Harry Emerson Rowbottom (November 3, 1884 – March 22, 1934) was an American businessman and Republican politician. He was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

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 ...

in 1924 and served three terms from 1925 to 1931. He was defeated for re-election in 1930 and subsequently convicted of accepting bribes, abruptly terminating his political career.

Biography

Rowbottom was born in Aurora, Indiana, and moved with his parents to Ludlow, Kentucky, in 1885. In

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

he attended the common schools, graduated from Ludlow High School in 1901, and subsequently attended Kentucky State College at Lexington from 1902 to 1904. From 1904 to 1907, Rowbottom worked selling lubricating oils. He graduated from the Cincinnati Business College in 1907, where he studied accountancy. Following graduation, Rowbottom found work as an auditor in Cincinnati from 1907 to 1910 and Chicago from 1910 to 1912. He moved to

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

, in 1913 and was employed as chief clerk for the Indiana Refining Company from 1913 to 1918.

Politics

Rowbottom was elected to the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

in 1918, serving two consecutive terms from 1919 to 1923. His legislative service coincided with the end of

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 the Red Summer of 1919, which witnessed the rise of the second

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

. Like many prominent Indiana Republicans, Rowbottom sought out the Klan's electoral support and proudly boasted of his membership in the organization.

Congress

With the Klan's endorsement he was elected to the

in 1924, defeating Democratic incumbent William E. Wilson in Indiana's 1st congressional district. Klan-backed candidates won up and down the ballot in 1924, with local Klan leader D. C. Stephenson widely believed to have orchestrated the nomination of the incoming Republican governor, Edward L. Jackson. Rowbottom's victory in traditionally Democratic southern Indiana, coming despite Wilson's eminent public stature and Rowbottom's comparatively poor reputation, was considered as major upset. Rowbottom was re-elected in 1926 and 1928, serving from 1925 to 1931. He was defeated for re-election to the 72nd Congress in 1930 following the onset of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, which was blamed on the Republican Party and the administration of Herbert Hoover.

Conviction and prison

During his final term in office, Rowbottom was indicted for accepting bribes in exchange for appointments to jobs with the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

. He was found guilty in 1931 and sentenced to one year and one day in prison. Rowbottom was incarcerated at USP Leavenworth.

Death

He died in Evansville on March 22, 1934, and is interred in Locust Hill Cemetery.

Electoral history

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowbottom, Harry Emerson 1884 births 1934 deaths American accountants American politicians convicted of federal public corruption crimes Indiana politicians convicted of crimes Republican Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives People from Aurora, Indiana People from Kenton County, Kentucky Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly