Joseph Phillip Vigorito – First Lieutenant, United States Army

United States House of Representatives

Joseph Phillip Vigorito, 84, a Pennsylvania Democrat who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1977, died February 5, 2003, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He had lymphoma.

Mr. Vigorito, a McLean resident, represented the northwestern counties of Erie, Crawford and Mercer. He served on the House Agriculture and Interior committees.

In 1976, he was defeated by Republican Marc Lincoln Marks. He then taught economics for a year at Georgetown University.

He was born to Italian immigrants in Niles, Ohio, and grew up in Erie, Pa. He served in the Army in Europe during World War II and was a recipient of the Purple Heart.

He was a 1947 graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Denver in 1949.

He taught economics at Pennsylvania State University from 1949 to 1964, when he defeated the incumbent, Representative James D. Weaver (R).

Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Florence Hoppe Vigorito of McLean; three daughters, Tina Griggs of Fairfax, Barbara Cook of Columbus, Ohio, and Linda Jordan of Grapevine, Texas; a brother; and three grandchildren.

Courtesy of the United States House of Representatives:

VIGORITO, Joseph Phillip, a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Niles, Trumbull County, Ohio, November 10, 1918; graduated from Strong Vincent High School, Erie, Pennsylvania, 1938; B.S., Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1947; M.B.A., University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, 1949; United States Army, 1942-1945, awarded the Purple Heart; certified public accountant; faculty, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, 1949-1964; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-ninth and to the five succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1965-January 3, 1977); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninety-fifth Congress in 1976; faculty, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., 1977-1978; unsuccessful candidate for election to the Ninety-sixth Congress in 1978; died on February 5, 2003, in Washington, D.C.

VIGORITO, REP. JOSEPH P. (Age 84)

Of McLean, Virginia, on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at Walter Reed Army Hospital Center. Beloved husband of Florence M. Vigorito; father of Tina Griggs, Barbara Cook and Linda Jordan; brother of Louis Vigorito and grandfather of Christina, Emily and Ryan Joseph.

Friends may call at MONEY & KING FUNERAL HOME, 171 W. Maple Ave., Vienna, Virginia, on Monday, February 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held at Fort Myer Old Post Chapel on Tuesday, February 25, at 3 p.m. Interment Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Northern Virginia, 9300 Lee Hwy., Suite 500, Fairfax, Virginia 22031-1207.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard