William David Blakeslee Ainey (April 8, 1864 – September 4, 1932) was 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 ...

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, ...

Biography

He was born in

New Milford, Pennsylvania New Milford is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 817 at the 2020 census. Children living in New Milford are served by the schools in the Blue Ridge School District, including Blue Ridge High School ...

. He attended the State Normal School at

Mansfield, Pennsylvania Mansfield is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in east-central Tioga County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Tioga River (Chemung River), Tioga River valley. It is situated at the intersection of U.S. Route 6 in Pennsylvania, U.S. Route ...

, and

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epis ...

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

, in 1887. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1887 and commenced practice in

Montrose, Pennsylvania Montrose is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, south-southeast of Binghamton, New York and north by west of Scranton. The land is elevated approximately 1,400 feet (427 m) above sea level. It is the Susquehanna Count ...

. He served as district attorney for

Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania Susquehanna County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,434 Its county seat is Montrose. The county was created on February 21, 1810, from part ...

, from 1890 to 1896. He organized Company G of the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

and served as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

from 1889 to 1894. William David Blakeslee Ainey - LCCN2016858136 (cropped)

Ainey was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-second Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of George W. Kipp. He was reelected to the Sixty-third. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1914. Ainey was a delegate to the

International Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other ...

for International Peace held at

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, in 1912, and at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

in 1913. He served as secretary and president of the Japanese-American group of inter-parliamentarians and delegate in 1914 to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan, and to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden. He resumed the practice of law in Montrose. He was appointed a member of the Public Service Commission of Pennsylvania on May 20, 1915, and on August 20, 1915, was elected chairman. He was reappointed for a ten-year term as member and chairman on July 1, 1917, and again on July 1, 1927. He was appointed chairman of the Pennsylvania Fuel Commission in August 1922. He served as president of the National Association of Railroad and Utilities Commissioners in 1924. He died in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

, in 1932. Interment in Montrose Cemetery in Montrose, Pennsylvania.

Sources

The Political Graveyard
1864 births 1932 deaths People from New Milford, Pennsylvania American Presbyterians Pennsylvania lawyers Lehigh University alumni Mansfield University of Pennsylvania alumni National Guard (United States) officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub