Harry Edward Hull (March 12, 1864 – January 16, 1938) was an American businessman and politician who served five terms as a Republican

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 ...

from

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its southeastern part. It includes Davenport, Iowa City, Muscatine, Clinton, Burlington, Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Oskaloosa, Bettendo ...

from 1915 to 1925. He also served as Commissioner General of Immigration in the Coolidge and Hoover administrations.

Biography

Born near Belvidere, New York, Hull moved with his parents to

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

, in 1873. He attended the grammar and high schools. He was employed as a clerk and bookkeeper for a grain company. He moved to

Palo, Iowa Palo is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,407 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. Palo is located near Pleasant Creek State Recreation Park. History In 18 ...

, in 1883, and to

Williamsburg, Iowa Williamsburg is a city in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,346 at the time of the 2020 census. Williamsburg is known for Holden's Foundation Seeds, a foundation seed corn company, and Kinze Manufacturing, Inc., a farm imp ...

, in 1884 and engaged in the grain business. He also engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile. He was president of the Williamsburg Telephone Co.. He served as one of Williamsburg's aldermen from 1887 to 1889, as its mayor from 1889 to 1901, and as its postmaster from 1901 to 1914. He also served as president of the Williamsburg Fair Association from 1900 to 1915. He also had a son, Harris B. Hull, who was a high-ranking American military officer.

Congress

In 1914, Hull 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 ...

to represent Iowa's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House, defeating Democrat W.J. McDonald. He served in the Sixty-fourth Congress and in the four succeeding Congresses. He was one of only fifty representatives who voted against the resolution authorizing the United States' entry into

World War I 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 ...

, and one of the few of those fifty to stave off challengers in the wartime primary and general elections in 1918. In May 1917, during Hull's second term, his wife, Mary Louise Harris Hull, died when she mistook poison tablets for a headache remedy. In 1924, Hull opposed

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

's proposal to operate fertilizer plants and a hydroelectric dam on the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

near

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the populati ...

. Hull argued against the project over concerns about private business interests controlling important public resources. Ford later cancelled his plans for the project. When seeking renomination in 1924, he was defeated in the Republican primary by Judge

F. Dickinson Letts Fred Dickinson Letts (April 26, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a United States representative from Iowa, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Education and career Born on April 26, ...

. In all, he served from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1925.

Federal agency position

On May 15, 1925, he was appointed by President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

as commissioner general of immigration"Mr. Coolidge's Week"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'', May 25, 1925. and served in that position until 1933, when he retired.

Retirement and death

He continued to reside in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, until his death there on January 16, 1938. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Williamsburg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Harry Edward 1864 births 1938 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Iowa city council members People from Allegany County, New York Politicians from Cedar Rapids, Iowa People from Williamsburg, Iowa Iowa postmasters Burials in Iowa Mayors of places in Iowa