John Crawford Chaney (February 1, 1853 – April 26, 1940) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1905 to 1909.

Early life

Chaney was born near

Lisbon, Ohio Lisbon is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 2,597 at the 2020 census. Lying along the Little Beaver Creek, the village is located southwest of Youngstown. History Lisbon was platted ...

in 1854, and later moved to Lafayette Township, Indiana, with his parents, who settled on a farm near Fort Wayne. He attended the common schools, graduating first from Ascension Seminary, Farmersburg, Indiana, in 1874 and later from the Terre Haute Commercial College. He taught school and served as superintendent of schools for five years before graduating from the law school of Cincinnati University in June 1882.

Career

Chaney was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1883 and commenced practice in

Sullivan, Indiana Sullivan is a city in Hamilton Township and the county seat of Sullivan County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,249 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Sullivan post offic ...

. He served as a member of the state central committee from the second district in 1884 and 1885. In July 1889, he was appointed by President Harrison as assistant to the Attorney General in the Department of Justice, serving in that position until August 1893, when he resigned and resumed the practice of law. Chaney was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-ninth and Sixtieth Congresses (March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1909) for

Indiana's 2nd congressional district Indiana's 2nd congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress in Northern Indiana. It includes South Bend, Elkhart, and Warsaw. Prior to 2002, the 2nd congressional district covered east central Indiana, including most of ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1908 to the Sixty-first Congress. After leaving the House, he continued the practice of law in

Personal life

Chaney died on April 26, 1940 in Sullivan, Indiana. He was interred in Center Ridge Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaney, John Crawford 1853 births 1940 deaths United States assistant attorneys general University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni People from Lisbon, Ohio People from Allen County, Indiana People from Sullivan, Indiana Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives