Arthur J. Ruland (October 27, 1886 – May 9, 1973) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

Life

Ruland was born on October 27, 1886, in Nineveh, New York, the son of George M. and Delphine A. Ruland. His father was a farmer. He graduated from

Binghamton High School Binghamton High School, a combined high school of the previous Binghamton North High School and Binghamton Central High School, is a large public high school located in the center of Binghamton, New York. The school is culturally diverse, with ...

in 1904. Ruland attended the Syracuse University College of Liberal Arts from 1904 to 1905 and the

Syracuse University College of Law The Syracuse University College of Law is the law school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. It is one of only four law schools in upstate New York. Syracuse was accredited by the American Bar Association in 1923 and is a charter member ...

from 1905 to 1908. He graduated from the latter college with an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1908. He was admitted to the bar in 1908 and began practicing law in

Binghamton Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the con ...

. In the 1909–1910 school year he taught advanced English and oratory in the Binghamton High School. He was connected with the Empire Lyceum Bureau of Syracuse as a lecturer for two years, and would speak in various states until he began focusing more of his time on his growing legal practice. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was an active four minute man. He was also special counsel for the State Department of Excise and local attorney for the American Railway Express Company and the Binghamton Real Estate Board. Ruland was the Broome County attorney for the State Agricultural Department. In 1911, he was elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, representing

Broome County Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when ...

. He served in the Assembly in

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

. He lost the 1912 re-election to Republican Mortimer B. Edwards, and in 1913 he lost the election to the Assembly to Republican Simon P. Quick. In the 1942 United States House of Representatives election, he was the Democratic candidate in

New York's 34th congressional district New York's 34th congressional district was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York (state), New York. It was created in 1843 as a result of the 1840 United States census, 1840 census, eliminated after ...

. He lost the election to Edwin Arthur Hall. Ruland was a prominent member of the

Improved Order of Red Men The Improved Order of Red Men is a List of civic, fraternal, service, and professional organizations, fraternal organization established in North America in 1834. It claims direct descent from the colonial era Sons of Liberty. Their rituals and ...

in New York, having been elected great junior sagamore for New York State in 1918, great senior sagamore in 1919, great sachem in 1920, great prophet in 1921, and great representative to the Great Council of the United States. He was a 32nd degree

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, president of the University Club from 1918 to 1919, and a member of Delta Sigma Rho and

Phi Delta Phi Phi Delta Phi (), commonly known as Phid or PDP, is an international legal honor society and the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States. Founded in 1869 at the University of Michigan as a professional fraternity, ...

. He was a member of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

. Ruland died in the Asa Park Manor nursing home in

Montrose, Pennsylvania Montrose is a borough in and the county seat of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The land is elevated approximately above sea level. History Montrose was laid out in 1812 in an area of Pennsylvania historically associated wi ...

on May 9, 1973. He was buried in Floral Park Cemetery.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruland, Arthur J. 1886 births 1973 deaths Syracuse University College of Law alumni 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Binghamton, New York Politicians from Binghamton, New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly American Freemasons Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature