Joseph Russell Pitts (born October 10, 1939) is a former American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district from 1997 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district was based in Lancaster and Reading and included much of Amish country. It also included the far southwestern suburbs of Philadelphia in Chester County. In December 2015, Congressman Pitts announced he would not run for reelection in 2016.