Bob Edgar
A Methodist minister who carried his faith into Congress as a reform-minded Democrat, later leading Common Cause and the National Council of Churches.
1943–2013 (age 70)·American politician·Birthday: May 29·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Edgar’s life was a seamless tapestry of faith, politics, and advocacy. He began as a Methodist pastor and chaplain, a background that deeply informed his six-term tenure in the U.S. House representing a Pennsylvania district. In Congress during the 1970s and 80s, he was a quiet but determined force for ethics, environmental protection, and mass transit, famously serving on the House Select Committee that investigated the Iran-Contra affair. After an unsuccessful Senate run, he left electoral politics but amplified his impact, first as president of the Claremont School of Theology and then as the head of the National Council of Churches, where he championed interfaith dialogue and social justice. His final act was leading Common Cause, where he fought tirelessly against political corruption and for government transparency, arguing until his death that democracy required constant, vigilant engagement from its citizens.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1943, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1943
#1 Movie
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Best Picture
Casablanca
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1943Born
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1948Started school
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1956Became a teenager
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Could drive
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1961Could vote
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Turned 21
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1973Turned 30
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 40
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 50
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 60
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 70
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Served six terms as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania's 7th district from 1975 to 1987.
- Led Common Cause as President and CEO from 2007 until his death in 2013, advocating for government accountability.
- Served as General Secretary of the National Council of Churches from 2000 to 2007.
- Was a member of the historic House Select Committee investigating the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980s.
Did You Know?
He was the first ordained minister to serve as a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania since the Civil War era.
Edgar was a vocal early advocate for creating the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11, but later became a critic of its scope.
He served as a U.S. Army chaplain during the Vietnam War.
“Government should work for the many, not just the moneyed few.”
