John Jennings Jr. (June 6, 1880 – February 27, 1956) was an American

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 again ...

, and 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

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

from 1939 to 1951.

Biography

Jennings was born in

Jacksboro, Tennessee Jacksboro is a town in Campbell County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,020 at the 2010 census, and 2,306 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Campbell County. History Jacksboro was founded in 1806 as a permanent county se ...

, on June 6, 1880. He attended

public schools Public school may refer to: *State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

and

American Temperance University American Temperance University opened in 1893 in the planned town of Harriman, Tennessee, which was developed as a community with no alcoholic beverages permitted. In its second year of operation the institution enrolled 345 students from 20 state ...

in Harriman before graduating from U.S. Grant University in

Athens, Tennessee Athens is the county seat of McMinn County, Tennessee, United States and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 53,569. The city is located almost equidistantly between the major cities of Knoxville a ...

, in 1906. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1903, and entered the practice of law in Jellico in his native

Campbell County, Tennessee Campbell County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located on the state's northern border in East Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 39,272. Its county seat is Jacksboro. Campbell County is included in the Knox ...

Career

In Campbell County, Jennings served as county

superintendent of public instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...

in 1903 and 1904, and county attorney from 1911 to 1918. In 1918 he became special assistant to the

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

and judge of the second

chancery division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...

of Tennessee. He resigned the judgeship on July 1, 1923, and moved to

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state ...

, where he continued the practice of law. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

s in 1912, 1936, and 1944. In 1939, Jennings was elected to Congress as a Republican, filling the vacancy caused by the death of

J. Will Taylor James Willis "J. Will" Taylor (August 28, 1880 – November 14, 1939) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Tennessee. Biography Born near Lead Mine Bend (Tennessee), Lead Mine Bend in Union County, Tennessee ...

. He took office on December 30, 1939. He won a full term in 1940, and was re-elected four more times. In 1950,

Howard Baker Sr. Howard Henry Baker Sr. (January 12, 1902 – January 7, 1964) was an American politician and a United States Representative from Tennessee. Biography Baker was born in Somerset, Kentucky, in 1902 to James F. Baker, an attorney and newspaper pu ...

defeated him in his bid for renomination, so he ended his Congressional service on January 3, 1951. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law.

Death

Jennings died in Knoxville on February 27, 1956, and is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Highland Memorial Cemetery. Jennings, John, Jr., (1880–1956)
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, John 1880 births 1956 deaths People from Jacksboro, Tennessee Tennessee state court judges Politicians from Knoxville, Tennessee Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee 20th-century American judges People from Jellico, Tennessee 20th-century American politicians