James Ernest Wharton (October 4, 1899January 19, 1990) was an American attorney and politician. A Republican, he served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

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

from 1951 to 1965.

Biography

James Ernest Wharton was born in

Binghamton, New York Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the c ...

on October 4, 1899 to James H. Wharton and Mae Dibble. He attended the public schools of Richmondville and graduated from Richmondville High School. After his high school graduation, Wharton attended

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Wharton joined the

Student Army Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...

. He enlisted as a private in October 1918, and was discharged in December, following the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed in a railroad car, in the Compiègne Forest near the town of Compiègne, that ended fighting on land, at sea, and in the air in World War I between the Entente and their las ...

that ended the war. Wharton then completed his studies at Albany Law School, from which he graduated in 1919. Wharton worked for Travelers Insurance from 1920 until 1929. He attained admission to the bar in 1923 and commenced a law practice in 1929. A Republican, Wharton was the district attorney of

Schoharie County, New York Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning ...

from 1932 until 1941. From 1941 to 1951, he served as the county's surrogate, family, and county court judge. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1950 and served from January 3, 1951, until January 3, 1965. In 1960, his Democratic opponent was

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...

, whom Wharton defeated to win a fifth term. In 1964, he was defeated for reelection by Democrat Joseph Y. Resnick. After leaving Congress, Wharton resumed the practice of law and became involved in real estate development. Wharton voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

, and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He died in Summit, New York on January 19, 1990. He was buried at Cobleskill Rural Cemetery in Cobleskill. Wharton was first married to Freda Boynton (1899-1979). They divorced and he married Marion Turner (1913-2006). With his first wife, Wharton was the father of a daughter, Beverly Wharton Radez.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-01-29 * 1899 births 1990 deaths Politicians from Binghamton, New York United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War I Albany Law School alumni New York state court judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 20th-century New York state court judges Lawyers from Binghamton, New York County district attorneys in New York (state) 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from New York (state) 20th-century New York (state) politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{NewYork-Representative-stub