James Harry McGregor (September 30, 1896 – October 7, 1958) was an American

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 ...

veteran who served nine terms 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 ...

member of 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 ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1940 to 1958.

Biography

James Harry McGregor was born on a farm near Unionport,

Jefferson County, Ohio Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,249. Its county seat is Steubenville. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was vice president at the time of its creation. ...

. He attended the public schools, West Lafayette College, and

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

World War I

During the First World War, he served as a sergeant with the One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Field Artillery,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, in 1917 and 1918.

Political career

He was engaged in the lumber and general contracting business at

West Lafayette, Ohio West Lafayette is a village in Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,321 at the 2010 census. History West Lafayette was laid out in 1850 by Robert Shaw and William Wheeler. In 1855, the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad wa ...

, 1918-1945. He was a member of the school board of West Lafayette, Ohio, for eight years. He was a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from 1935 to 1940, serving as minority whip from 1937 to 1939 and as majority leader and speaker pro tempore in 1939 and 1940. McGregor was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-sixth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

William A. Ashbrook William Albert Ashbrook (July 1, 1867 – January 1, 1940) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician from Ohio. He was born near Johnstown, Ohio, Johnstown, Licking County, Ohi ...

. He was reelected to the Seventy-seventh and to the eight succeeding Congresses and served until his death. He served as chairman of the Special Committee on Chamber Improvements during the Eightieth and Eighty-third Congresses. He had been renominated to the Eighty-sixth Congress.

Death

He died in

Coshocton, Ohio Coshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States approximately 63 mi (102 km) ENE of Columbus. The population was 11,216 at the 2010 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Cos ...

, in 1958 at the age of 62. Interment in Fairfield Cemetery in West Lafayette, Ohio. McGregor voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwigh ...

Footnotes

Sources