James McDevitt Magee (April 5, 1877 – April 16, 1949) was an

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

and 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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Biography

James M. Magee was born in Evergreen, Pennsylvania (near

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

). He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1899, where he was a member of

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

, and from the law department of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1902. He was admitted to the bar in 1903 and commenced practice in Pittsburgh. He was commissioned a first lieutenant in the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

during the

First World War 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 ...

. He was promoted to captain and served until January 1919. He was later commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Reserve. During his entire period of service he was attached to the executive office of the Department of Military Aeronautics. Magee was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-eighth and Sixty-ninth Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

. He served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Securities Commission in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

, from 1931 to 1935. He continued the practice of law in Pittsburgh until his death there. Magee was interred in

Calvary Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Calvary Catholic Cemetery is located at 718 Hazelwood Avenue in the Greenfield and Hazelwood neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1886 with the purchase of a 200-acre (80-hectare) tract. The first offic ...

. Magee was brother of missionary John Magee, and uncle to

John Gillespie Magee, Jr. John Gillespie Magee Jr. (9 June 1922 – 11 December 1941) was a World War II Anglo-American Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot and war poet, who wrote the sonnet "High Flight". He was killed in an accidental mid-air collision over Engla ...

, author of the poem "High Flight."

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-10
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magee, James M. 1877 births 1949 deaths Burials at Calvary Catholic Cemetery (Pittsburgh) Pennsylvania lawyers Politicians from Pittsburgh Yale University alumni United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Members of Skull and Bones 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives