Harry Webster Musselwhite (May 23, 1868 – December 14, 1955) was a politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Musselwhite was born on a farm near

Coldwater, Michigan Coldwater is a city in Branch County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,945. It is the county seat of Branch County, located in the center of the southern border of Michigan. The city is surrounded by Co ...

and attended the district school and the high school there. He apprenticed, and was later employed, as a printer in Coldwater from 1886 to 1888. He then moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

and was employed as a newspaper reporter from 1888 to 1905. He then served as city editor and sports writer of the ''

Grand Rapids Herald Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commun ...

'' in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

from 1905 to 1914, Musselwhite moved to Manistee and became owner, editor, and publisher of the '' Manistee Daily News-Advocate'', 1915-1928. He was supervisor of census for

Michigan's 9th congressional district Michigan's 9th congressional district is a United States congressional district located in parts of Oakland County and Macomb County in the southeast areas of the State of Michigan. It includes the communities of Ferndale, Royal Oak, Hazel P ...

in 1920 and for the fourth district in 1930. He was also a member and vice chairman of the Michigan Hospital Commission from 1927 to 1932. In 1932, running as a Democratic candidate, Musselwhite defeated incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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 ...

James C. McLaughlin James Campbell McLaughlin (January 26, 1858 – November 29, 1932) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. McLaughlin was born in Beardstown, Illinois. His parents, David and Isabella (Campbell) McLaughlin, had come from Edinburgh, Sco ...

to be elected from

to the 73rd Congress, serving from March 4, 1933 to January 3, 1935. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934 to the

74th Congress The 74th 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, 1935, ...

, losing to Republican

Albert J. Engel Albert Joseph Engel (January 1, 1888 – December 2, 1959) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Biography Engel was born in New Washington, Ohio. He attended the public schools in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, and the Centra ...

. After leaving Congress, Musselwhite engaged in the management of newspaper properties until his retirement. He was a Congregationalist and a member of

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

, and

Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

. He died in

San Lorenzo, California San Lorenzo (Spanish for "St. Lawrence") is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 29,581 at the 2020 census. It is an unincorporate ...

and is interred at Cypress Lawn Cemetery of Coloma.

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musselwhite, Harry Webster 1868 births 1955 deaths American newspaper editors American Congregationalists Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan People from Coldwater, Michigan People from Manistee, Michigan Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park