Martin Dies (March 13, 1870 – July 13, 1922) was a

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and a Democratic member of 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. His son

Martin Dies Jr. Martin Dies Jr. (November 5, 1900 – November 14, 1972), also known as Martin Dies Sr., was a Texas politician and a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives. He was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-second and after ...

was also a member of the United States House of Representatives. His grandson, also known as

, was a Texas state senator, secretary of state, and jurist. Dies was born in

Jackson Parish, Louisiana Jackson Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Jackson'') is a parish in the northern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,031. The parish seat is Jonesboro. The parish was formed in 1845 from parts of Clai ...

, and moved with his parents to

Freestone County, Texas Freestone County is a county in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,435. Its county seat is Fairfield. The county was created in 1850 and organized the next year. History Native Ame ...

, in 1876. He graduated from the law department of the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1893, practicing in

Woodville, Texas Woodville is a town in Tyler County, Texas, Tyler County, Texas, United States. The town is intersected by three U.S. highways: U.S. Route 69, U.S. Highway 69, U.S. Route 190, U.S. Highway 190, and U.S. Route 287, U.S. Highway 287. The population w ...

. He edited a newspaper in Freestone County, was county marshal and later county judge of

Tyler County, Texas Tyler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in East Texas and its seat is Woodville. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,798. Tyler County is named for John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States. De ...

in 1894. During the Spanish-American War, Dies was a member of the Beaumont Light Guards, a National Guard unit which was called to federal service as Company D, 3rd Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Dies served as district attorney of the first judicial district of Texas from 1898 to 1900. He moved to

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...

in 1902 and was employed as counsel for the Gulf Refining Co. In 1908, Dies was a successful

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

candidate for the U.S. House. He was reelected four times and served March 4, 1909 to March 3, 1919 (The 61st to 65th Congresses). He served as chairman of the Committee on Railways and Canals in the 63rd and 64th Congresses. After leaving Congress, Dies retired to his ranch on Turkey Creek in Tyler County, Texas. He moved to

Kerrville, Texas Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr (Texas politi ...

in 1921. Dies died in Kerrville on July 13, 1922, at the age of 52 in a hospital a few days after an emergency operation for acute appendicitis."Ex-Congressman Dies, Passes Away in Texas", ''Knoxville (TN) Sentinel'', July 13, 1922, p. 2 He was interred at Glenwood Cemetery in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

References

Sources

DIES, Martin
in the

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates from ...

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dies, Martin 1870 births 1922 deaths Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) Politicians from Beaumont, Texas People from Freestone County, Texas People from Jackson Parish, Louisiana People from Tyler County, Texas People from Woodville, Texas County district attorneys in Texas County judges in Texas University of Texas School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas