James Robert Mann (Illinois politician)
James Robert Mann | |
|---|---|
 | |
| House Minority Leader | |
| In office March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Champ Clark |
| Succeeded by | Champ Clark |
| Leader of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Gurney Cannon |
| Succeeded by | Frederick H. Gillett |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois | |
| In office March 4, 1897 – November 30, 1922 | |
| Preceded by | J. Frank Aldrich |
| Succeeded by | Morton D. Hull |
| Constituency | 1st district (1897–1903) 2nd district (1903–22) |
| Chicago Alderman from the 32nd Ward | |
| In office 1892–1896 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 20, 1856 Bloomington, Illinois |
| Died | November 30, 1922 (aged 66) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Illinois Union College of Law |
James Robert Mann (October 20, 1856 – November 30, 1922) was an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the U.S. Representative for Illinois from 1897 to 1922. He was a member of the Republican Party, and served as House Minority Leader from 1911 to 1919.[1]
Early life and education[]
James Robert Mann was born near Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois on October 20, 1856. His older brother was Frank Irving Mann (1854-1937) farmer, editor of the Prairie Farmer news publication, and author of The Farmers Creed.
Mann attended University of Illinois and graduated in 1876. He graduated from Union College of Law in 1881 and became a lawyer in Chicago. Mann held several local political offices before serving in the House of Representatives.
Career[]
He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1881 and commenced his practice in Chicago. He held several local offices before being elected as a congressman:
- Member of the Oakland Board of Education in Chicago (1887)
- Attorney for Hyde Park and the South Park commissioners of Chicago
- Chairman of the Illinois State Republican convention (1894)
- Member of the City Council of Chicago (1892–1896)
- Master in chancery of the Superior Court of Cook County
- Chairman of the Republican county conventions at Chicago (1895, 1902)
- Elected as Republican (1896) to the 55th Congress with 13 successive terms
Service in the House[]
- Chairman, Committee on Elections No. 1 (58th–60th Congresses)
- Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (61st Congress)
- Committee on Women Suffrage (66th Congress)
- Minority Leader (62nd–65th Congresses)
Notable legislation[]
1911–1919
Congressman Mann was one of the sponsors of the Mann-Elkins Act, which gave more power to the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroad rates. He is probably best known for his authorship of the Mann Act of 1910, which was a reaction to the "white slavery" issue and prohibited transportation of women between states for purposes of prostitution. He introduced legislation that became the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906.
He was considered to be a leader in the cause of amending the United States Constitution to grant suffrage to women. However, he was quoted as saying, "'They should have been at home where they belonged,' referring to the women in the pageant."[2] He was a leading opponent of the Harrison Act and Prohibition, despite the popularity of such legislation amongst his fellow Midwestern progressives.
Death[]
Mann died in Washington, D.C. of pneumonia on November 30, 1922 at age 66 before the close of the 67th United States Congress.[1] He was interred in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "James R. Mann Dies in Washington Home After Week's Illness, Ending in Pneumonia". The New York Times. December 1, 1922. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
Representative James R. Mann of Illinois, for nearly twenty-six years a member of the House, and during most of that time a leader of the Republican Party, died at his home here at 11:15 o'clock tonight.
- ^ "The Learning Network". The New York Times.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress document: "MANN, James Robert".
Further reading[]
- Ellis, L. Ethan. "James Robert Mann: Legislator Extraordinary". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 46 (Spring 1953): 28–44. JSTOR 40189273.
- Extended bibliography – United States Congress website
External links[]
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- 1856 births
- 1922 deaths
- Anti–human trafficking activists
- Chicago City Council members
- Deaths from pneumonia
- Illinois Republicans
- Mann Act
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- Minority leaders of the United States House of Representatives
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni
- People from Bloomington, Illinois
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign alumni