Biography

04/24/1880 - 05/27/1947

Miles Brown Kitts, Sr. (R49) Erie County 1927-1932

Early Life:

Miles Brown Kitts, Sr., born April 24, 1880, Summit Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania; son of Debian and Elnora Kitts; public school education; Waterford Academy; Northwest State Normal School (now Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro), 1902; student, studied law, law offices of Marsh and Eaton, Aaron Albert Freeman; public school teacher, Glenwood School, Erie; public school principal, 1902-1908; unsuccessful campaign Erie County school superintendent, 1908; practicing attorney, with former Congressman Milton W. Shreve, 1910; unsuccessful campaign, district attorney, Erie County, 1910; elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1913- resigned, March 9, 1916; elected, mayor of Erie, 1916-1924; elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, Special Election, 1927-1932; elected, Democrat, president judge, Common Pleas Court, Erie County 1935-1945; married, Mary Jane Dunham Webster, married, Nettie Dell Hardy Friedemann, children, Charlotte E. Kitts Eller, Miles Brown Kitts; died, May 27, 1947, Bateman nursing home, cerebral hemorrhage, Springfield Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania; interment, Waterford Cemetery, Waterford, Erie County, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Politics:

Unsuccessful campaign Erie County school superintendent, 1908

Unsuccessful campaign, district attorney Erie County, 1910.

Elected, Democrat, Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1913- resigned, March 9, 1916.  

Elected, mayor of Erie, 1916-1924; mayoral elections of 1915, Democratic candidate Bernard Veit defeated incumbent mayor William J. Stern but died before he could be sworn in. Former mayor and Erie's Democratic "political boss" Michael Liebel gave the Democratic nomination to Kitts. A special election was held on February 20, 1916. Under the rules of the special election, a candidate needed 4,840 votes to win. Kitts lost by a margin of 204 votes and had to face Stern in a run-off election. The run-off election was held on February 29 (making it the only leap day election in Erie history. Even more strange was that the Republican Kitts was running on a Democratic "ticket", while his opponent, Stern, was a Democrat running on a Republican ticket. Known for initiating the construction of the Commodore Perry Monument; revamping police department.

Elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, Special Election, 49thd district, Erie County, vacancy, Marvin Griswold, death, 1927-1932.

Elected, Democrat, president judge, Common Pleas Court, Erie County 1935-1945; there was a petition for removal before Pennsylvania Supreme Court citing "mental incapacity" shortly before his death, took a leave of absence, no action taken on the petition before death, 1947.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Biography:

Official Website - PA House Archives Official Website (state.pa.us)

Cited:

Cox, Harold. "Senate Members K". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.

Harrisburg Telegraph (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) · Wednesday, May 28, 1947 · Page 2.

Miles Brown Kitts (1880-1947) - Find a Grave Memorial