Chester Bartow McMullen (December 6, 1902 – November 3, 1953) was an
American lawyer and
politician from the
state of
Florida. He served one term in the
United States House of Representatives from 1951 to 1953.
Early life and career
McMullen was born in
Largo, Florida to Eli and Emma Cox McMullen and attended
Largo High School. His paternal grandfather, Daniel McMullen (d. 1908), was one of Largo's first homesteaders, and his father was Pinellas County's first tax collector upon its secession from Hillsborough County in 1912. He graduated from the
University of Florida College of Law in 1924. He was
admitted to the bar the same year and entered
private practice Private practice may refer to:
*Private sector practice
**Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...
in
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...
.
McMullen served as
prosecuting attorney of
Pinellas County from 1927 to 1928. In 1923 while at UF he married Veda E. Ulmer, daughter of prominent Largo planter and banker M.W. Ulmer with whom he had two children: Chester Jr. and Elizabeth.
Political career
McMullen was elected
state attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
for Florida's
Sixth Judicial Circuit in 1930. He served as state attorney for 20 years, until he was elected as a
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 ...
to the United States House of Representatives as the representative of
Florida's 1st congressional district
Florida's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida, covering the state's western Panhandle. It includes all of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties and portions of Holmes county. The d ...
in the
1950 election. He served only a single term, from January 3, 1951 to January 3, 1953, during the
82nd Congress; he did not seek reelection in
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
.
Death
He died back in Clearwater soon after leaving office in 1953 and was interred in Sylvan Abbey there. McMullen also served as director of the First National Bank of Clearwater.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMullen, Chester B.
1902 births
1953 deaths
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
People from Largo, Florida
Fredric G. Levin College of Law alumni
20th-century American legislators