{{Short description|American politician (born 1949)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = Jerry Birmelin | state_house = Pennsylvania | district = 139th | constituency = Monroe, Pike, and Wayne Counties | term_start = January 1, 1985<ref>{{cite web |title = SESSION OF 1985 - 169TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1|work = Legislative Journal| publisher = Pennsylvania House of Representatives |date = 1985-01-01|url = http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/HJ/1985/0/19850101.pdf}}</ref> | term_end = November 30, 2006<ref>Per Article II, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the legislative session ended on November 30, 2006</ref> | predecessor = William W. Foster | successor = Michael Peifer | birth_name = Jerald M. Birmelin | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|04|18|mf=y}} | birth_place = New York, New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Republican | alma_mater = | occupation = | spouse = Elaine Birmelin | children = | website = }} '''Jerald M. "Jerry" Birmelin''' (born April 18, 1949) is an American politician who formerly served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
He is a 1967 graduate of Lake Ariel High School.<ref name="official">{{cite web|title=Jerry Birmelin (Republican) |work=Official Pennsylvania House of Representatives Profile |publisher=Pennsylvania House of Representatives |url=//www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house_bio.cfm?districtnumber=139 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060110020324/http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house_bio.cfm?districtnumber=139 |archive-date=January 10, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He earned a degree in education from University of Scranton in 1973.<ref name="official" />
He was first elected to represent the 139th legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1984. During his career, Birmelin was known for his Pro-life stand on abortion and for his opposition to Same-sex marriage.<ref name=third>{{cite news | last = Swift| first = Robert B.| title = Third veteran legislator quits Monroe delegation| work = Pocono Record | publisher = Ottaway News Service| date = 2006-01-27| url = http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060127/NEWS/601270335}}</ref> He retired prior to the 2006 elections.
Birmelin voted in favor of the controversial legislative pay raise, passed in the middle of the night without debate or public comment, inspiring several candidates to challenge him in the 2006 election. Several of these candidates were affiliated with PACleanSweep, a statewide effort to defeat any legislators voting for the pay raise.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060131/NEWS/601310313 |title=Pocono Mountains Media Group |access-date=June 8, 2009 |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613220711/http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060131/NEWS/601310313 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On January 26, 2006, Birmelin joined 26 of his colleagues and announced that he would not seek re-election.<ref name=third /> Pike County treasurer, Michael Peifer went on to win the Republican nomination and won the election.<ref>{{cite news | title = Peifer: 'I don't want to be a puppet'| work = Pocono Record| place =Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania| publisher = Pocono Mountains Media Group | date = 2006-05-02| url = http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060502/NEWS/60502004|quote="Peifer said he talked with the PACleanSweep people, who are organizing an anti-incumbent crusade across the state in reaction to the legislature's middle-of-the-night pay raise last summer. But he's not going that route. Peifer said he was uncomfortable that he would have to "agree" to positions on 10 issues before PACleanSweep would accept him under its banner. "I don't want to be a puppet," he said, shrugging. But, he said, he's not surprised an organization has sprung up dedicated to stamping out the lack of leadership in Harrisburg. Just about everybody feels that way, he said."}}</ref>
Following retirement from the House, Birmelin began his own political consulting firm, Birmelin Consulting, and assisted Chris Hackett in his 2008 campaign for Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district against Chris Carney.<ref>{{cite news | last = Kane| first = Tom | title = Chris Hackett to oppose Chris Carney for Congress a year from now | work = The River Reporter| place =Narrowsburg, NY| publisher = Stuart Communications, Inc.| date = November 2007| url = http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/07-11-01/news-congress.html}}</ref>
A decade after leaving the House, Birmelin ran in 2016 as a Republican candidate for District 111 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tricountyindependent.com/article/20160331/NEWS/160339969|title=Birmelin seeks return to State House|website=The Tri-County Independent|language=en|access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref> Birmelin was defeated in the 2016 Republican Primary Election by Jonathan Fritz.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Jerald_Birmelin|title=Jerald Birmelin|website=Ballotpedia|language=en|access-date=2020-01-20}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000525042211/http://www.house.state.pa.us/members/districts/139/139.htm |date=May 25, 2000 |title=Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Jerry Birmelin (Republican) }} '''Official PA House profile (archived)'''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birmelin, Jerry}} Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Category:University of Scranton alumni Category:People from Honesdale, Pennsylvania Category:21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly Category:20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly