Background
Joe Kolter was born in McDonald, Ohio.
Joe Kolter was born in McDonald, Ohio.
He graduated from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and served in the United States Army from 1944 to 1947.
He was elected as a Democrat to the 98th and to the four succeeding Congresses serving from January 3, 1983, to January 3, 1993. He was defeated in the 1992 Democratic primary by Ron Klink. During his time in Congress, Kolter was publicly quoted as saying that the Nicaraguan Contras were "controlled by a man named Uno." United Nations Organization was the acronym for the Contras" umbrella organization, the United Nicaraguan Opposition (Spanish: Unidad Nicaragüense Oppositora)
Kolter was implicated in the Congressional Post Office scandal, that also involved Dan Rostenkowski.
He was indicted and sentenced to 6 months in prison.
He was a New Brighton city councilman from 1961 to 1965, and a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1969–1982.