John W. Rife Explained

Birth Name:	John Winebrenner Rife
Birth Date:	14 August 1846
Birth Place:	Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States

John Winebrenner Rife (August 14, 1846 – April 17, 1908) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.^[1]

Formative years

John W. Rife was born in Middletown, Pennsylvania on August 14, 1846. He attended the common schools, and subsequently learned the trade of tanner.^{[2] [3]}

Military service

Rife enlisted July 15, 1864, as a private in Company D, One Hundred and Ninety-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served until honorably discharged on November 6, 1864.^{[4] [5]}

Public service career

Rife served as a member of the city council of Middletown in 1871, and as burgess of Middletown in 1877 and 1878. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives in 1885 and 1886. He served as president of the Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad Co.^{[6] [7]}

Rife was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination.^{[8] [9]}

Death and interment

Rife died in Middletown on April 17, 1908, and was interred at the Middletown Cemetery.^{[10] [11]}

Notes and References

1. "Rife, John Winebrenner," in Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (CongBio|R000251). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Congress, retrieved online February 14, 2008.
2. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ridge-riggin.html The Political Graveyard
3. "Rife, John Winebrenner," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
4. Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: State Printer, 1871.
5. "Rife, John Winebrenner," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
6. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ridge-riggin.html The Political Graveyard
7. "Rife, John Winebrenner," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
8. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ridge-riggin.html The Political Graveyard
9. "Rife, John Winebrenner," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
10. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ridge-riggin.html The Political Graveyard
11. "Rife, John Winebrenner," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.