Barratt O'Hara (April 28, 1882 – August 11, 1969) of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

was an American Democratic politician serving as a U.S. Congressman from Illinois and

lieutenant governor of Illinois The lieutenant governor of Illinois is the second highest executive of the State of Illinois. In Illinois, the lieutenant governor and governor run on a joint ticket and are directly elected by popular vote. Gubernatorial candidates select their ...

. He was the last

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

veteran to serve in Congress.

Early life

Barratt O'Hara was born in

Saint Joseph, Michigan St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the United States 2020 Census, 2020 census, the city population was 7,8 ...

( Berrien County) April 28, 1882; attended the public schools of Berrien Springs and

Benton Harbor Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, of ...

; went to

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

with his father and attended school at San Juan del Norte; at the age of fifteen years enlisted during the Spanish–American War and served as a corporal in Company I, Thirty-third Michigan Volunteer Infantry, at the

Siege of Santiago The siege of Santiago, also known as the siege of Santiago de Cuba, was the last major operation of the Spanish–American War on the island of Captaincy General of Cuba, Cuba. Santiago campaign The primary objective of the American Fifth Ar ...

. In 1906, O'Hara married Florence Hoffman who was the daughter of hymn writer Elisha Hoffman.

Newspaper service

After two years O'Hara returned to Benton Harbor and graduated from high school; reporter, ''Benton Harbor Evening News'', 1900; attended Missouri University in 1901 and 1902 and Northwestern University in 1909 and 1910; graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1912; sporting editor of ''St. Louis, Mo., Chronicle'' in 1902 and the ''Chicago American'' 1903–1905; editor with ''Chicago Chronicle'' in 1906, ''Chicago Examiner'' 1907–1910, and ''Chicago Magazine and Sunday Telegram'' 1910–1912; Lieutenant Governor of Illinois 1913–1917; chairman of Illinois senate vice and wage investigations 1913–1915; was admitted to the bar in 1912 and commenced the practice of law in Chicago, Ill..

Political career

O'Hara was elected

in 1912 and served from 1913 through 1917. O'Hara was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...

; during the First World War served as a major with the Eightieth and Twelfth Infantry Divisions and later as divisional judge advocate of the Fifteenth Division; president of the Arizona Film Co., in 1916 and 1917; unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1920, and for Congressman-at-large in 1936 to the Seventy-fifth Congress; radio commentator in Chicago 1933–1935; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-first Congress (January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1950 to the Eighty-second Congress; elected to the Eighty-third and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1969); unsuccessful Democratic candidate for renomination in 1968; died in Washington, D.C., August 11, 1969; interment in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago.

References

* Retrieved on 2008-02-09

External links

* 1882 births 1969 deaths People from St. Joseph, Michigan Lawyers from Chicago Politicians from Chicago Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Lieutenant governors of Illinois Chicago-Kent College of Law alumni United States Army officers Military personnel from Illinois Military personnel from Michigan American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army personnel of World War I 20th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Illinois-politician-stub