Miles Brown Kitts
Miles Brown Kitts (April 24, 1880 – May 27, 1947) was a Republican mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania who served as mayor during World War I and the Roaring Twenties. He is considered to have been one of the "most colorful" mayors because he brought about great changes to Erie but, was also investigated by a grand jury in 1921 and almost was indicted. Early life Miles Kitts was born on April 24, 1880, in Summit Township, Pennsylvania. He attended the county schools of Old Waterford Academy and the Edinboro State Normal School. Kitts went on to teach at Glenwood School in Erie. He studied law under Aaron Albert Freeman and was admitted to the bar on October 28, 1907. He also practiced law with former Congressman Milton W. Shreve. Political life In 1908, Kitts unsuccessfully ran for county school superintendent. He ran for district attorney in 1910, but was also defeated. In 1913, Kitts won the election for membership on the City of Erie General Assembly. During the mayoral elections of 1915, the Democratic candidate Bernard Veit defeated incumbent mayor William J. Stern but died before he could be sworn in. Former mayor and Erie's Democratic "political boss" Michael Liebel