Edward William Pou (; September 9, 1863 – April 1, 1934) was an American politician, serving in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

as a representative from 1901 until his death in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on April 1, 1934. From March 1933 to April 1934, he was the longest-serving current member of Congress and was the

Dean of the United States House of Representatives The dean of the United States House of Representatives is the longest continuously serving member of United States House of Representatives, the House. The current dean is Hal Rogers, a Republican Party (United States), Republican from Kentucky, ...

Biography

Born in

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee ( ) is a city in Macon County, Alabama, Macon County, Alabama, United States. General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, laid out the city and founded it in 1833. It became the county seat in the same y ...

, on September 9, 1863, he moved to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

with his parents in 1867, where he attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

and studied law. His fraternity was

Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Tau Omega (), commonly known as ATO, is an American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute in 1865 by Otis Allan Glazebrook. The fraternity has around 250 active and inactive chapters an ...

. After practicing law in

Smithfield, North Carolina Smithfield is a town in and the county seat of Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,292. The town is located near North Carolina's Research Triangle and is abou ...

for a number of years, he served as a Democratic

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 North Carolina's 4th district, 1901–1934, and served as chairman of the Committee on Claims (abolished in 1946) and then of the

House Rules Committee The Committee on Rules (or more commonly the Rules Committee) is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives, unlike other committ ...

. He died in Washington, April 1, 1934, while still in office. Pou is notable for his support of Louis F. Post, United States Secretary of Labor and head of the Bureau of Immigration, who had, in the era of the

Palmer Raids The Palmer Raids were a series of raids conducted in November 1919 and January 1920 by the United States Department of Justice under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchist ...

, reversed many of the decisions of the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

and his aide

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...

as to deportations. On April 15, 1920, Kansas Congressman

Homer Hoch Homer Hoch (July 4, 1879 – January 30, 1949) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, United States Congressman from Kansas, and judge who served seven terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1919 to 1933. Biography Born in ...

accused Post of having abused his power and called for his

impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...

. The House Committee on Rules planned to ask the President to remove Post instead of impeaching him, so Post requested and was granted a chance to testify. He successfully defended his actions on May 7–8, attacking Attorney General Palmer and others. In a dramatic exchange, Congressman Pou, a Democratic supporter of the anti-radical campaign, praised Post's actions, saying, "I believe you have followed your sense of duty absolutely," and walked out of the room, leaving it in stunned silence. The Rules Committee took no further action.

Name

Asked how to say his name, he told ''The

Literary Digest ''The Literary Digest'' was an American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current Opinion''. ...

'' "Though my name is spelled ''Pou'', it is pronounced as though it were spelled ''pew'' or ''pugh''." (

Charles Earle Funk Charles Earle Funk (1881–1957) was an American lexicographer. He was a member of the Funk family who owned the publisher Funk & Wagnalls; Dr. Isaac Funk was his uncle. Funk wrote several etymological dictionaries An etymological dictionary ...

, ''What's the Name, Please?'', Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)

Sources

* *''New York Times''
"E.W. Pou is Dead, Veteran in House," April 2, 1934
accessed January 15, 2010 1863 births 1934 deaths People from Tuskegee, Alabama Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Deans of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub

Biography

Name

See also

Sources