John Henry Hoeppel (February 10, 1881 – September 21, 1976) 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
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. He served two terms, from 1933 through 1937, but was expelled from
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
for trying to profit from his appointment of a student to a military service academy.
Early life
Born near
Tell City, Indiana
Tell City is a city in Troy Township, Perry County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, along the Ohio River. The population was 7,272 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Perry County.
History
Tell City traces its 150+ year old roots ...
, Hoeppel attended grammar school in
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
but did not attend high school. He enlisted in the United States Army on July 27, 1898, and served successively as private, corporal, and sergeant until 1921, with service in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
during the First World War.
Hoeppel moved to
Arcadia, California in 1919. He was the postmaster of Arcadia from 1923 to 1931. In 1928, he became editor of ''National Defense'' magazine.
Political career
Hoeppel was elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to the
Seventy-third and to the
Seventy-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1937). He served as chairman of the Committee on War Claims (Seventy-fourth Congress).
In 1933 he was instrumental in persuading the U.S. Army to donate 183 acres of land from the
Ross Field Army Balloon School to
Los Angeles County to be developed as a park.
He was accused in 1934 of conspiracy to sell an appointment to the
West Point Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
for $1,000. He was found guilty by the U.S. Senate and removed from office. He was then found guilty in US Courts and sentenced to four to twelve months in prison.
His son Charles J. Hoeppel, who was seeking appointment to the
U.S. Naval Academy as part of the deal, was also convicted. Their appeal in 1936 was unsuccessful.
Hoeppel was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1936 to the
Seventy-fifth Congress, afterwards resuming his editorial career. He was an unsuccessful
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...
candidate for
election in 1946 to the
Eightieth Congress, losing to future U.S. President Richard Nixon.
Death
Hoeppel died in Arcadia on September 21, 1976, and is buried in Resurrection Cemetery,
San Gabriel, California.
See also
*
List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes
This list consists of American politicians convicted of crimes either committed or prosecuted while holding office in the federal government. It includes politicians who were convicted or pleaded guilty in a court of law; and does not include p ...
*
List of federal political scandals in the United States
This article provides a list of political scandals that involve officials from the government of the United States, sorted from oldest to most recent.
Scope and organization of political scandals
This article is organized by presidential terms ...
*
List of members of the American Legion
This table provides a list of notable members of The American Legion.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
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Z
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Legion, List O ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoeppel, John Henry
1881 births
1976 deaths
20th-century American politicians
Activists from California
American politicians convicted of federal public corruption crimes
California politicians convicted of crimes
California Prohibitionists
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
Expelled members of the United States House of Representatives
People from Arcadia, California
People from Tell City, Indiana
Politicians from Evansville, Indiana
United States Army soldiers