Jerry Pettis

Jerry Pettis
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 3, 1967 – February 14, 1975
Preceded by Kenneth W. Dyal (33rd)
Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (37th)
Succeeded by Del M. Clawson (33rd)
Shirley Neil Pettis (37th)
Constituency 33rd district (1967–75)
37th district (1975)
Personal details
Born Jerry Lyle Pettis
(1916-07-18)July 18, 1916
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Died February 14, 1975(1975-02-14) (aged 58)
Banning, California, U.S.
Resting place Montecito Memorial Park
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Shirley Neil Pettis
Alma mater Pacific Union College
Profession Rancher, teacher, aviator, religious leader, businessman
Military service
Service/branch U.S. Army Air Forces
Battles/wars World War II

Jerry Lyle Pettis (July 18, 1916 – February 14, 1975) was an American politician and a Congressman from California. He was also a rancher, teacher, aviator, religious leader, and businessman.

Political career

In 1966, he was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives, and he was re-elected in 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1974. He represented California's 33rd Congressional District until January 1975 and its 37th Congressional District thereafter.

Background and personal life

Educated in Arizona and California, he graduated from Pacific Union College in Angwin, California in 1938. He did graduate work at the University of Southern California and the University of Denver in 1939-1941 before becoming a businessman. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and was a pilot for United Airlines.

He was a Seventh-day Adventist.

Death and legacy

Pettis was killed on February 14, 1975, when the Beechcraft Model V35B Bonanza he was piloting crashed near Cherry Valley, California, after he encountered adverse weather conditions.[1] He is buried at Montecito Memorial Park in Colton, California.[2]

Pettis's wife, Shirley Neil Pettis, replaced him in the House when she won a special election on April 29, 1975.

The Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda, California, was so named in his honor. His congressional papers are located in the Archives & Special Collections at Loma Linda University.

During the 1970s, the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Scholarship was established and is awarded by the American Medical Association Foundation to "students pursuing careers in science communications".[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ planecrashinfo.com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents: 1970s
  2. ↑ Jerry Lyle Pettis at Find a Grave
  3. ↑ "History of the AMA Foundation — 1970s: Expanding Scholarship and Research". American Medical Association.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Kenneth W. Dyal		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 33rd congressional district
January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975		 Succeeded by
Del M. Clawson
Preceded by
Yvonne B. Burke		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 37th congressional district
January 3, 1975 – February 14, 1975		 Succeeded by
Shirley Neil Pettis
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