George Atlee Goodling

George Atlee Goodling (September 26, 1896 – October 17, 1982) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania who served six terms in Congress between 1961 and 1975. Over the course of his legislative career, he represented his constituents during a period of significant political and social change in the United States, contributing to the work of the House of Representatives and the broader democratic process.

Goodling was born on September 26, 1896, in Loganville, York County, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a rural community whose agricultural character would shape much of his later professional and political life. During the First World War, he entered military service and served as a seaman, second class, in the United States Navy from March 1918 to December 1918, contributing to the nation’s war effort in the final year of World War I.

Following his military service, Goodling pursued higher education. He enrolled at Pennsylvania State University, where he studied agriculture and related fields, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1921. His academic training complemented his rural background and prepared him for a career that combined farming, business, and public service.

After graduating from Pennsylvania State University, Goodling returned to the Loganville area and became the operator of a fruit farm near his hometown. In addition to his work in agriculture, he expanded his activities into local business and civic affairs. He served as a director of a bank, a motor club, and an insurance company, reflecting a growing engagement with the economic life of his community. He also served on the local school board, gaining experience in public administration and education policy at the community level.

Goodling’s formal political career began in state government. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and served there from 1943 to 1957. During these fourteen years in the state legislature, he participated in shaping state policy in the post–World War II era, building a reputation as a representative of his largely rural constituency and establishing the legislative experience that would later support his campaigns for national office.

Goodling was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in the 1960 election, when he defeated incumbent Democratic Congressman James M. Quigley. He took office in January 1961 and served two consecutive terms in Congress. His initial period in the House coincided with the administrations of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and he participated in the legislative deliberations of the early 1960s. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1964, temporarily interrupting his congressional service.

In 1966, Goodling returned to national office when he was again elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, beginning the first of four additional terms. This second stretch of service extended from January 1967 until January 1975. In total, George Atlee Goodling served six terms in Congress from 1961 to 1975. During these years he represented Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives, taking part in the legislative process during a period marked by the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and significant changes in domestic policy. Upon the conclusion of his final term in 1975, he was succeeded in Congress by his son, William F. Goodling, continuing the family’s representation of the district.

After leaving Congress, Goodling retired from elective office and returned to private life in Pennsylvania. He remained associated in public memory with his long service at both the state and national levels and with his roots in agriculture and local business. George Atlee Goodling died on October 17, 1982, closing a life that spanned from the late nineteenth century through much of the twentieth and that included service in war, in state government, and in the United States Congress.