Bartel John Jonkman (April 28, 1884 – June 13, 1955) was a politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. Jonkman was born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

where he attended the public schools. He was of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

descent. He graduated from the law department of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1914, was admitted to the bar the same year, and commenced practice in Grand Rapids. He served as assistant prosecutor of Kent County from 1915 to 1920, and as prosecuting attorney from 1929 to 1936. Following the death of

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

Carl E. Mapes Carl Edgar Mapes (December 26, 1874 – December 12, 1939) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Mapes was born on a farm near Kalamo, Michigan, to Selah W. and Sarah Ann (Brooks) Mapes. His father was born in New York (state), New Y ...

, in December 1939, a special election was held on February 19, 1940 to fill the vacancy. Jonkman was elected as a

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 ...

from Michigan's 5th congressional district to the 76th United States Congress, serving from February 19, 1940 to January 3, 1949. In the 1948 Republican primary, he was defeated for re-nomination by Gerald Ford, then 34 years old, who eventually served as the 38th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

from 1974–1977. A confidential 1943 analysis of the

House Foreign Affairs Committee The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs o ...

by Isaiah Berlin for the British Foreign Office described Jonkman as Bartel J. Jonkman had become unpopular largely due to his

isolationist Isolationism is a political philosophy advocating a national foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality and opposes entan ...

position on foreign policy. He resumed the practice of law and died in Grand Rapids. He was interred there in Woodlawn Cemetery.

References

The Political Graveyard
1884 births 1955 deaths Politicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan American people of Dutch descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Old Right (United States) 20th-century American politicians University of Michigan Law School alumni {{Michigan-politician-stub