John Joseph Dempsey (June 22, 1879 – March 11, 1958) was an American politician and

United States Representative 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 ...

from

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

who also served as the 13th governor of New Mexico. He was born in White Haven, Pennsylvania, where he attended grade school. Employed as a telegrapher, he held various positions with the Brooklyn Union Elevator Company. He was the vice president of the

Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was a public transit holding company formed in 1896 to acquire and consolidate railway lines in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It was a prominent corporation and industry leader using ...

until 1919 when he entered the oil business in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and became vice president of the Continental Oil and Asphalt Company. He moved to

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, in 1920 and was an independent oil operator and in 1928 became president of the United States Asphalt Company. Dempsey in 1932 was appointed a member and later president of the Board of Regents of the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. He served as the state director for the

National Recovery Administration The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and governmen ...

in 1933, then became state director of the

Federal Housing Administration The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), also known as the Office of Housing within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a Independent agencies of the United States government, United States government agency founded by Pr ...

and the National Emergency Council. He was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fourth, Seventy-fifth, and Seventy-sixth Congresses (January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1941) but was not a candidate for renomination in 1940 when he was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination for

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

. Dempsey served as a member of the United States Maritime Commission in 1941. He was the Under Secretary of the Interior from July 7, 1941, until his resignation on June 24, 1942. He was Governor of New Mexico from January 1, 1943, to January 1, 1947 and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator in 1946. He was elected to the Eighty-second and the three succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1951, until his death in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, March 11, 1958. He is buried in Rosario Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey, John Joseph 1879 births 1958 deaths Democratic Party governors of New Mexico People from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the House Un-American Activities Committee

See also

References