John Quillin Tilson (April 5, 1866 – August 14, 1958) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

. 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 ...

, he represented

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

in the

United States 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 almost 22 years and was

House Majority leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...

for 6 years.

Early life

Tilson was born in Clearbranch,

Unicoi County, Tennessee Unicoi County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,313. Its county seat is Erwin. ''Unicoi'' is a Cherokee word meaning "white," "hazy," "fog-like," or "fog draped," and refers to ...

, on April 5, 1866. He attended both public and private schools in nearby Flag Pond and later at Mars Hill,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. He went to college at Carson–Newman College, in

Jefferson City, Tennessee Jefferson City (originally named Mossy Creek) is a city in Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census the population was 8,419. History Heading southwest along ...

, where he graduated in 1888. Later he enrolled at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

, where he graduated in 1893. He was admitted to the bar in 1897 and started to practice in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

. In 1898, when the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

broke out, he enlisted and served as a second lieutenant in the Sixth Regiment, United States Volunteer Infantry.

Career

In 1904, Tilson was elected to the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

, where he served until 1908, the last two years as speaker. He was later elected to

, serving from 1909 to 1913; he ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 1912. Tilson ran for election again and was again reelected to the House of Representatives. He served from March 4, 1915, until his resignation on December 3, 1932. He was the

Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

for the 69th Congress, 70th Congress, and the 71st Congress. He became a

delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (Unit ...

to the Republican National Convention in 1932.

Later life

After his retirement from public life, Tilson returned to the practice of law 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, Na ...

, and then in New Haven, Connecticut. He also served as a special lecturer at Yale University on parliamentary law and procedure and wrote '' Tilson's Manual''.

Death

Tilson died in

New London, New Hampshire New London is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College. The town center, where 1,266 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as th ...

on August 14, 1958. He is interred at the private burial grounds on the family farm in Clearbranch, Tennessee.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilson, John Q. 1866 births 1958 deaths Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut People from Unicoi County, Tennessee Carson–Newman University alumni Yale Law School alumni Majority leaders of the United States House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers Lawyers from Washington, D.C. American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Lawyers from New Haven, Connecticut