Jacob Aaron Garber (January 25, 1879 – December 2, 1953) was a teacher and businessman who served in both houses of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

as well as in 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 ...

as a Republican.

Early and family life

Jacob A. Garber was born near

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham Cou ...

. He attended the public schools of Rockingham County, and

Bridgewater College Bridgewater College is a private liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Virginia. Established in 1880, Bridgewater College admitted both men and women from the time of its founding and was the first four-year liberal arts college in Virginia to ...

. He then moved to

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204, making it Virginia's second most populous county. The county seat is the independent city of Manassas. A part ...

, and became Principal of Brentsville Academy in 1904 and 1905. He then moved to

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and graduated from

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and Well, Limburg, Netherlands (Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of Public Speaking, o ...

in, in 1907

Career

Garber taught in Well's Memorial Institute in Boston in 1906 and 1907, then became the Secretary of

in 1907 and 1908. He returned to

Timberville, Virginia Timberville is a town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,522 at the 2010 census, which was a significant increase from the 1,739 reported in the 2000 census. It is part of the Harrisonburg metropolitan area. Histo ...

, in 1908 and was employed as a bank cashier until 1924. Rockingham County voters elected Garber and William Ruebush as their (part-time) representatives in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

in 1920, the pair defeating two other men that year, but losing their re-election bid to others in 1922. In 1924, Garber was elected treasurer of Rockingham County, and served from 1924 to 1929. He was member of and was interested in various orchard and canning organizations. In 1928, voters elected Garber as a Republican to the Seventy-first Congress. He defeated veteran Democrat Thomas W. Harrison, but lost his re-election bid in 1930 to John W. Fishburne. After Congress, Garber served as chief of the field and processing-tax divisions at the Internal Revenue Office in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

from 1931 to 1935. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

in 1932, but lost another attempt to return to Congress in 1940. When Aubrey G. Weaver died, Garber won a special election and served in the

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

from 1945 to 1947.Leonard pp. 682, 689 He later resumed operation of commercial orchards, and died in

on December 2, 1953. He was interred in Church of the Brethren Cemetery in

Elections

*1928; Garber was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 50.37% of the vote, defeating Democrat Thomas W. Harrison and Independents Dabney C. Harrison and H.B. McCormac. *1930; Garber lost his re-election bid.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garber, Jacob Aaron 1879 births 1953 deaths Bridgewater College alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia People from Harrisonburg, Virginia People from Rockingham County, Virginia 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly