Joseph Horace Shull (August 17, 1848August 9, 1944) was an American lawyer, physician and politician 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 ...

who served as a Democratic 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 ...

for Pennsylvania's 26th congressional district from 1903 to 1905. He also served as a member of the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mi ...

for the 22nd district from 1886 to 1891.

Early life and education

Shull was born at

Martins Creek, Pennsylvania Martins Creek is a census-designated place in Lower Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania located along Martins Creek (Delaware River tributary), Martins Creek. Its population was 664 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census. Martins C ...

to Elias and Margaret Eakin Shull. He attended the public schools and

Blair Academy Blair Academy is a coeducational, boarding and day school for students in high school. The school serves students from ninth through twelfth grades as well as a small post-graduate class. The school's campus is located on a campus in Blairst ...

Blairstown, New Jersey Blairstown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,704, a decrease of 263 (−4.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...

. He took a special course at

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

. He graduated from the

University of New York There is no real institution in the United States that bears the exact name University of New York. However, it is possible that such a reference may be used for one of the following: In New York State * New York University, a private research u ...

and in 1873 from the

Bellevue Hospital Medical College The New York University Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, the other being the NYU Gr ...

, both in

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. He taught in the public schools of Pennsylvania for four years. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1879 and commenced practice in

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Stroudsburg is a borough in and the county seat of Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies within the Poconos region approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence of Brodhead Creek, McMichaels, ...

Career

He was the first president of the Monroe County bar association and worked as editor of the ''Monroe Democrat'' from 1881 to 1886. He was a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

for the 22nd district from 1886 to 1891. Shull was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-eighth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1904. He resumed the practice of law and medicine, and worked as president of the Delaware Valley railroad company. He served as a contract surgeon 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 ...

. On May 22, 1944, he (95 years old) and his son, Judge Samuel Shull, were admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court. Though neither argued before the court, he is believed to be the oldest person admitted to that bar.

Death

Shull died in Stroudsburg in August 1944.

Footnotes

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-10
Joseph Horace Shull
at

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, - 1848 births 1944 deaths 19th-century American educators 19th-century American newspaper editors 20th-century American physicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives American military personnel of World War I 20th-century American railroad executives Blair Academy alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Editors of Pennsylvania newspapers Educators from Pennsylvania New York University alumni New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania Railroad people Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Politicians from Northampton County, Pennsylvania People from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Physicians from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub