James Robert Mann (October 20, 1856 – November 30, 1922) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician and attorney who served as a member of the

United States 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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

from 1897 to 1922. He was a member of the

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, and served as

House Minority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...

from 1911 to 1919.

Early life and education

James Robert Mann was born near Bloomington,

McLean County, Illinois McLean County is the largest county by land area in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 169,572. Its county seat is Bloomington. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, IL Metropol ...

on October 20, 1856. His older brother was Frank Irving Mann (1854-1937) farmer, editor of the Prairie Farmer news publication, and author of The Farmers Creed. Mann attended

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...

and graduated in 1876. He graduated from Union College of Law in 1881 and became a lawyer in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. Mann held several local political offices before serving in the House of Representatives.

Career

He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1881 and commenced his practice in Chicago. He held several local offices before being elected as a congressman: * Member of the

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...

Board of Education in Chicago (1887) * Attorney for Hyde Park and the South Park commissioners of Chicago * Chairman of the Illinois State Republican convention (1894) * Member of the City Council of Chicago (1892–1896) * Master in chancery of the Superior Court of Cook County * Chairman of the Republican county conventions at Chicago (1895, 1902) * Elected as Republican (1896) to the 55th Congress with 13 successive terms

Service in the House

* Chairman, Committee on Elections No. 1 (58th–60th Congresses) * Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (61st Congress) * Committee on Women Suffrage (66th Congress) * Minority Leader (62nd–65th Congresses)

Notable legislation

Congressman Mann was one of the sponsors of the Mann-Elkins Act, which gave more power to the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to elimina ...

to regulate railroad rates. He is probably best known for his authorship of the

Mann Act The White-Slave Traffic Act, also called the Mann Act, is a United States federal law, passed June 25, 1910 (ch. 395, ; ''codified as amended at'' ). It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann of Illinois. In its original form the act mad ...

of 1910, which was a reaction to the "

white slavery White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking) refers to the slavery of Europeans, whether by non-Europeans (such as West Asians and North Africans), or by other Europeans (for example naval galley slaves or the Vikings' t ...

" issue and prohibited transportation of women between states for purposes of

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

. He introduced legislation that became the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906. He was considered to be a leader in the cause of amending the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

to grant suffrage to women. However, he was quoted as saying, "'They should have been at home where they belonged,' referring to the women in the pageant." He was a leading opponent of the

Harrison Act The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act (Ch. 1, ) was a United States federal law that regulated and taxed the production, importation, and distribution of opiates and coca products. The act was proposed by Representative Francis Burton Harrison of New Yo ...

and

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholi ...

, despite the popularity of such legislation amongst his fellow Midwestern progressives.

Death

Grave of James Robert Mann (1856–1922) at Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago

Mann died in Washington, D.C. of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

on November 30, 1922 at age 66 before the close of the

67th United States Congress The 67th 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, 192 ...

. He was interred in

Oak Woods Cemetery Oak Woods Cemetery is a large lawn cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. Located at 1035 E. 67th Street, in the Greater Grand Crossing area of Chicago's South Side. Established on February 12, 1853, it covers . Oak Woods is the final resting place ...

in Chicago.

Electoral history

References

External links

James R. Mann, late a representative
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, James Robert 1856 births 1922 deaths Anti–human trafficking activists Chicago City Council members Deaths from pneumonia in Washington, D.C. Mann Act Minority leaders of the United States House of Representatives Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni People from Bloomington, Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni