Albert Elmer Austin (November 15, 1877 – January 26, 1942) was a surgeon and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1939 to 1941 and member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

from 1917 to 1919 and from 1921 to 1923. He was the stepfather of

Clare Boothe Luce Clare Boothe Luce ( Ann Clare Boothe; March 10, 1903 – October 9, 1987) was an American writer, politician, U.S. ambassador, and public conservative figure. A versatile author, she is best known for her 1936 hit play '' The Women'', which h ...

Biography

Born in

Medway, Massachusetts Medway is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The town had a population of 13,115 at the 2020 census. History Medway (originally Midway) was first settled in 1657 and was officially incorporated i ...

, Austin attended the public schools and graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1899 and served as member of the faculty of Attleboro High School (Massachusetts) from 1899 to 1900. He graduated from

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in 1905. He was married to Anne Tyrell Christy and they divorced in 1916. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Austin served as regimental surgeon in the Two Hundred and Fourteenth Engineers, Fourteenth (Wolverine) Division from 1918 to 1919. He was married on May 17, 1919, to Anne Clara Snyder who was killed in automobile-train accident in Miami, Florida in 1938. She was the mother of

. He married Lillian V. Lounsbury on September 3, 1939. Austin was a practicing physician in

Old Greenwich, Connecticut Old Greenwich is an affluent coastal village in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 6,611. The town of Greenwich is one political and taxing body, but consists of several distinct section ...

from 1907 to 1939. He also engaged in banking in

from 1926 to 1942. Austin was a very active member of Acacia Lodge No. 85 of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason on October 31, 1916. He became the worshipful master of the lodge in 1919 and served in such capacity with great achievement and distinction for five years. He led the successful efforts in raising the necessary funds for a permanent masonic temple building in town. For five years he raised the money necessary to purchase the land from Oliver D. Mead's old homestead which is where Havemeyer Place meets Milbank Avenue. Austin was the first to turn the sod on the Mead lot and the building still stands proudly at 28 Havemeyer Place (though the lodge no longer meets there having sold it many decades ago). Austin also served as the first District Deputy of the First Masonic District of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Connecticut. He was also a member of the York Rite and Scottish Rite bodies. In 1939, in recognition for all his efforts for Masonry, public health and in the National Government he was conferred the 33rd degree. Austin served as member of the

from 1917 to 1919; and from 1921 to 1923. He was elected as a

to the Seventy-sixth Congress and served from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1941. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1940 to the Seventy-seventh Congress.

Death

Austin resumed his medical profession until his death in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

on January 26, 1942, aged 64 years, 72 days. He is interred at Ferncliff Cemetery,

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Greenb ...

. He was a member of the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...

. Learning of Austin's death, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Connecticut wrote a resolution in their proceedings for that year to honor Albert E. Austin. It ended with the following words, "His death brought to an end a busy life spent for the betterment of his fellowman."

References

External links

Retrieved on 2009-02-28
The Political GraveyardGovtrack US Congress

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Albert Elmer 1877 births 1942 deaths Amherst College alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives People from Medway, Massachusetts Thomas Jefferson University alumni United States Army officers People from Old Greenwich, Connecticut Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery Military personnel from Massachusetts