Joseph Whitehead (October 31, 1867 – July 8, 1938) was a

United States 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 ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, serving from 1925 to 1931.

Biography

Whitehead was born near Mount Airy, Pittsylvania County, Va., October 31, 1867. He attended the public schools of his native city and graduated from the academic department of Richmond College (now the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

), Richmond, Va., in 1889, then from the law department of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...

in 1892. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced the practice of law in Chatham, Virginia. He became law partners with

Claude A. Swanson Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893-1906), Governor of Virginia (1906-1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910-1933), befor ...

. From 1899-1904 he served in the

State senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

, representing

Pittsylvania County Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 60,501. Chatham is the county seat. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical A ...

and the City of Danville. He was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-ninth, Seventieth, and Seventy-first Congresses (March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1931), then was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1930. He resumed the practice of his chosen profession until his death at Danville Memorial Hospital in Danville, Va., on July 22, 1938, he was interred in Chatham Cemetery.

Electoral history

*1924; Whitehead was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 75.96% of the vote, defeating Republican G.A. DeHart. *1926; Whitehead was re-elected unopposed. *1928; Whitehead was re-elected with 54.27% of the vote, defeating Republican Taylor G. Vaughan and Independent Cabell Staples.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Joseph 1867 births 1938 deaths Virginia lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 20th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers People from Pittsylvania County, Virginia