Representative John Hoover Rothermel

John Hoover Rothermel (March 7, 1856 – August 1922) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served four terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1915. His congressional service took place during a significant period in American history, when the federal government was expanding its role in economic regulation and public administration, and he contributed to the legislative process over the course of his four terms in office.

Rothermel was born on March 7, 1856, in Richmond Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. He pursued an academic course at Brunner’s Business College in Reading, Pennsylvania, an institution that provided commercial and practical education to young men preparing for professional and business careers. After completing his studies there, he began working in education, a common path for educated Pennsylvanians of his generation.

From 1876 to 1881, Rothermel taught school in Blandon Township, Pennsylvania. His work as a teacher reflected both the growing importance of public education in post–Civil War America and his own commitment to academic and professional advancement. Following his service in local schools, he joined the faculty of Brunner’s Scientific Academy in Reading, where he contributed to the instruction of students in a more advanced and specialized setting, further solidifying his reputation as an educator before turning fully to the study of law.

While engaged in teaching, Rothermel studied law, and in 1881 he was admitted to the bar. He commenced the practice of law in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he would remain professionally based for the rest of his life. His early legal career soon led to positions of public responsibility. From 1886 to 1889, he served as assistant district attorney of Reading, gaining experience in criminal prosecution and public law. He later held the office of county solicitor of Berks County, serving from 1895 to 1898, where he acted as legal adviser to the county government and represented it in civil matters. In 1899 he sought judicial office as a candidate for judge of the court of common pleas, but was unsuccessful in that election.

Rothermel’s growing prominence in local legal and political circles culminated in his election to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat. He was elected to the Sixtieth Congress and reelected to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1907, to March 3, 1915. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the democratic process at the national level and represented the interests of his Pennsylvania constituents during an era marked by Progressive Era reforms and increasing federal oversight of commerce and labor. Over his four terms, he contributed to debates and legislation affecting both his district and the broader national economy.

During his congressional service, Rothermel held important committee leadership positions that reflected his focus on governmental efficiency and fiscal oversight. In the Sixty-second Congress he served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce and Labor, a body responsible for examining how public funds were used within that department and recommending reforms to improve accountability. After the reorganization that separated the Department of Commerce and Labor into distinct departments, he became chairman of the United States House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce during the Sixty-third Congress. In this role he continued to oversee and scrutinize departmental expenditures at a time when federal involvement in commercial regulation was rapidly expanding. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1914, bringing his congressional career to a close at the end of the Sixty-third Congress in March 1915.

Following his departure from Congress, Rothermel resumed the practice of law in Reading, returning to the profession in which he had first established his public standing. He continued to live and work in Reading until his death in August 1922. He was interred in Charles Evans Cemetery in Reading, Pennsylvania, a burial ground that is the final resting place of many of the city’s leading citizens, reflecting his long-standing association with the community and his role in both local and national public life.