David Worth Dennis II (June 7, 1912 – January 6, 1999) was an American attorney and Republican

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

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1969 to 1975.

Early life and education

He was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and was named for his grandfather, David Worth Dennis who had been a professor at Earlham College in

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

. His father, William Cullen Dennis was president of Earlham College. He graduated from Sidwell Friends School in 1929 and earned an A.B. degree from Earlham College in 1933. He also received an LL.B. (now J.D.) from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1936. He was admitted to the bar in 1935 and commenced practice in Richmond, Indiana in 1936.

Political career

Dennis served as the prosecuting attorney for

Wayne County, Indiana Wayne County is a county located in east central Indiana, United States, on the border with Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,917. The county seat is Richmond. Wayne County comprises the Richmond, IN Micropolitan Statistica ...

from 1939 to 1943. He enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and served from 1944 to 1946. He was commissioned a first lieutenant, JAG department, and served in the Pacific Theater. He was elected state representative from Wayne County to the Indiana General Assembly and served 1947–1949. He was also a joint State representative from Wayne and Union Counties from 1953 to 1959.

Congress

He was elected as a Republican to the Ninety-first Congress and reelected twice (January 3, 1969 - January 3, 1975). Dennis was a staunch defender of President

Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

during the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

. As a member of the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

, Dennis was in the minority voting to oppose impeachment of the president in 1974. However, when the "smoking gun" tape was released, Dennis said he would vote to impeach for obstruction of justice, as did all nine Republicans on the committee who had previously opposed impeachment. Dennis said that Nixon "destroyed his credibility" by withholding the tape for so long. He was defeated for reelection that same year by Democrat Phil Sharp.

Later career and death

He resumed the practice of law until his death in Richmond in 1999.

References

External links

* 1912 births 1999 deaths Harvard Law School alumni Indiana lawyers Republican Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives People from Richmond, Indiana People from Washington, D.C. Earlham College alumni Burials at Earlham Cemetery, Richmond, Indiana 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana {{Indiana-politician-stub