Earl E. Schaffer

Earl E. Schaffer was an American politician who served as Democratic mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for 12 years between 1950 and 1962. During his time as mayor he greatly expanded the city's recreational centers and renovated the municipal government building. He also proposed legislation that would eventually culminate in Bethlehem implementing a strong mayor system of government.

Political career

Before mayoralship

Before being elected as mayor, Earl Schaffer served as clerk-secretary to superintendent of schools in Bethlehem from 1919 to 1923, as treasurer for the Bethlehem City School District from 1923 to 1939, as the school tax collector in 1931 and as the delinquent school tax collector from 1932 to 1939. As mayor, Schaffer also butted heads with Lehigh University on several occasions. Namely refusing to allow the university's sports teams from accessing public sports infrastructure such as ice rinks. Mayor Schaffer was also involved in the creation of the United States Civil Defense as he was present at the 1955 congressional subcommittee meeting outlining the network's operations and policies. Mayor Schaffer also received backlash due to his urban renewal efforts which saw him demolish many of the historic buildings in downtown Bethlehem to make way for new construction.