Remember When: Longtime legislator C.L. Schmitt was outspoken advocate for consumers

He was called “Mr. Consumer” for his advocacy in the state House of Representatives.

C.L. Schmitt, who served in the Pennsylvania Legislature from 1964-80, was always in the forefront of battling banking, utility and medical interests to the benefit of his middle-class constituents.

Schmitt represented the 54th legislative district, based in New Kensington.

He was responsible for creating the position of state Consumer Advocate in 1976. Up to that time, everyday residents had no one to testify on their behalf before the state Public Utility Commission.

During his freshman term in the Legislature, Schmitt pushed through a bill to limit to 15% annual interest charges in installment credit accounts; it was called the state Consumer Credit Act of 1966.

Another piece of legislation he pursued was a rule that gasoline stations had to post their prices in large numbers to motorists. Until that time, many didn’t know the price of gasoline until they pulled up to the pump.

The oil company lobbyists fought Schmitt hard, but the local legislator prevailed. While many take that measure for granted, during the week of Aug. 15, 2022, there was a 14-cent-per-gallon price difference at stations on either side of the Tarentum Bridge.

One piece of legislation he was most proud of: the requirement for hearing aid distributors to be licensed.

Another law that Schmitt worked on for 10 years was a boost for consumers who buy defective appliances. Before 1978, folks could buy, say, a washing machine and dryer and get a loan from a bank or other lender to pay for it.

But if the product was defective, the consumer still had to make bank payments. Schmitt’s measure gave consumers a four-step process to remedy the problem.

Schmitt and other legislators teamed up to enact laws regulating strip mining and other measures favoring conservation.

Chester Ludwig Schmitt was born May 8, 1912, in Pittsburgh. He came to New Kensington in 1939 and set up a real estate and insurance brokerage in 1945. Schmitt served on New Kensington Council from 1950-54.

A Democrat, Schmitt lost his first try to the Legislature in 1962 but came back two years later to win the first of eight terms.

It was a time when legislators of both political parties worked for the common good of their constituents. Schmitt was close to and worked well with former Gov. William Scranton, a Republican.

By the time the 1980 election cycle rolled around, Schmitt had contracted Parkinson’s disease and announced he wouldn’t seek a ninth term. He was replaced in the 54th District by Terry Van Horne who, in 1984, sponsored legislation to rename the Ninth Street Bridge connecting New Kensington and East Deer after Schmitt.

How much respect did Schmitt earn during his tenure? The bill passed 192-0.

Schmitt died Feb. 20, 1993, at age 80.

Something readers might not know about Schmitt: He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and was president of the Pittsburgh chapter for a time.