Representative John Christian Kunkel

John Christian Kunkel (September 18, 1816 – October 14, 1870) was a Whig and Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was born in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and was the grandfather of John Crain Kunkel. His family connections also included his cousin George Kunkel, who was known as an actor, singer, and theatre manager.

Kunkel attended the common schools of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, before pursuing higher education at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, an institution that later became part of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. After completing his collegiate studies, he turned to the law, enrolling in the Carlisle Law School in 1839. He was admitted to the Dauphin County bar in 1842 and commenced the practice of law in his native city of Harrisburg, where he quickly established himself as a capable attorney.

In addition to his legal work, Kunkel developed a reputation as an effective and persuasive public speaker. During the presidential campaign of 1844, he spoke extensively in favor of Whig candidate Henry Clay, enhancing his visibility within Pennsylvania political circles. His oratorical skills and party loyalty helped propel him into state politics. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving in 1844 and 1845, and returned for another term in 1850. Building on this legislative experience, he was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate, where he served from 1851 to 1853. During his tenure in the State Senate, he was chosen as speaker in both 1852 and 1853, reflecting the confidence his colleagues placed in his leadership and parliamentary abilities.

Kunkel’s state-level service laid the groundwork for his entry into national politics. As a member of the Republican Party representing Pennsylvania, he contributed to the legislative process during two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history. He was first elected as an Oppositionist to the Thirty-fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1857, and was reelected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth Congress, serving from March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1859. During the Thirty-fourth Congress he served as chairman of the House Committee on Militia, a role that placed him at the center of debates over the organization and readiness of the state militia system in the tense years preceding the Civil War. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1858, thereby concluding his congressional career after two consecutive terms.

Following his service in Congress, Kunkel returned to private life in Pennsylvania. He resumed his legal practice in Harrisburg and remained a respected figure in the community, his earlier legislative and congressional service marking him as a prominent Whig and later Republican voice in mid-nineteenth-century Pennsylvania politics. He lived in Harrisburg until his death on October 14, 1870. John Christian Kunkel was interred at Harrisburg Cemetery, in the city where he had been born, practiced law, and built his political career.