Clarence Dennis Coughlin (July 27, 1883 – December 15, 1946) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician who served one term as a Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

from 1921 to 1923.

Biography

Clarence Coughlin (uncle of Lawrence Coughlin) was born in

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 17 ...

. He was the son of James M. Coughlin, who was the superintendent of Wilkes-Barre school area and would later have a

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

named after him following his death.

Education and early career

Clarence Coughlin attended

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...

, and

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

. He taught in the Wilkes-Barre High School from 1906 to 1910. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1910 and practiced law in

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Luzerne County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeaste ...

, from 1910 to 1920. He was engaged in manufacturing, banking, and the development of real estate in

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. ...

and

Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

Political activities

He served as a member of the committee of

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

of the State and county in 1918. Coughlin also served six years as a member of the commission to revise the

penal code A criminal code or penal code is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of, a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain Crime, offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that ...

of Pennsylvania. He was chairman of the Republican county committee of Luzerne County from 1915 to 1917.

Congress

In 1912, Coughlin unsuccessfully ran for Congress under the Progressive Party banner, coming in ahead of incumbent Republican Charles Bowman but ultimately losing to John Casey. Coughlin was elected as a Republican to the

67th Congress The 67th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 19 ...

, during which he served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

Later career

After leaving Congress, he was appointed judge of the

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeaste ...

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

in 1925 to fill an unexpired term caused by the death of Judge Woodward. He was elected in November 1927 for a ten-year term and served until 1937.

Death and burial

Coughlin died in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

, aged 63. He is interred in Mount Greenwood Cemetery in

Trucksville, Pennsylvania Trucksville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,152 at the 2010 census. Geography Trucksville is located at , along Pennsylvania Route 309 in the western pa ...

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state court judges American bankers People from the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area People from Kingston, Pennsylvania Harvard College alumni Wesleyan University alumni 1883 births 1946 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century Pennsylvania state court judges 20th-century American lawyers Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Pennsylvania-state-judge-stub