James Wheaton Mott (November 12, 1883 – November 12, 1945) was 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

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. A graduate of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

's law school, he worked as a newspaper reporter, city attorney, and was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives.

Early life

Born near New Washington, Pennsylvania, Mott moved with his parents to Salem, Oregon, in 1890. There he attended the public schools, and then the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in Eugene, Stanford University in California, and finally

in New York City where he graduated in 1909. Mott then worked as a newspaper reporter in New York City,

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, and Salem between 1909 and 1917. In Salem he graduated from

Willamette University College of Law Willamette University College of Law is the law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors and ...

in 1917 with a law degree. He was admitted to the bar in the same year and commenced practice in Astoria, Oregon. 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 ...

, Mott served as a seaman first class in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. After the war he returned to Astoria, where he worked as the city attorney from 1920 to 1922. In 1919, he married Ethel Lucile Walling, and they had three daughters together.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.

Politics

Mott was elected to and served as member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1922 to 1928, and again from 1930 to 1932. Between stints in the House, he moved to Salem in 1929. While in the legislature, he worked as the Corporation Commissioner of Oregon from 1931 to 1932. In 1932, Mott was elected as a

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 agains ...

to 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 ...

. He was re-elected to five more terms. While in Congress, he worked towards federal improvements at Tongue Point Naval Base and other Columbia River projects. In his version of the

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 (; ) is legislation enacted by the United States Congress and signed into law on December 20, 1944, which established a 50–50 formula for subsidizing the construction of national highways and secondary (or "fe ...

, Mott is credited with the first use of the term ''interstate'' to refer to the system of express highways that became the federal

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

. In April and May 1945, Mott traveled to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

with a number of other congressmen and senators to tour some of the newly liberated

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as con ...

, including

Buchenwald Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or sus ...

on April 24 and Dachau on May 2. Mott helped to put together a special report for the U.S. Senate concerning the atrocities and conditions in the camps.U.S. Senate. Atrocities and Other Conditions in Concentration Camps in Germany. (S. Doc. 79-47) Washington DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1945.

Death

Mott remained in Congress until his death in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, on November 12, 1945, his 62nd birthday. He was interred in Salem, Oregon's

City View Cemetery City View Cemetery is a privately owned cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States that was established in 1893. Its Mount Crest Abbey Mausoleum, opened in 1914, contains the remains of eight governors of Oregon. History The cemetery was establis ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mott, James Wheaton 1883 births 1945 deaths Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Willamette University College of Law alumni Columbia University alumni Stanford University alumni University of Oregon alumni Politicians from Astoria, Oregon Politicians from Salem, Oregon People from Clearfield County, Pennsylvania United States Navy sailors Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon Burials at City View Cemetery 20th-century American politicians Lawyers from Salem, Oregon Oregon city attorneys United States Navy personnel of World War I

Early life

Politics

Death

See also

References

External links