Fred Sampson Purnell (October 25, 1882 – October 21, 1939) was an American lawyer and politician who served eight terms as 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

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1917 to 1933.

Biography

Born on a farm near Veedersburg, Indiana, Purnell attended the common schools and the high school at Veedersburg. He was graduated from the law department of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

at Bloomington in 1904. 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 ...

the same year and commenced practice in

Attica, Indiana Attica is a city in Logan Township, Fountain County, Indiana, United States. History Attica was laid out by George Hollingsworth and platted by David Stump in 1825. The completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal through the town in 1847 brough ...

. City attorney of Attica 1910–1914. He resumed the practice of his profession. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1914 to the Sixty-fourth Congress.

Congress

Purnell was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fifth and to the seven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1933). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress and for election in 1934 to the Seventy-fourth Congress.

Later career and death

He resumed the practice of law in

. He moved to

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 ...

, in April 1939 and served as an attorney in the General Accounting Office until his resignation on October 1, 1939. He died in

, October 21, 1939. He was interred in Rockfield Cemetery, near Veedersburg, Indiana.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Purnell, Fred Sampson 1882 births 1939 deaths Indiana University Maurer School of Law alumni American Disciples of Christ People from Fountain County, Indiana People from Attica, Indiana Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Lawyers from Washington, D.C. 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Candidates in the 1914 United States House of Representatives elections