Joseph Wellington Byrns Jr. (August 15, 1903 – March 8, 1973) was an American
attorney
Attorney may refer to:
* Lawyer
** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions
* Attorney, one who has power of attorney
* ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film
See also
* Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...
and one-term
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
Tennessee.
Biography
Byrns was born in
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the second most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville ...
, the son of former
House Speaker
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...
Joseph W. Byrns
Joseph Wellington "Jo" Byrns Sr. (July 20, 1869 – June 4, 1936) was a U.S. politician. He served as a 14-term Democratic congressman from Tennessee, and as the 41st speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
Early life
Byrns was ...
and Julia Woodard. He completed his schooling at the Emerson Institute in
Washington, D.C. in 1923 while his father was serving in Congress. In 1928, he graduated from the
Vanderbilt University Law School
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
and was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
the same year. Byrns was first married to Cornelia Park in 1929, but the marriage ended in divorce. It is said that Cornelia liked being Mrs. Joseph W. Byrns Jr., and for the rest of her life refused to acknowledge the divorce. Byrns later enjoyed a happy marriage to Mrs. Lillie (Warmack) Adams of
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson and Sumner counties, Tennessee. Goodlettsville was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; at the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 15,921 and in 2020 the po ...
.
Career
From 1930 to 1938, Byrns was a member of the reserve component of the former
Army Air Corps, where he became a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
.
In 1938, Byrns won the
Democratic nomination for his father's old House seat and was elected to that office in November of that year. He served that one term, from January 3, 1939 to January 3, 1941, and won the Democratic nomination for a second one in 1940. His vote for an amendment that would have postponed the operation of the
Selective Service Act by 60 days helped to inspire opposition from an
independent candidate named
Percy Priest, who was a member of the editorial staff of the ''
Nashville Tennessean''. Priest defeated Byrns by a 50%-43% margin (24,565 votes to 20,933 votes, with 3,459 votes going to the
Republican nominee). After his defeat, he resumed the practice of law.
Byrns served on active duty in the
United States Army during
World War II, from June 23, 1942 until August 17, 1945, almost all of this time in the
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...
.
Although Byrns achieved some stature during his life, he was always overshadowed by the successes and popularity of his father. Afterwards, he retired to Florida.
Death
Byrns died in Daytona Beach, Florida on March 8, 1973, aged 69, and is burial, interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville), Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville along with his parents and second wife.
References
External links
*
*Gowan, Phillip A. ''Byrns/Jackson, A Record of Their Probationary State''
*''This article incorporates material from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrns, Joseph W. Jr.
1903 births
1973 deaths
20th-century American lawyers
20th-century American politicians
Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee
People from Davidson County, Tennessee
United States Army Air Forces officers
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
United States Army officers
Vanderbilt University Law School alumni