities beyond the drug business into broader civic and financial roles.

Tibbott’s public and civic career developed steadily in the early decades of the twentieth century. From 1913 to 1915 he served as treasurer of the William Penn Highway Association, an organization involved in promoting and developing highway infrastructure across Pennsylvania, reflecting his early interest in transportation and regional development. He later held county office as treasurer of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, serving from 1932 to 1935, a period that coincided with the depths of the Great Depression. His responsibilities in county finance during this challenging economic era helped solidify his reputation as a capable administrator. In 1936 and 1937 he was a member of the Republican State Committee, further integrating him into party leadership at the state level. In 1938 he became president of the First National Bank of Ebensburg, marking his emergence as a leading figure in local banking and commerce.

Building on his professional and political experience, Tibbott was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-sixth Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1949. During his five terms in office, he contributed to the legislative process as a member of the House of Representatives and participated in the democratic governance of the nation during a time of global conflict and domestic transformation. Representing his Pennsylvania district, he worked to advance the interests of his constituents while navigating issues related to wartime mobilization, economic recovery, and postwar adjustment. A member of the Republican Party throughout his congressional career, he aligned with his party’s positions while engaging in the broader national debates of the era.

Tibbott’s congressional service came to an end following the 1948 elections. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Eighty-first Congress, losing to Democrat Robert L. Coffey. His defeat marked the close of his decade-long tenure in the House, after which he returned to private life. Although specific details of his post-congressional activities are less extensively documented, his prior leadership roles in banking and local affairs suggest that he remained a respected figure in Ebensburg and Cambria County.

Harve Tibbott died in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, on December 31, 1969. He was interred in Lloyd Cemetery in Ebensburg, bringing to a close a life rooted in his native community and marked by service as a pharmacist, local official, banker, party leader, and five-term Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.