Representative Milton William Shreve

Milton William Shreve (May 3, 1858 – December 23, 1939) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania who served eight terms in Congress between 1913 and 1933. He was born in Chapmanville, Pennsylvania, and came of age in the post–Civil War era, a period of rapid industrialization and political realignment that would shape both his legal career and his long tenure in public office.

Shreve pursued his early education in northwestern Pennsylvania, attending Edinboro State Normal School and later Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He subsequently enrolled at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1884. After completing his formal education, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in Erie County, Pennsylvania. He then commenced the practice of law in Erie, Pennsylvania, establishing himself professionally in a growing industrial and commercial center on Lake Erie.

Shreve’s public career began at the local and state levels. In Erie County he served as district attorney from 1899 to 1902, gaining experience in criminal law and public administration. He then advanced to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served from 1907 to 1912. During the legislative session of 1911 he rose to a position of particular prominence when he succeeded to the speakership of the Pennsylvania House, reflecting the confidence of his colleagues and his growing influence within the Republican Party in the state.

Building on his state legislative service, Shreve was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-third Congress, entering the U.S. House of Representatives in 1913 as a Representative from Pennsylvania. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, encompassing the Progressive Era, World War I, the Roaring Twenties, and the onset of the Great Depression. As a member of the House of Representatives, Milton William Shreve participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents, contributing to the legislative work of Congress over the course of eight terms in office. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1914 and temporarily left Congress at the end of that term.

After his initial defeat for reelection, Shreve resumed the practice of law in Erie and expanded his activities into the business sphere. He became engaged in banking and developed interests in several manufacturing plants, reflecting the broader economic growth of Erie and the surrounding region in the early twentieth century. His continued involvement in legal and commercial affairs kept him closely connected to the economic concerns of his community, which would inform his later congressional service.

Shreve returned to national office when he was again elected as a Republican to the Sixty-sixth Congress. He was subsequently reelected as an Independent Republican to the Sixty-seventh Congress and then as a Republican to the Sixty-eighth through Seventy-second Congresses, serving continuously through 1933. Over these years he represented Pennsylvania, including service for what was then Pennsylvania’s 25th congressional district, during a time marked by postwar adjustment, prohibition, and the economic upheavals leading into the Great Depression. A member of the Republican Party throughout his career, he contributed to the legislative process across these eight terms, aligning his work in Washington with the needs and priorities of his Pennsylvania constituents. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932, bringing his congressional career to a close at the end of the Seventy-second Congress.

In his later years, following his final departure from Congress, Shreve again resumed the practice of law in Erie, Pennsylvania. He continued to reside and work there until his death on December 23, 1939. Milton William Shreve was buried in Erie Cemetery, leaving a legacy of decades of service at the county, state, and national levels during some of the most transformative decades in modern American history.