Orrin Dubbs Bleakley (May 5, 1854 – December 3, 1927) was an American businessman and politician who served as a Republican member of the

U.S. 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 ...

from

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, ...

for one month in 1917. He resigned his seat after a conviction for campaign finance improprieties.

Early life and career

Bleakley was born on May 5, 1854 in Franklin, Pennsylvania. He attended the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

, in

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. He was engaged in banking with his father until 1876. He became interested in the production of oil and worked in the industry from 1876 to 1883. He organized the Franklin Trust Company in 1883, and became its president. He was a delegate at large to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1904, and served as chairman of the

Venango County Venango County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,454. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1805. Venango County comprises the Oil City, ...

Republican committee. Upon his election to Congress in November 1916, Bleakley became the first government official to fly from his home state to DC. The trip was made in a 75-horsepower Curtiss biplane from Philadelphia, piloted by Sergeant William C. Ocker, on leave from the United States Aviation Corps at the time. The trip took 3:15 hours, including an unscheduled stop in a wheatfield in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

.Venango County Historical Society. Venango County 2000: The Changing Scene. VCHS, Franklin. 2000. p.127-128.

Congress and later career

Bleakley was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fifth Congress and served from 4 March to 3 April 1917, when he resigned without having qualified. His resignation came after he was convicted and fined under the

Federal Corrupt Practices Act The Federal Corrupt Practices Act, also known as the Publicity Act, was a federal law of the United States that was enacted in 1910 and amended in 1911 and 1925. It remained the nation's primary law regulating campaign finance in federal elections ...

. Bleakley's offense—he had spent more than the allotted $5,000 on his campaign. He resumed banking in Franklin. He died in Robinson, Illinois on December 3, 1927. Interment in Franklin Cemetery in Franklin, Pennsylvania.

Sources

The Political Graveyard
*Venango County Historical Society. Venango County 2000: The Changing Scene. VCHS, Franklin. 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bleakley, Orrin 1854 births 1927 deaths People from Franklin, Pennsylvania University of Bonn alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania