Harry Edward Hull (March 12, 1864 – January 16, 1938) was an American businessman and politician who served five terms 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

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its northeastern part. It includes Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa, Dubuque ...

from 1915 to 1925. He also served as Commissioner General of Immigration in the Coolidge and Hoover administrations.

Biography

Born near Belvidere, New York, Hull moved with his parents to

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

, in 1873. He attended the grammar and high schools. He was employed as a clerk and bookkeeper for a grain company. He moved to

Palo, Iowa Palo is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,407 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. Palo is located near Pleasant Creek State Recreation Park. History In 1 ...

, in 1883, and to

Williamsburg, Iowa Williamsburg is a city in Iowa County, Iowa, Iowa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,346 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Williamsburg is known for Holden Foundation Seeds, Holden's Foundation Seeds, a fou ...

, in 1884 and engaged in the grain business. He also engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile. He was president of the Williamsburg Telephone Co.. He served as one of Williamsburg's aldermen from 1887 to 1889, as its mayor from 1889 to 1901, and as its postmaster from 1901 to 1914. He also served as president of the Williamsburg Fair Association from 1900 to 1915. He also had a son,

Harris B. Hull Harris B. Hull (May 23, 1909 – January 29, 1993) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, and part of the original staff of the Eighth Air Force during the Second World War. Biography Hull was born in 1909, in Williamsburg, ...

, who was a high-ranking American military officer.

Congress

In 1914, Hull was elected as a Republican to represent Iowa's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House, defeating Democrat W.J. McDonald. He served in the Sixty-fourth Congress and in the four succeeding Congresses. He was one of only fifty representatives who voted against the resolution authorizing the United States' entry into

World War I 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 ...

, and one of the few of those fifty to stave off challengers in the wartime primary and general elections in 1918. In May 1917, during Hull's second term, his wife, Mary Louise Harris Hull, died when she mistook poison tablets for a headache remedy. In 1924, Hull opposed

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

's proposal to operate fertilizer plants and a hydroelectric dam on the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

near

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located on the left bank of the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, its population was 13,146. The estimated popula ...

. Hull argued against the project over concerns about private business interests controlling important public resources. Ford later cancelled his plans for the project. When seeking renomination in 1924, he was defeated in the Republican primary by Judge F. Dickinson Letts. In all, he served from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1925.

Federal agency position

On May 15, 1925, he was appointed by President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

as commissioner general of immigration"Mr. Coolidge's Week"
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', May 25, 1925. and served in that position until 1933, when he retired.

Retirement and death

He continued to reside 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 ...

, until his death there on January 16, 1938. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Williamsburg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Harry Edward 1864 births 1938 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Iowa city council members People from Allegany County, New York Politicians from Cedar Rapids, Iowa People from Williamsburg, Iowa Iowa postmasters Mayors of places in Iowa 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Candidates in the 1914 United States House of Representatives elections