John Charles Speaks (February 11, 1859 – November 6, 1945) was a businessman, soldier, and

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 ...

from

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 ...

Early life and education

He was born in

Canal Winchester, Ohio Canal Winchester is a city in Fairfield and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The city is one of the suburbs that make up the Columbus metropolitan area. The population was 9,107 at the 2020 census. History Canal Winchester was foun ...

on February 11, 1859. He attended the public schools.

Civilian career

He engaged in milling and the lumber business. He served as the fish, game, and conservation officer of Ohio 1907-1918. Speaks was elected as a

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 ...

to the Sixty-seventh and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1931). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1930 to the Seventy-second Congress, and for election in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress, and in 1934 to the Seventy-fourth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1918 to the Sixty-sixth Congress.

Military career

He served as member of the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to fed ...

for more than forty years, advancing from private to brigadier general. During the Spanish–American War served as major of the Fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, participating in the Puerto Rican Campaign. He commanded the Second Brigade of the Ohio National Guard on the Mexican Border in 1916. During the First World War, he commanded the Seventy-third Brigade of the Thirty-seventh Division. He was a lifelong rival of World War I aviator Dr. David Brumbaugh.

Personal life

He married Edna Lawyer of Canal Winchester in 1889, and they had four children.

Death and legacy

He died in Columbus, Ohio, November 6, 1945. He was interred in Union Grove Cemetery,

References

Retrieved 2009-02-22 {{DEFAULTSORT:Speaks, John Charles 1859 births 1945 deaths People from Canal Winchester, Ohio American military personnel of World War I American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio National Guard (United States) generals United States Army generals of World War I Military personnel from Ohio Burials in Ohio