Tom Lingenfelter
Encyclopedia
Tom Lingenfelter is a teacher, historian
, intelligence agent
, businessman
, and political activist
from the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. He is a perennial candidate
for public office and was an Independent
candidate for Lieutenant Governor
of Pennsylvania in 2006.
Lingenfelter was born on a farm in then-rural Blair County, Pennsylvania
in 1939. He attended public school in Berks County, Pennsylvania
before earning a Bachelor of Arts
in history from the King's College
in Westchester, New York and 30 credits
in educational psychology
from Temple University
in Philadelphia
.
An active athlete, Lingenfelter won a bronze medal
in indoor sprinting
at the National Masters, was Pennsylvania's champion indoor sprinter, was a Keystone Games medalist in field hockey
and shooting
, and won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games
as a members of the United States
' Olympic
field hockey team.
After graduating from college, he joined the U.S. Army
. During his military service, he was designated an "expert" in rifle
and pistol
shooting and was assigned to the Counter Intelligence Corps
, where he earned a Top Secret
security clearance
.
Upon his retirement from the Army, he worked as a public school teacher for four years before opening his own advertising agency
in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
. In addition, he runs the Heritage Collectors' Society and is a dealer in original historical document
s and artifact
s.
A staunch conservative
, Lingenfelter has previously been a frequent candidate for various offices in Pennsylvania, running as both a Republican
and a Democrat
. He ran three times for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives
in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. The last time, in 1996, he won 40% of the vote against moderate incumbent James C. Greenwood
in the primary election
. In 1994, he attempted to run for lieutenant governor, but was taken off the ballot
over a petition
challenge. In 1996, he was elected a Republican state committeeman
. And in 1998, he challenged U.S. Senator Arlen Specter
for re-nomination, winning 15% of the primary vote.
In 2003, he ran as an Independent for Bucks County controller. In 2004, he switched parties
and became a Democrat, winning 40% of the vote in the party's Congressional primary, but losing the general election.
In 2005, he joined PACleanSweep, a grassroots
organization founded by former Libertarian
Russ Diamond
to oust every incumbent
member of the state legislature. Lingenfelter eventually became a member of the group's board of directors
and helped oversee the recruitment of candidates to run against unopposed legislators. When Diamond announced that he was running for Governor of Pennsylvania in April 2006, he asked Lingenfelter to be his running mate, and Lingenfelter agreed. When Diamond dropped out of the race in mid-August as a result of his inability to obtain the required 65,000 signatures, Lingenfelter ended his bid for office as well. Simultaneously, Lingenfelter ran for Congress in the 8th Congressional District, but failed to obtain the required signatures to appear on the ballot there as well.
In 2008, Lingenfelter ran as an independent for Congress in the 8th congressional district under the slogan "Be Independent." He garnered 1.59% of the vote against Democrat Patrick Murphy
and Republican Tom Manion.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, intelligence agent
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
, and political activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. He is a perennial candidate
Perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
for public office and was an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate for Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
of Pennsylvania in 2006.
Lingenfelter was born on a farm in then-rural Blair County, Pennsylvania
Blair County, Pennsylvania
-Significant Topographic Features:*Brush Mountain*Logan Valley*Morrison Cove*Tussey Mountain-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 129,144 people, 51,518 households, and 34,877 families residing in the county. The population density was 246 people per square mile . There were 55,061...
in 1939. He attended public school in Berks County, Pennsylvania
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
before earning a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in history from the King's College
The King's College, New York
The King's College is a Christian liberal arts college located in Midtown Manhattan.-History:Percy Crawford founded The King’s College in 1938 in Belmar, New Jersey. The school re-located in 1941 to New Castle, Delaware, and again in 1955 to the former Briarcliff Lodge site in Briarcliff Manor,...
in Westchester, New York and 30 credits
Credit (education)
A course credit is a unit that gives weighting to the value, level or time requirements of an academic course taken at a school or other educational institution.- United States :...
in educational psychology
Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Educational psychology is concerned with how students learn and develop, often focusing...
from Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
An active athlete, Lingenfelter won a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in indoor sprinting
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
at the National Masters, was Pennsylvania's champion indoor sprinter, was a Keystone Games medalist in field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
and shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
, and won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
as a members of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
field hockey team.
After graduating from college, he joined the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. During his military service, he was designated an "expert" in rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
and pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
shooting and was assigned to the Counter Intelligence Corps
Counter Intelligence Corps
The Counter Intelligence Corps was a World War II and early Cold War intelligence agency within the United States Army. Its role was taken over by the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps in 1961 and, in 1967, by the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency...
, where he earned a Top Secret
Top Secret
Top Secret generally refers to the highest acknowledged level of classified information.Top Secret may also refer to:- Film and television :* Top Secret , a British comedy directed by Mario Zampi...
security clearance
Security clearance
A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information, i.e., state secrets, or to restricted areas after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is also sometimes used in private organizations that have a formal...
.
Upon his retirement from the Army, he worked as a public school teacher for four years before opening his own advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
. In addition, he runs the Heritage Collectors' Society and is a dealer in original historical document
Document
The term document has multiple meanings in ordinary language and in scholarship. WordNet 3.1. lists four meanings :* document, written document, papers...
s and artifact
Cultural artifact
A cultural artifact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users...
s.
A staunch conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, Lingenfelter has previously been a frequent candidate for various offices in Pennsylvania, running as both a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and a Democrat
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...
. He ran three times for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. The last time, in 1996, he won 40% of the vote against moderate incumbent James C. Greenwood
James C. Greenwood
James Charles "Jim" Greenwood is an American politician in the Republican Party. He represented Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District for six terms in the United States House of Representatives....
in the primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. In 1994, he attempted to run for lieutenant governor, but was taken off the ballot
Ballot
A ballot is a device used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. In the simplest elections, a ballot may be a simple scrap of paper on which each voter writes in the name of a candidate, but governmental elections use pre-printed to protect the...
over a petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
challenge. In 1996, he was elected a Republican state committeeman
Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania is based in Harrisburg in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the Republican Party of the United States.-Founding:...
. And in 1998, he challenged U.S. Senator Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
for re-nomination, winning 15% of the primary vote.
In 2003, he ran as an Independent for Bucks County controller. In 2004, he switched parties
Party switching
Party-switching is any change in political party affiliation of a partisan public figure, usually one currently holding elected office.In many countries, party-switching takes the form of politicians refusing to support their political parties in coalition governments...
and became a Democrat, winning 40% of the vote in the party's Congressional primary, but losing the general election.
In 2005, he joined PACleanSweep, a grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
organization founded by former Libertarian
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
Russ Diamond
Russ Diamond
Russell H. "Russ" Diamond is an entrepreneur, political activist, and politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. He attempted to secure ballot access as an Independent candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania in 2006. He is currently running for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor as a...
to oust every incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
member of the state legislature. Lingenfelter eventually became a member of the group's board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
and helped oversee the recruitment of candidates to run against unopposed legislators. When Diamond announced that he was running for Governor of Pennsylvania in April 2006, he asked Lingenfelter to be his running mate, and Lingenfelter agreed. When Diamond dropped out of the race in mid-August as a result of his inability to obtain the required 65,000 signatures, Lingenfelter ended his bid for office as well. Simultaneously, Lingenfelter ran for Congress in the 8th Congressional District, but failed to obtain the required signatures to appear on the ballot there as well.
In 2008, Lingenfelter ran as an independent for Congress in the 8th congressional district under the slogan "Be Independent." He garnered 1.59% of the vote against Democrat Patrick Murphy
Patrick Murphy (politician)
Patrick Joseph Murphy is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
and Republican Tom Manion.