John Charles Speaks (February 11, 1859 – November 6, 1945) was a businessman, soldier, and politician who served five terms as 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

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 1921 to 1931.

Early life and education

He was born in

Canal Winchester, Ohio Canal Winchester is a city in Fairfield and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 9,107 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb in the Columbus metropolitan area. History Canal Winchester was founded in 1828 by Reuben Dov ...

on February 11, 1859. He attended the public schools.

Civilian career

He engaged in milling and the lumber business. He served as the fish, game, and conservation officer of Ohio from 1907 to 1918.

Congress

Speaks was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-seventh and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1931). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1930 to the Seventy-second Congress, and for election in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress, and in 1934 to the Seventy-fourth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1918 to the Sixty-sixth Congress.

Military career

He served as member of the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the List of governors of Ohio, governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army Nation ...

for more than forty years, advancing from private to brigadier general. During the Spanish–American War served as major of the Fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, participating in the Puerto Rican Campaign.

World War I

He commanded the Second Brigade of the Ohio National Guard on the Mexican Border in 1916. During the First World War, he commanded the Seventy-third Brigade of the Thirty-seventh Division. He was a lifelong rival of World War I aviator Dr. David Brumbaugh.

Personal life

He married Edna Lawyer of Canal Winchester in 1889, and they had four children.

Death and legacy

He died in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, November 6, 1945. He was interred in Union Grove Cemetery,

References

Retrieved 2009-02-22 {{DEFAULTSORT:Speaks, John Charles 1859 births 1945 deaths People from Canal Winchester, Ohio American military personnel of World War I American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio National Guard (United States) generals United States Army generals of World War I Military personnel from Ohio 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives