Clarence John McLeod (July 3, 1895 – May 15, 1959) was a politician from the

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who served as a member of the

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. McLeod was born in

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, Michigan, the son of a well-to-do

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father who had served as collector of internal revenue in Detroit. He attended the public schools and the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catho ...

. He graduated with an

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from the

Detroit College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the f ...

in 1918. He was a member of Delta Theta Phi.

Military service

During the

First World War 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 ...

, McLeod served as a

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in the aviation section at the ground school,

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, and as

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in the Intelligence Division. He accepted appointment on May 12, 1919, as second lieutenant in the Officers' Reserve Corps, and successively as

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, and lieutenant colonel. He was admitted to the bar in 1919 and commenced the practice of law in Detroit.

Political career

In November 1920, McLeod was elected as a Republican from

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to the

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to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles A. Nichols. McLeod served from November 2, 1920, to March 3, 1921. At the time, McLeod was the youngest person ever elected to Congress, being just five months over the age of 25—the minimum age required by the

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. Furthermore, McLeod was a candidate only to fill the unexpired term of Nichols. At that same election, Vincent M. Brennan was simultaneously elected to a full term in 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 ...

. In 1922, however, McLeod was elected to the 68th Congress and subsequently re-elected to the six succeeding Congresses, serving in the House of Representatives without interruption from March 4, 1923, to January 3, 1937. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the Republican primary election for

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in 1934. In 1936, he lost to

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George O'Brien in the general election for the

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. In 1937, McLeod was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for

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. In 1938, McLeod defeated O'Brien to be elected to the 76th Congress, serving from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1941. McLeod lost to O'Brien in 1940, 1942, and 1944. In 1946, McLeod was defeated for the Republican nomination by Howard Aldridge Coffin, who then went on to defeat O'Brien in the general election. McLeod won the Republican nomination in 1950 and 1952, but lost both times to O'Brien in the general election.

Later life

After leaving Congress, McLeod returned to the practice of law and was a consultant to the administrator of the

Federal Civil Defense Administration The Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) was organized by President Harry S. Truman on December 1, 1950, through Executive Order 10186, and became an official government agency via the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950 on 12 January 1 ...

. He died in Detroit in 1959 and was interred in the city's Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Notes

References

The Political Graveyard

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, Clarence J. 1895 births 1959 deaths Politicians from Detroit American people of Scottish descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Michigan lawyers University of Detroit Mercy alumni Cornell University alumni Detroit College of Law alumni American military personnel of World War I United States Army colonels 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives