Ross Rizley (born Roscoe Rizley) (July 5, 1892March 4, 1969) was an American politician and

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

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma The United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma (in case citations, W.D. Okla. or W.D. Ok.) is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which ...

Education and career

Born on a farm near the town of

Beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

in Beaver County of the

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

, the son of Anabella Narcissus (McCown) and Robert Martin Rizley, Rizley attended the public schools and taught in the rural schools of Beaver County in 1909 and 1910. He served as a deputy register of deeds in Beaver County in 1911 and 1912. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

Kansas City School of Law Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

(now the

University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law The University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri, near the Country Club Plaza. It was founded in 1895 as the Kansas Cit ...

) in 1915 and was admitted to the bar in Oklahoma the same year. He was in private practice of law in Beaver from 1915 to 1920. He was county attorney of Beaver County from 1918 to 1920. He was in private practice of law in Guymon, Oklahoma from 1920 to 1956. He was a member of the Guymon Board of Education from 1924 to 1932. He was city attorney of Guymon from 1928 to 1938. He was a member of the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...

in the 1938 election. He 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 Oklahoma from 1941 to 1949. He was solicitor for the

United States Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, in the form of a Cabinet department, officially from 1872 to 1971. It was headed by the postmas ...

(now the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

) in 1953. He was an Assistant

United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...

from 1953 to 1954. He was Chairman of the

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: Th ...

from 1955 to 1956.

Congressional service

Rizley was elected as 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 ...

to 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 ...

of the

77th United States Congress The 77th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1941, ...

and of the three succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1941 to January 3, 1949. He was Chairman of the Special Committee on Campaign Expenditures in the

80th United States Congress The 80th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947, ...

. He was a delegate 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 ...

s in 1932, 1936, and 1948. Rizley was elected chairman of the credentials committee for the 1952 Republican National Convention, defeating Minnesota delegate

Warren E. Burger Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the William Mitchell ...

. He was not a candidate for renomination to the House in 1948 but was unsuccessful for election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Federal judicial service

Rizley was nominated by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

on February 10, 1956, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Edgar Sullins Vaught Edgar Sullins Vaught (January 7, 1873 – December 5, 1959) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Education and career Born in Cedar Springs, an ...

. He was confirmed by the

on March 1, 1956, and received his commission on April 13, 1956. On March 26, 1965, President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

certified Rizley involuntarily as disabled in accordance with the act of September 2, 1957, 71 Stat. 586, which entitled the President to appoint an additional judge for the court and provided that no successor to the judge certified as disabled be appointed. Rizley continued to render a reduced level of service to the court. His service was terminated on March 4, 1969, due to his death in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, Oklahoma. He was interred in Elmhurst Cemetery in Guymon.

Personal

Rizley married Ruby Seal in 1916 and they had seven children, one of whom, Hortense, would become actress

Claudia Bryar Hortense "Claudia" Bryar (née Rizley; May 18, 1918 – June 16, 2011) was an American actress. She is best known for portraying Emma Spool in the film '' Psycho II'' (1983). Early years Bryar was one of seven children of Ruby Elaine (née Seal ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rizley, Ross 1892 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American judges University of Missouri–Kansas City alumni Oklahoma lawyers People from Beaver County, Oklahoma People from Guymon, Oklahoma Republican Party Oklahoma state senators School board members in Oklahoma Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma United States Department of Agriculture officials United States district court judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians