Robert Homer Mollohan (September 18, 1909 – August 3, 1999) was an American politician who served member of the United States House of Representatives from 1953 to 1957 and again from 1969 to 1983. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from West Virginia, Mollohan was succeeded in Congress by his son,

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *A ...

Early life and education

Mollohan was born in Grantsville, West Virginia. He attended Glenville State College, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting.

Career

After finishing his education, Mollohan was hired by the city of

Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and ...

as a tax collector. In 1935, he was promoted to the rank of chief of the miscellaneous tax division. In 1939, the city reassigned Mollohan's duties, making him the local director of the Works Progress Administration. In 1940, he briefly worked for the United States Census Bureau. For eight years, beginning in 1941, Mollohan was director of the West Virginia Industrial School for Boys in

Pruntytown, West Virginia Pruntytown is an unincorporated community at the junction of the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50) and U.S. Route 250 in Taylor County, West Virginia, United States. It is the site of the former West Virginia Industrial Home for Boys, now the ...

. He left this position in 1949 to become a clerk for the United States Senate. He was elected to the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for West Virginia's 1st congressional district in 1953. After just two terms in Congress, however, Mollohan decided to run for governor of West Virginia in the 1956 West Virginia gubernatorial election. He lost the general election to Cecil Underwood. Mollohan did not sign the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manife ...

. In 1958, Mollohan decided to run for his old seat, which was then held by

Arch A. Moore Jr. Arch Alfred Moore Jr. (April 16, 1923 – January 7, 2015) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from West Virginia. He began his political career as a state legislator in 1952. He was elected the 28th and 30th governor of West Virgi ...

, a Republican, but was defeated. He temporarily retired from politics and established an insurance agency. In 1968, Mollohan again sought his old congressional seat after Moore decided to run for governor. Despite his long absence from Congress, Mollohan was victorious. While in the House for a second time, Mollohan served on the Armed Services Committee and became known for his ability to gain large sums for local 'pork barrel' projects. Mollohan retired from the House in 1983 and was succeeded by his son,

, who held the seat until 2011.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mollohan, Bob 1909 births 1999 deaths People from Grantsville, West Virginia Works Progress Administration workers Glenville State College alumni People from Fairmont, West Virginia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia 20th-century American politicians