John William Summers (April 29, 1870 – September 25, 1937) was an American physician and politician who served seven terms 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

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

from 1919 to 1933.

Early life and education

Born in Valeene,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, Summers attended the public schools. He was graduated from the Southern Indiana Normal College at

Mitchell, Indiana Mitchell is a city in Marion Township, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,350 at the 2010 census. History Mitchell was built as a railroad town in the mid-19th century. At this location in Lawrence County, the Chi ...

, in 1889 and from the Kentucky School of Medicine at

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

in 1892. He pursued postgraduate studies in the Louisville Medical College and in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, and the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Medical career

He commenced the practice of medicine in Mattoon,

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

. He moved to

Walla Walla Walla Walla can refer to: * Walla Walla people, a Native American tribe after which the county and city of Walla Walla, Washington, are named * Place of many rocks in the Australian Aboriginal Wiradjuri language, the origin of the name of the town ...

, in 1908 and continued the practice of medicine. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits and fruit raising.

Congress

He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1917. Summers 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-sixth and to the six succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1933). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress, and for election in 1934 to the Seventy-fourth Congress and in 1936 to the Seventy-fifth Congress.

Later career and death

He resumed former pursuits. Summers was married to Jennie ( Burks) Summers (1867–1956), a member of the Christian Women's Temperance Union, as well as active member of many club, church and organizational groups. Summers died in

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

on September 25, 1937. He was interred in Mountain View Cemetery, alongside his wife, Jennie.

Family

Summers' daughter,

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

, was a film and television actress, best remembered by TV audiences on TV's on ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

'' and ''

Mayberry R.F.D. ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery) is an American television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. When star Andy Griffith decided to leave his series, most of the supporting character ...

'', as

Aunt Bee Aunt Bee is a fictional character from the 1960 American television sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show''. Played by Frances Bavier, the character migrated to the spinoff ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (1968–1971) when ''The Andy Griffith Show'' ended its run ...

's gossipy best friend

Clara Edwards Clara Edwards (originally Bertha Edwards, Bertha Johnson and then Clara Johnson) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960 – 1968). Clara was portrayed by actress Hope Summers. Summers appe ...

(1960–71).

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, John William 1870 births 1937 deaths Politicians from Walla Walla, Washington Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Physicians from Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state) People from Mitchell, Indiana