John Charles McKenzie (February 18, 1860 – September 17, 1941) was a

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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Born on a farm near Elizabeth, Woodbine Township, Illinois to a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

immigrant father, McKenzie attended the common schools, and the normal school at

Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History The site of present-day Valparaiso ...

. He taught school in

Jo Daviess County, Illinois Jo Daviess County () is the northwesternmost county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 22,035. Its county seat is Galena, Illinois, Galena. Jo ...

for six years. He engaged in the grain, flour, and feed business. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1890 and commenced the practice of his profession in

Elizabeth, Illinois Elizabeth is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 694 at the 2020 census. History Prior to European contact, the area where the village stands today was inhabited by the Sauk and Meskwaki peoples. It is ...

. He served as director of the Elizabeth Exchange Bank. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1892-1896. He served as member of Illinois Claims Commission 1896-1900. He served in the State senate from 1900 until his resignation on May 11, 1911, and was president pro tempore 1903-1905. Mckenzie was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-second and to the six succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1925). He served as chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs ( Sixty-eighth Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1924. He was appointed in 1925 a member of the commission to report the most practical method of utilizing the nitrate plant at

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 ...

. He resumed the practice of his profession in

, until his death in that city on September 17, 1941. He was interred in Elizabeth Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, John C. 1860 births 1941 deaths American people of Scottish descent Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area Illinois lawyers Republican Party Illinois state senators Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Elizabeth, Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Schoolteachers from Illinois 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives