Representative Mitchell Jenkins

Mitchell Jenkins (January 24, 1896 – September 15, 1977) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania who served one term in Congress from 1947 to 1949. He represented his Pennsylvania constituency during a significant period in American history, contributing to the legislative process in the early post–World War II era.

Jenkins was born in Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. He attended the public elementary schools in nearby Kingston, Pennsylvania, and pursued his secondary education at Wyoming Seminary Upper School. After completing his preparatory studies, he enrolled at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, from which he graduated in June 1919. He then studied law at New York University School of Law in New York City, receiving his law degree in June 1923.

His education was interrupted at the outset of American involvement in World War I. In April 1917, Jenkins enlisted as a private in the United States Army. He served throughout the conflict and was discharged as a first lieutenant on January 2, 1919. After the war, he returned to his academic pursuits, completed his university education, and prepared for a legal career. He was admitted to the New York Bar in December 1923 and to the Pennsylvania Bar in January 1924, after which he commenced the practice of law in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Jenkins combined his legal career with continued military service. In January 1926, he enlisted as a private in the Pennsylvania National Guard. Over the following years he advanced steadily through the ranks, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel prior to the Guard’s induction into federal service on February 17, 1941, in the lead-up to the United States’ full engagement in World War II. He served four and a half years on active duty during the Second World War, during which time he was promoted to colonel. After being placed on inactive status on October 5, 1945, he later received promotion to brigadier general (retired) in the Pennsylvania National Guard, reflecting his long and distinguished record of military service.

Parallel to his military responsibilities, Jenkins developed a substantial career in public law enforcement and local government. He practiced law in Wilkes-Barre and served as assistant district attorney of Luzerne County from 1938 to 1946, gaining experience in criminal prosecution and public administration. His work as a prosecutor and his military record helped establish his reputation in northeastern Pennsylvania and provided a foundation for his subsequent entry into national politics.

Jenkins was elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress, serving from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1949, as a Representative from Pennsylvania. During his single term in the U.S. House of Representatives, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents at a time marked by postwar economic adjustment, the early Cold War, and the beginning of major debates over domestic and foreign policy in the aftermath of World War II. A member of the Republican Party, he contributed to the legislative work of the House during this significant period in American history. He chose not to be a candidate for reelection in 1948 to the Eighty-first Congress.

After leaving Congress, Jenkins returned to legal practice and local public service. He again served as assistant district attorney of Luzerne County in 1949 and 1950, resuming the prosecutorial role he had held before his term in Congress. Thereafter he continued his private law practice in Wilkes-Barre, maintaining his professional and civic ties to the community where he had spent most of his career.

Mitchell Jenkins died in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on September 15, 1977, at the age of 81. He was interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Shavertown, Pennsylvania.