Errett Power Scrivner (March 20, 1898 – May 5, 1978) was a U.S. Representative from

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

Biography

Born in

Newton, Kansas Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 18,602. Newton is located north of Wichita. The city of North Newton is located immediately north and e ...

, Scrivner attended grade schools and was graduated from Manual Training High School,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

. In July 1917, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he enlisted in Battery B of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Field Artillery; he served overseas in 1918 and 1919. He was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

and

Purple Heart Medal The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

s. After promotion from the rank of private first class, he left military service as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

. He was graduated from the law department of the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1925. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

. Scrivner was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-eight Congress, by special election, September 14, 1943, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of U.S. Guyer. He was reelected to the seven succeeding Congresses and served from September 14, 1943 to January 3, 1959. Scrivner voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwi ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1958 to the Eighty-sixth Congress, largely due to his request for a vote for appropriations to continue construction on the controversial and wildly unpopular Tuttle Creek Dam along the Big Blue River. President Eisenhower had specifically chosen to leave out funding for the continuation of the dam, but Scrivner's insistence led to the displacement of thousands of families and the flooding of some of America's best crop land. He served as special assistant to the comptroller,

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

, Washington, D.C., from January 1959 to March 1960. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Public Affairs, from March 7, 1960, to January 20, 1961. He was City commissioner in 1970 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where he resided until his death on May 5, 1978. He was cremated and entombed in Florida. In 1984, his remains were reinterred in the niches at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Personal

Scrivner was the son of Rev. William H. Scrivner and his wife Etta (West) Scrivner. He married Jean Lorraine Marshall in 1921 and they had one daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scrivner, Errett Power 1898 births 1978 deaths People from Newton, Kansas United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army officers University of Kansas School of Law alumni Politicians from Kansas City, Kansas Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas United States Department of Defense officials Florida Republicans 20th-century American politicians People from Cocoa Beach, Florida Burials at Arlington National Cemetery