Quick Facts
Biography
Charles Kline (December 25, 1870 – July 22, 1933), served as the 47th Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1926 to 1933.
Early life
Mayor Kline was born in 1870 in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. Before taking the helm of the Pittsburgh's Mayor's Office Kline was a State Representative and in 1906 was elected to the State Senate.
Pittsburgh politics
During Kline's administration the city was plunged into the national Great Depression. Despite these newfound hardships, Pittsburgh's corporate community continued to expand, adding several new skyscrapers to the region's horizon. Among these were the Gulf Oil Tower, Grant Building, and Koppers Tower. Kline is to date the last Republican to be elected Mayor of Pittsburgh.
Mayor Kline expanded the city's borders annexing the neighborhood of Carrick to the city's taxrolls. His administration ended on a bad note however, Kline was forced to fight charges of malfeasance and political wrongdoing regarding the purchase of an oriental rug.[1] [2][3] [4] [5] [6]
He resigned from office and died soon after, being buried in Allegheny Cemetery.