CLEARFIELD – In keeping with Clearfield County’s judicial history and custom, a portrait of the late Judge Joseph S. Ammerman was recently hung in the portrait gallery of Courtroom No. 1 in the Clearfield County Courthouse.
Present were a small gathering of relatives and friends. Standing from left are: Beth Ammerman Gerg, William Ammerman, Lauren Ammerman, Julia Ammerman, Fredric Ammerman and Sue Ammerman; kneeling in front are Allen, Joseph and Lisa Bietz. Not pictured is David S. Ammerman.
Joseph S. Ammerman was born on July 14, 1924 in Curwensville. He was the oldest of three sons born to Scott D. Ammerman who died in 1948 and Katharine Jane (Shearer) Ammerman. His brothers are William Ammerman of Wisconsin and David Ammerman of Pike Township.
He attended the Curwensville Area High School, graduating as the Salutatorian of his class in 1942. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1943 – 1946, in the European Theatre during World War II and achieving the rank of Captain.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Dickinson College in 1948 and was named to Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle in 1950 and began his practice of law in December of that year in the Clearfield/Curwensville area in the firm of Urey, Ammerman and Mikesell. In 1952, Joseph Ammerman was elected as the youngest Pennsylvania delegate that year to attend the Democratic National Convention. Later in the 1950’s, he formed the law firm of Ammerman and Blakely, and also served as President of the Curwensville State Bank.
In 1953, Joseph Ammerman was elected District Attorney of Clearfield County, the first Democrat to serve in that position since 1913. He was re-elected in 1957. In 1960, he was appointed by President Kennedy to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He left that post in 1963, returning to Clearfield to run for Judge. He was defeated in the general election by John Cherry of DuBois.
In 1970, he ran for the Pennsylvania State Senate, 34th District, which at that time consisted of Clearfield, Centre, Cameron and Clinton Counties. He was elected to the State Senate and was re-elected in 1974.
In 1976, he ran for the United States Congress and defeated fourteen year incumbent Republican, Albert W. Johnson. He was the first Clearfield County resident to represent our county in Congress since 1938. During his re-election campaign in 1978, he was involved in a serious automobile accident in St. Marys, which required approximately six months hospitalization. He was defeated in that election by Bill Clinger.
In 1979 – 80, he worked as a member of the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Argriculture in Washington. His position ended when Ronald Regan assumed the presidency in 1981. Jospeph Ammerman then returned to Curwensville and was semi-retired for a few years.
In 1985, he ran for the newly created Judgeship in Clearfield County and was elected Judge. He retired from the Judgeship on Aug. 31, 1993, after suffering a stroke. Judge Joseph Ammerman died on Oct. 14, 1993.