Representative Levi Maish

Levi Maish (November 22, 1837 – February 26, 1899) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania who served multiple terms in Congress between 1875 and 1891. He was born in Conewago Township, York County, Pennsylvania, and spent his early years in the region that he would later represent in both the state legislature and the national Congress. Maish attended the common schools and continued his education at the York County Academy, receiving the formal schooling that would underpin both his military and legal careers.

Before the Civil War, Maish worked in education, teaching school in Manchester Township and in the city of York, Pennsylvania. His experience as a teacher and his local standing in York County helped establish him as a figure of some prominence in his community. This background in education and public service contributed to the leadership qualities he would soon demonstrate in the Union Army and later in political office.

During the American Civil War, Maish played an active role in the Union cause. In 1862 he recruited a company for the Union Army and, as a result, entered service in the 130th Pennsylvania Infantry as a captain. Owing in part to his education and leadership abilities, he was soon promoted to lieutenant colonel. Less than two months after entering service, he led his men in the Battle of Antietam, where he was severely wounded in the upper chest and lung while leading an advance across the cornfield in front of the strongly held position at the sunken road. During his convalescence, he was promoted to colonel following the Battle of Fredericksburg. He remained with the 130th Pennsylvania Infantry until the expiration of its term of service, and he was mustered out with his regiment on May 21, 1863.

After leaving the Army, Maish turned to the study of law. He attended lectures in the law department of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and was admitted to the bar in 1864. Establishing himself as an attorney, he quickly moved into public life. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving as a member of the state legislature in 1867 and 1868. In 1872 the Pennsylvania legislature appointed him as one of a commission to reexamine and reaudit the accounts of certain public officers of York County, reflecting the trust placed in his judgment and integrity in financial and administrative matters.

Maish’s national political career began when he was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was first chosen to represent Pennsylvania in the Forty-fourth Congress, serving from 1875 to 1877, and was reelected to the Forty-fifth Congress, serving until 1879. Although he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1878, his initial four-year tenure in the House occurred during a significant period in American history, as the nation grappled with the later stages of Reconstruction and the economic and political challenges of the post–Civil War era. As a member of the House of Representatives, Levi Maish participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Pennsylvania constituents, contributing to the work of the Democratic Party in Congress.

After a brief interval out of office, Maish returned to national politics. He was again elected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth Congress, serving from 1887 to 1889, and to the Fifty-first Congress, serving from 1889 to 1891. Across these four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, spanning the years 1875 to 1891, he took part in debates and legislation during a transformative era marked by industrial expansion, shifting party alignments, and evolving federal policy. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890, which brought his congressional service to a close, but his combined periods in office established him as a notable Democratic figure from Pennsylvania in the late nineteenth century.

In addition to his public and military careers, Maish was active in fraternal organizations. He was made a Freemason in York Lodge No. 266, F.&A.M., in York, Pennsylvania, on January 6, 1863, during the Civil War. He resigned from that lodge in 1869 to become a warrant member of Zeredatha Lodge No. 451 in York. Within this new lodge he assumed a leadership role and was subsequently elected to serve as Worshipful Master in 1873, further reflecting his prominence in civic and community affairs.

Following his final term in Congress, Maish continued his legal career. He engaged in the practice of law in Washington, D.C., where he remained professionally active until his death. Levi Maish died in Washington, D.C., on February 26, 1899. He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery and was also interred in Arlington National Cemetery, a recognition of his service as a Union Army officer during the Civil War. His life encompassed roles as educator, soldier, lawyer, state legislator, and four-term U.S. Representative, marking him as a significant Pennsylvania public figure of the post–Civil War generation.