 james "jim" gerlach (born february 25, 1955) is the u.s. representative for , serving since 2003. he is a member of the republican party. gerlach has announced that he will not be a candidate for re-election in 2014. == early life, education and career == gerlach was born in ellwood city, pennsylvania to helen lorraine (nÃ©e fitzgerald) and jack allen gerlach. his father was killed by a drunk driver when he was five-years-old, leaving his mother to raise three children on her own.http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/gerlach.htm he graduated from dickinson college where he became a member of the sigma chi fraternity and the raven's claw honorary society, with a b.a. in political science. he also earned his law degree from dickinson school of law in 1980. after graduation, gerlach worked as a legislative aide in the pennsylvania state senate. in 1986, gerlach moved back to ellwood city to challenge frank lagrotta in the race for state representative but lost."all in the family," beaver county times, 2007-11-15, p. a6. in 1987, he returned to chester county to work for the lamb, windle &a
1955_births American_Protestants Dickinson_College_alumni Dickinson_School_of_Law_alumni Living_people Members_of_the_Pennsylvania_House_of_Representatives Members_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives_from_Pennsylvania Pennsylvania_Republicans Pennsylvania_State_Senators Pennsylvania_State_University_alumni People_from_Ellwood_City,_Pennsylvania Republican_Party_members_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives