Le Roy Donnelly Downs (April 11, 1900 – January 18, 1970) was a Democratic

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

Connecticut's 4th congressional district Connecticut's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the southwestern part of the state, the district is largely suburban and extends from Bridgeport, the largest city in the state, to ...

from 1941 to 1943.

Early life and family

He was born in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, April 11, 1900. Downs attended the public schools of his native city. He enlisted on August 27, 1917, and served as a corporal in

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 ...

, with four months' service in France, being discharged on December 21, 1918. He engaged as a newspaper publisher in

South Norwalk, Connecticut South Norwalk is a neighborhood in Norwalk, Connecticut which corresponds to the city's Second Taxing District. Often referred to as SoNo, the neighborhood was originally settled as Old Well, then chartered as the city of South Norwalk on August ...

, in 1923. He married Mabel Miller, with whom he had one son, William.p.1p.2
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Political career

He served as chairman and member of the Veterans' Home Building Commission 1931–1938. He served as city clerk of

Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...

from 1933 to 1940. Downs was elected to the Seventy-seventh Congress (January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943). He was an unsuccessful for reelection in 1942 to the Seventy-eighth Congress, having been defeated by

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 ...

candidate

Clare Boothe Luce Clare Boothe Luce ( Ann Clare Boothe; March 10, 1903 – October 9, 1987) was an American writer, politician, U.S. ambassador, and public conservative figure. A versatile author, she is best known for her 1936 hit play '' The Women'', which h ...

. He then resumed the newspaper publishing business. He served as Comptroller of the city of

from 1943 to 1944 and War Manpower Director for southwestern Connecticut 1944–1946. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Norwalk in 1949 and 1959. He served as regional representative for the Veterans' Administration in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from 1961 until his death, January 18, 1970, in

. He was interred in Riverside Cemetery.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downs, Le Roy Donnelly 1900 births 1970 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Burials in Riverside Cemetery (Norwalk, Connecticut) Politicians from Danbury, Connecticut Politicians from Norwalk, Connecticut United States Army soldiers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut 20th-century American politicians