James Harry McGregor (September 30, 1896 – October 7, 1958) was an American

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 ...

veteran who served nine terms as a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives 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

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from 1940 to 1958.

Biography

James Harry McGregor was born on a farm near Unionport,

Jefferson County, Ohio Jefferson County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 65,249. Its county seat is Steubenville, Ohio, Steubenville. The county is List of Ohi ...

. He attended the public schools, West Lafayette College, and

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

World War I

During the First World War, he served as a sergeant with the One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Field Artillery,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, in 1917 and 1918.

Political career

He was engaged in the lumber and general contracting business at

West Lafayette, Ohio West Lafayette is a village in Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,417 at the 2020 census. History West Lafayette was laid out in 1850 by Robert Shaw and William Wheeler. In 1855, the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad ...

, 1918-1945. He was a member of the school board of West Lafayette, Ohio, for eight years. He was a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from 1935 to 1940, serving as minority whip from 1937 to 1939 and as majority leader and speaker pro tempore in 1939 and 1940. McGregor was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-sixth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William A. Ashbrook. He was reelected to the Seventy-seventh and to the eight succeeding Congresses and served until his death. He served as chairman of the Special Committee on Chamber Improvements during the Eightieth and Eighty-third Congresses. He had been renominated to the Eighty-sixth Congress.

Death

He died in

Coshocton, Ohio Coshocton () is a city in Coshocton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 11,050 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately east-northeast of Columbus. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet ...

, in 1958 at the age of 62. Interment in Fairfield Cemetery in West Lafayette, Ohio. McGregor voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

Footnotes

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