John Jacob Lentz (January 27, 1856 – July 27, 1931) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a

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 ...

for two terms from 1897 to 1901.

Early life and career

Born near St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio, Lentz attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

s and the St. Clairsville High School. He was a school teacher for four years. He graduated from the National Normal University, Lebanon, Ohio, in 1877 and then attended the

University of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

in 1877 and 1878. He graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1882 and from Columbia Law School,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, in 1883. He was admitted to the bar in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, in October 1883 and practiced. He was law partner with

George K. Nash George Kilbon Nash (August 14, 1842October 28, 1904) was an American attorney and Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 41st governor of Ohio. Biography Nash was born in York Township, Medina County, Ohio. He attended the preparat ...

from 1887 until Nash's death in 1904. He was the founder of the American Insurance Union in 1894 and was its president continuously from then until his death. He was a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

at Athens.

Congress

Lentz was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1901). He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1900 to the Fifty-seventh Congress.

Later career

He served as 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 1908. He participated in campaigns in many States in support of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth amendments to the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

. He retired from his law practice in 1915 and engaged in the insurance business. Lentz was a member of the Board of Governors of the Loyal Order of Moose.

Death

He died in

, on July 27, 1931. He was

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

in Green Lawn Cemetery.

References

Sources