John Herman Dent was a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

.

Early life and education

John Dent was born in Johnetta, Pennsylvania, to Samuel and Genevieve Dent. He was educated in the public schools of Armstrong

Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,941. It is located northeast of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Armstrong County was added to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2003.The county seat is Kittanning...

 and Westmoreland

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...

 counties, the Naval Station Great Lakes

Naval Station Great Lakes

Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...

, and through correspondence school courses.

Business activities

He was a member of the local council of the United Rubber Workers from 1923 to 1937, and served as president of Local 18759, on the executive council, and as a member of the international council. He operated the Kelden Coal & Coke Co. of Hunker

Hunker, Pennsylvania

Hunker is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 329 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hunker is located at ....

, and the Building & Transportation Co. of Trafford

Trafford, Pennsylvania

Trafford is a borough in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania, the borough lies primarily in Westmoreland County; only a small portion extends into Allegheny County...

, and Jeannette

Jeannette, Pennsylvania

Jeannette is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,788 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jeannette is located at ....

.

Government activities

He was a Jeannette City Councilman from 1932 to 1934. He served in the United States Marine Air Corps from 1924 to 1928. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from 1935 to 1936, and a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate

Pennsylvania State Senate

The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...

 from 1937 to 1958. He was the Democratic Floor Leader in the State Senate from 1939 until 1958.

He was elected in 1958

United States House election, 1958

The U.S. House election, 1958 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1958 which occurred in the middle of Dwight Eisenhower's second term.The economy was suffering the Recession of 1958, which Democrats blamed on Eisenhower...

 as a Democrat to the 85th United States Congress

85th United States Congress

The Eighty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1957 to January 3, 1959, during the fifth and sixth...

, by special election, January 21, 1958, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Augustine Kelley

Augustine B. Kelley

Augustine Bernard Kelley was a United States Representative from Pennsylvania.Augustine B. Kelley was born in New Baltimore, Pennsylvania. He attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 1904 and 1905. He studied mining engineering with the International Correspondence...

, and was reelected to the ten succeeding Congresses. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1978.