John Quillin Tilson (April 5, 1866 – August 14, 1958) was an American politician. In 1898, he served as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the United States Volunteer Infantry in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. A Republican, he represented

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

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 ...

for almost 22 years, and was House Majority leader for 6 years.

Early life

Tilson was born in Clearbranch,

Unicoi County, Tennessee Unicoi County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,928. Its county seat is Erwin. ''Unicoi'' is a Cherokee word meaning "white," "hazy," "fog-like," or "fog draped," and refers to ...

, on April 5, 1866, to William and Katherine (Sams) Tilson. His father had obtained a grant of 900 acres in the Clearbranch community. He spent his early life on the family farm. He attended both public and private schools in nearby Flag Pond, and later at Mars Hill,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. He went to college at Carson–Newman College, in Jefferson City, Tennessee, where he graduated in 1891. Later he enrolled at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

, where he graduated in 1893. He was admitted to the bar in 1897, and started to practice law in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

."TILSON, John Quillin, 1866 – 1958, "
bioguide. In 1898, when the

broke out, he enlisted and served as a

in the Sixth Regiment, United States Volunteer Infantry .

Career

In 1904, Tilson was elected to the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

, where he served until 1908, the last two years as speaker. He was later elected to

, serving from 1909 to 1913; he ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 1912. Tilson ran for election again and was again reelected to the House of Representatives. He served from March 4, 1915, until his resignation on December 3, 1932. He was the Majority Leader for the 69th Congress, 70th Congress, and the 71st Congress. He became a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1932. Speaking of the 1917

Balfour Declaration The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British Government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman regio ...

, he said: "I am in thorough accord with the official accord of Secretary Balfour, as endorsed by the countries of France and Italy, on the subject of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and I shall gladly support a movement in that direction.... To whose care should it be more appropriately entrusted than the descendants of those who made such wonderful history there? Jewish history subsequent to the dispersion from Palestine makes it all the more certain that if restored to those who made its forebears earlier history glorious, it will be faithfully kept and sacredly guarded for the benefit of all mankind."

Later life

After his retirement from public life, Tilson returned to the practice of law 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 ...

, and then in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. He also served as a special lecturer at

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 ...

on parliamentary law and procedure, and wrote '' Tilson's Manual''. American

hedge fund A hedge fund is a Pooling (resource management), pooled investment fund that holds Market liquidity, liquid assets and that makes use of complex trader (finance), trading and risk management techniques to aim to improve investment performance and ...

manager and philanthropist

Whitney Tilson Whitney Richard Tilson (born November 1, 1966) is an American former hedge fund manager, author, and Democratic Party political activist. He is a candidate in the 2025 New York City mayoral Democratic primary. Early life and education Whitney ...

is his great-grandson."ENGAGEMENTS; Susan D. Blackman, Whitney R. Tilson,"
''The New York Times'', August 22, 1993.

Death

Tilson died in

New London, New Hampshire New London is a New England town, town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College, site ...

, on August 14, 1958. He is interred at the private burial grounds on the family farm in Clearbranch, Tennessee.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilson, John Q. 1866 births 1958 deaths Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut People from Unicoi County, Tennessee Carson–Newman University alumni Yale Law School alumni Majority leaders of the United States House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers Lawyers from Washington, D.C. American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Lawyers from New Haven, Connecticut Washington, D.C., Republicans 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly