George M. Rhodes was born in
Reading, Pennsylvania. During the
First World War he served in the
United States Army.
Early career He worked as a printer for the
Reading Eagle Co. from 1913 to 1927, and business manager for the
Reading Labor Advocate from 1927 to 1942. He was an
A.F. of L. labor representative. He was editor and manager of the
Lancaster New Era from 1942 to 1949. He was President of Federated Trades Council, A.F. of L.
Central Labor Union from 1928 to 1951 and a member of the Reading Housing Authority from 1938 to 1948.
Early affiliation with Socialist Party A member of the
Socialist Party of Pennsylvania, Rhodes was a delegate to the Socialist National Conventions in 1928 and 1932. He ran for local office several times on the Socialist ticket. After he became a Democrat, he was a delegate to the
Democratic National Conventions of 1952 and 1956.
Congress He was elected as a Democrat to the
81st Congress in 1948, defeating incumbent Republican Congressman
Frederick A. Muhlenberg, and re-elected to the nine succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1969). He was not a candidate for reelection in 1968. As a member of Congress, Rhodes was a supporter of
collective bargaining rights. He worked with Senator
Olin D. Johnston of South Carolina to introduce the Rhodes-Johnston bill, which would have recognized the collective bargaining rights of all federal workers. This bill never came to a vote due to objections from President
Eisenhower, but a limited version of the proposal was later adopted by the administration of President
John F. Kennedy in 1961. ==Death and legacy==