George Washington Houk (September 25, 1825 – February 9, 1894) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

representing

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 ...

in 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 1891 until his death in 1894.

Early life and career

George W. Houk was born near Mount Holly Springs in

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Cumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its county seat is Carlisle. Cumberland County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. Histo ...

, the son of Adam and Catherine (Knisley) Houk. The family moved to

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

in 1827 where George Houk attended the public schools and the E. E. Barney Academy at Dayton. For a number of years Houk taught school while he studied law with Peter P. Lowe. George W. Houk was admitted to the bar in 1847, commencing practice in Dayton. He married Eliza Phillips Thruston (23 October 1833 – 31 August 1914), daughter of Robert A. and Mary (Phillips) Thruston, both of locally prominent families. They had five children. In 1861, he became a law partner of

John A. McMahon John A. McMahon (February 19, 1833 – March 8, 1923) was a three-term United States Representative from Ohio from 1875 to 1881. He was the nephew of Clement Vallandigham, another Representative from Ohio. Biography McMahon was born in Fre ...

, who had previously been a law partner of

Clement Vallandigham Clement Laird Vallandigham ( ; July 29, 1820 – June 17, 1871) was an American politician and leader of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats during the American Civil War. He served two terms for Ohio's 3rd congressional district in the ...

. He remained in that partnership until 1882.

Political career

Houk was elected a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving from 1852 to 1854. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1860 supporting

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

and a delegate again in 1876. He was defeated for circuit judge in the Ohio Second judicial circuit in 1884.

Congress

In 1888 on the Democratic ticket, he faced incumbent

Elihu S. Williams Elihu Stephen Williams (January 24, 1835 – December 1, 1903) was a farmer, lawyer, soldier, and politician who became a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, serving from 1887 to 1891. Biography Elihu S. William ...

in Ohio’s third district, but was defeated. In 1890, he defeated

Henry Lee Morey Henry Lee Morey (April 8, 1841 – December 29, 1902) was an officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War and a politician and U.S. Congressman after the war. Early life and career Henry L. Morey was born in Milford Township ...

and was elected to the

Fifty-second congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1891, ...

. He was easily re-elected in 1892 to the

Death

He died suddenly 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, ...

during his second term.

Paul J. Sorg Paul John Sorg (September 23, 1840 – May 28, 1902) was a businessman and member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1894 to 1897. Biography He was born in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) on September 23, 1840. ...

was elected to fill the vacancy in a special election in May 1894. George Washington Houk and his wife are interred in

Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum (200 acres), located at 118 Woodland Avenue, Dayton, Ohio, is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the United States. Woodland was incorporated in 1842 by John Whitten Van Cleve, the first male child born in D ...

Sources

* Taylor, William A. Ohio in Congress from 1803 to 1901. Columbus, Ohio: The XX Century Publishing Company, 1901.

External links