Phil English

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Phil English
Image:Phillip english.jpg
United States Representative from Pennsylvania's 3rd district
In office 1995 - present
Preceded by	Tom Ridge
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	June 20, 1956 Erie, Pennsylvania
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Christiane Weschler
Religion	Roman Catholic

Phillip Sheridan "Phil" English (born June 20, 1956) is a Congressman from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, since 1995 representing the state's 3rd Congressional district (map) in the U.S. House.

English was born in Erie, Pennsylvania and he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. While in college, he served as Chairman of the Pennsylvania College Republicans. U.S. Senator Rick Santorum has said before that while he was attending Penn State University, English knocked on his dorm room door early one morning and told him he was going to start a College Republicans organization there. At age 20 he still holds a record (which was later tied in 2000) for being the youngest Pennsylvania Alternate Delegate to a Republican National Convention, set in 1976.

English served as Erie, Pennsylvania, City Controller from 1985-1989. In 1988 he was the Republican nominee for Pennsylvania Treasurer but was defeated by Democrat Catherine Baker Knoll. He stayed in politics and served as Chief of Staff for then State Senator Melissa Hart.

English was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican in 1994 to the 21st District House seat that Tom Ridge had vacated in his successful run for Governor. (Redistricting put him in the 3rd District from the 2002 election onward.)

As a freshman member being elected from a marginal district, English was at first considered vulnerable. English sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. English was re-elected in a close race in 1996 but he hasn't had serious competition in his last three re-election races. He won reelection over Democrat Steve Porter, a former Mercyhurst College professor in 2006 by a margin of 54% to 42% with 4% going to Constitution Party candidate Tim Hagberg.

Now headed for his seventh term, English has been quietly moving up the seniority ladder in the House and on the Ways and Means Committee.

Phil English is a graduate of Portsmouth Abbey School, a prestigous college prep school in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

[edit] External links

• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
• English's website
• PA Politics interview
• Official House website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Preceded by Tom Ridge	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district 1995 - 2003	Succeeded by District eliminated
Preceded by Robert A. Borski, Jr.	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district 2003 -	Incumbent

Pennsylvania's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators: Arlen Specter (R), Rick Santorum (R) Representative(s): Bob Brady (D), Chaka Fattah (D), Phil English (R), Melissa Hart (R), John E. Peterson (R), Jim Gerlach (R), Curt Weldon (R), Mike Fitzpatrick (R), Bill Shuster (R), Don Sherwood (R), Paul E. Kanjorski (D), John Murtha (D), Allyson Schwartz (D), Michael F. Doyle (D), Charles Dent (R), Joseph R. Pitts (R), Tim Holden (D), Tim Murphy (R), Todd Platts (R) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands