Lansdale Ghiselin Sasscer (September 30, 1893 – November 5, 1964) represented the fifth district of the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in 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 ...

for seven terms from 1939 to 1953. Sasscer was born in

Upper Marlboro, Maryland Upper Marlboro, officially the Town of Upper Marlboro, is the seat of Prince George's County, Maryland. Aso of the 2020 census, the population was 652. although Greater Upper Marlboro is many times larger. Etymology Upper Marlboro was establ ...

, and graduated from

Dickinson School of Law Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separately accredited law schools of The Pennsylvania State University. According to Penn State Dickinson Law's 2019 ...

in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1914. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Upper Marlboro. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served from 1917 to 1919, being overseas for thirteen months as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in the Fifty-ninth Artillery of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. After the War, Sasscer resumed the practice of law, and served as a member of the Maryland State Senate from 1922 to 1938, serving as President of the Senate in 1935 and 1937. He was delegate to the

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China holds ...

and 1936 Democratic National Conventions, and vice chairman of the committee on reorganization of the State government in 1939. Sasscer was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Congress to fill the vacancy left open as a result of the death of Stephen Gambrill, serving from February 3, 1939, to January 3, 1953. Sasscer chose not to run for re-election in 1952, and instead attempted to win election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

seat being vacated by

Herbert O'Conor Herbert Romulus O'Conor (November 17, 1896March 4, 1960) was an American lawyer serving as the 51st Governor of Maryland from 1939 to 1947. He also served in the United States Senate, representing Maryland from 1947 to 1953. He was a Democrat. ...

, but lost the nomination to George P. Mahoney. Afterwards, he resumed the practice of law in

Family

Sasscer's family has lived in Upper Marlboro since the 1760s. Sasscer married Agnes Goffren in 1919 and had three children, Agnes Lansdale "Dolly" Sasscer, Lucy Claggett Sasscer and Lansdale Ghiselin Sasscer, Jr. Sasscer was a resident of Upper Marlboro until his death there in 1964. He is interred in Trinity Episcopal Church Cemetery in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-10
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sasscer, Lansdale Ghiselin 1893 births 1964 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Army personnel of World War I Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Dickinson School of Law alumni Maryland lawyers Democratic Party Maryland state senators Military personnel from Maryland People from Upper Marlboro, Maryland Presidents of the Maryland State Senate United States Army officers 20th-century American lawyers