Keith Rothfus
American politician

Keith James Rothfus (born April 25, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He succeeded Democratic Representative Mark Critz, whom he defeated in the 2012 election. Prior to serving in Congress, he worked as an attorney. After new congressional district maps were released by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in February 2018, Rothfus became a candidate in Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district, where he was defeated for re-election by the incumbent from the 18th district, Democrat Conor Lamb.
Early life and education
Rothfus was born in 1962 in Endicott, New York. He graduated from West Seneca West Senior High School in 1980. He graduated from the State University of New York College at Buffalo with a bachelor's degree in information systems. He later earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1994.
Law career
For most of his adult life, Rothfus has been a corporate attorney. He was employed by the United States Department of Homeland Security from 2006 to 2007.
The public source identifies “Keith Rothfus” as american politician. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Keith, Rothfus and American.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Keith Rothfus”, the useful work is to connect “american politician” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5978897. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1962, 2013, 2019 and 2012.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Keith Rothfus”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Keith Rothfus primary sources, Keith Rothfus archive and Keith research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Keith Rothfus”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Keith Rothfus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.