Chester Castle Bolton (September 5, 1882 – October 29, 1939) was a

U.S. 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 c ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. He served four consecutive terms from 1929 to 1937. He was elected to a fifth term in 1938, but he died before completing the term. He was the husband of

Frances P. Bolton Frances Payne Bolton (née Bingham; March 29, 1885 – March 9, 1977) was a Republican politician from Ohio. She served in the United States House of Representatives. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Ohio. In the late 1930s Bolton ...

, who succeeded him in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

, and the father of

Oliver P. Bolton Oliver Payne Bolton (February 22, 1917 – December 13, 1972) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1953 to 1957 and from 1963 to 1965. In 1953, he and his mother, Franc ...

. Frances and Oliver Bolton would themselves become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in Congress.

Life and career

Born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Bolton attended the city's public schools. He graduated from the University School in Cleveland in 1901, and from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1905, where he was a member of the Delphic Club. Chester Castle Bolton and Frances Payne Bingham Bolton were married in 1907. They had 4 children, Charles B. Bolton, Oliver Payne, Kenyon C., and Elizabeth Bolton. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: Frances Payne Bingham Bolton
/ref>
Published: July 18, 1983. Bolton was a business industrialist in the steel industry in Cleveland from 1905 to 1917. He served as member of the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to fede ...

from 1905 to 1915. ;World War I Bolton was commissioned as a captain in the Reserve Corps, and then was ordered into active service in March 1917, in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was detailed first to the War Industries Board, and then served as aide to the Assistant Secretary of War. He was transferred to the General Staff in 1917. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and detailed to the One Hundred and First Division as Assistant Chief of Staff, and was discharged in December 1918. He returned to

, and served as a director of several large business corporations, and also engaged in raising and breeding a renowned Guernsey cattle herd at Franchester Farms, on the Bolton's 65 acre family estate 'Franchester Place' in Lyndhurst, Ohio.Charles B. Bolton and The Franchester Farms
/ref>

Politics

He served as member of the Lyndhurst Village Council from 1918 to 1921. Bolton served in the

Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

during 1923–1928, and served as its

president pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

in 1927 and 1928. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1928. Bolton was elected as a Republican

congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

representing Ohio's 22nd congressional district to the Seventy-first and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from 1929 until 1937. He served as chairman of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee in 1934 and 1936. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection as congressperson in 1936 to the

Seventy-fifth Congress The 75th 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, 1937 ...

. Bolton was elected to the

Seventy-sixth Congress The 76th 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, 1939, ...

, again representing the 22nd district, serving from January 3, 1939, until his death in October 1939. His wife,

, was elected to serve out his term and was repeatedly reelected by the 22nd District through the late 1960s, serving for 29 years.

Death

Chester C. Bolton died on October 29, 1939, in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. He was interred in Lake View Cemetery.

, his son, was interred there in 1972. Frances P. Bolton, his wife, was interred there in 1977.

References

Sources

External links