Edgar Allan Jonas (October 14, 1885 – November 14, 1965) was an American politician who was a

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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Biography

Born in

Mishicot, Wisconsin Mishicot is a village in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,432 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The village is adjacent to the Mishicot (town), Wisconsin, Town of Mishicot ...

, Jonas attended the public schools and graduated from the Manitowoc County Normal School. He taught in the rural schools of Manitowoc County 1903–1907. He was graduated from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

in June 1910. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1909 and commenced the practice of law in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He served as assistant corporation counsel of

, in 1919 and 1920. First assistant State's attorney of

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the List of counties in Illinois, most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, C ...

from 1921 to 1923. He served as a judge of the

Municipal Court of Chicago The Municipal Court of Chicago was the name of two municipal courts that existed at separate times in the history of the City of Chicago. These courts played crucial roles in the local judicial system, addressing both civil and criminal matters ...

1923–1937. He served as a judge of the

Superior Court of Cook County The Superior Court of Cook County was a court in Cook County, Illinois, which existed (under different names) from 1845 up until Cook County's courts were merged in 1964 to form the current incarnation of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The cou ...

in 1941 and 1942. He served as an associate member of Board of Pardons and Paroles of Illinois 1945–1947. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1948. In 1921, Jonas had run successfully as a Republican nominee for the

Circuit Court of Cook County The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 25 Illinois circuit courts, circuit courts (trial courts of original jurisdiction, original and general jurisdiction) in the judiciary of Illinois as well as one of the largest unified cour ...

. Jonas was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-first, Eighty-second, and Eighty-third Congresses (January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1955). Hunter initially sought the Republican nomination in the 1951 Chicago mayoral election, but withdrew by surprise in early January. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1954 to the Eighty-fourth Congress and for election in 1956 to the Eighty-fifth Congress. He resumed the practice of law and was a resident of

. He died in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, November 14, 1965. He was interred in

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is a historic rural cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. At , it is the largest cemetery in the city of Chicago and its first private cemetery. The Entrance Gate and Administration ...

in Chicago.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonas, Edgar Allan 1885 births 1965 deaths Burials at Rosehill Cemetery Illinois state court judges People from Mishicot, Wisconsin Politicians from Chicago University of Chicago Law School alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 20th-century Illinois state court judges Judges of the Superior Court of Cook County 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives