Fred Cramer Gilchrist (June 2, 1868 – March 10, 1950) was a seven-term Republican

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

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, from 1931 to 1945. Born in California, Pennsylvania, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, Gilchrist moved with his parents to

Cedar Falls, Iowa Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,713. It is home to the University of Northern Iowa, a public university. History Cedar Falls was first settled in March 1845 b ...

, in 1871. He attended the public schools. He graduated from State Teachers' College,

, in 1886. From 1886 to 1890, he was a teacher and superintendent of two school districts in

Pocahontas County, Iowa Pocahontas County is a county located in Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 7,078, making it the state's ninth-least populous county. The county seat is Pocahontas. The county was formed in 1851. This county was name ...

—

Laurens, Iowa Laurens is a city in Pocahontas County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 1,264 at the 2020 census. History Laurens was platted in 1881. It was named in honor of Henry and John Laurens, father and son, two French Huguenots who became resid ...

and

Rolfe, Iowa Rolfe is a city in Pocahontas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 509 at the time of the 2020 census. This city was named after the Englishman John Rolfe, who married Pocahontas in Jamestown, Virginia. History Rolfe was platted in ...

. From 1890 to 1892 he served as that County's superintendent of schools. Leaving school administration for law school, he graduated from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States by the '' U.S. News & World Report'' "Best Law Sch ...

at Iowa City in 1893, and 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 ...

that year. He then returned home and commenced private practice in Laurens. He served as a member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

for one term, in 1902-1904. He also served as president of the board of education of Laurens from 1905 to 1928. Returning to legislative service, he served the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

from 1923 to 1931. Between 1930 and 1944, Gilchrist served seven terms as a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa. During his service, the size of Iowa's house delegation shrank from eleven (in 1931) to nine (in 1933) and then to eight (in 1943), requiring redistricting before the 1932 and 1942 elections. Thus, without ever changing addresses, Gilchrist represented three different congressional districts. In 1930, he ran for and won the seat in Iowa's 10th congressional district that L. J. Dickinson vacated in his successful run for the U.S. Senate. Two years later, with his home county (Pocahontas) now in

Iowa's 8th congressional district Iowa's 8th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1963. The district was configured five times. Although the district encompassed four different areas of Iowa in its ninety-year existence, it was always predominantly rural, and elected a R ...

, Gilchrist was one of three Iowa Republican House candidates to survive the Roosevelt landslide. He was re-elected four more times from that district, only once (in 1934) in a close race. In 1942, following the next redistricting, Pocahontas County was now in

Iowa's 6th congressional district Iowa's 6th congressional district is a former U.S. congressional district in the State of Iowa. It existed in elections from 1862 to 1992, when it was lost due to Iowa's population growth rate being lower than that of the country as a whole. T ...

, where Gilchrist won re-election once. However, in 1944, he was challenged for the Republican nomination by

James I. Dolliver James Isaac Dolliver (August 31, 1894 – December 10, 1978) served six terms as a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 6th congressional district, beginning in 1944. He was the nephew of U.S. Senator Jonathan Prentiss Dolliver of Iowa. B ...

Fort Dodge, Iowa Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Cen ...

. In a primary election characterized by low turnout, Dolliver defeated Gilchrist,"Dolliver Wins in 6th District," Mason City Globe-Gazette, 1944-06-06 at 2. and went on to win the general election. In all, Gilchrist served in Congress from March 4, 1931 to January 3, 1945. Upon his return to Laurens, Gilchrist resumed the practice of law. He died in Laurens on March 10, 1950, and was interred in Laurens Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilchrist, Fred Cramer 1868 births 1950 deaths People from California, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives University of Northern Iowa alumni People from Laurens, Iowa People from Cedar Falls, Iowa University of Iowa College of Law alumni Schoolteachers from Iowa Iowa lawyers Republican Party Iowa state senators Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa