Who was Bud Shuster? Former Pennsylvania congressman dies at 91

Elmer Greinert “Bud” Shuster, an influential Republican and former Pennsylvania congressman who strongly backed transportation projects but once ran afoul of ethics guidelines, has died at 91. Shuster was born on January 23, 1932 and died on April 19, 2023.

According to Rebekah Sungala a close family friend, Shuster died peacefully at his farm Wednesday in Everett, Pennsylvania, surrounded by his family, including his son, Bill Shuster, who succeeded him in the southern Pennsylvania congressional seat.

An unconventional politician, Shuster surprised his colleagues by announcing his resignation in 2001, a day after he was sworn in for his 15th term. Shuster resigned because he lost his committee chairmanship.

Three months prior to his unforseen resignation, the House ethics committee had cited him for “serious official misconduct” for accepting improper gifts, favoring a lobbyist and misusing congressional staff for political work.

According to the committee, Shuster improperly allowed Ann Eppard to appear before him in his official capacity in the year after her resignation from his staff. This “created the appearance that his official decisions might have been improperly affected,” the committee found.

However, Shuster will be best remembered for his advocacy of transportation projects, including Interstate 99.

Shuster retired from politics and served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, from which he received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Glassport, Pennsylvania, to Grace (née Greinert) and Prather Leroy Shuster, he received his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1954, where he became a member of Sigma Chi, an M.B.A. from Duquesne University in 1960, and a Ph.D. from American University in 1967.