Politte Elvins (March 16, 1878 – January 14, 1943) 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

Missouri's 13th congressional district The 13th congressional district of Missouri was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern ...

. Born in French Village.

St. Francois County, Missouri St. Francois County ( ) is a county in the Lead Belt region in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 66,922. The largest city and county seat is Farmington. The county was officially organized on December 19, 18 ...

, Elvins attended the public schools. He graduated from Carleton College,

Farmington, Missouri Farmington is a city and the county seat of St. Francois County, Missouri, United States. It is in the Lead Belt region in Missouri. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,217. Farmington was established in 1822 a ...

, in 1897 and from the law department of the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

in 1899. He was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in

Elvins, Missouri Park Hills is a city in St. Francois County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,587 at the 2020 census. History The city was formed in an unusual four-way merger that took place in January 1994, in which the cities of Flat River, E ...

. Elvins was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-first Congress (March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1911). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1910 to the Sixty-second Congress. He resumed the practice of law in

. He served as delegate to the

1912 Republican National Convention The 1912 Republican National Convention was held at the Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, from June 18 to June 22, 1912. The party nominated President of the United States, President William Howard Taft and Vice President of the United States, ...

. He served as chairman of the State Republican committee 1912–1914. He unsuccessfully ran for

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...

, losing to Thomas Akins in the Republican primary. He moved to

Bonne Terre, Missouri Bonne Terre ( ) is a city in St. Francois County, Missouri, St. Francois County, Missouri, United States with a population of 6,864 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Situated in the Southeast Missouri Lead District, lead mining shape ...

, in 1917 and continued the practice of law. He served as member and chairman of the committee on rules and order of business for the Missouri constitutional convention in 1922 and 1923. He moved to

Pharr, Texas Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 79,715, and in 2022, the estimated population was 80,187. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Pharr is ...

, in 1936. He was an unsuccessful candidate to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

in 1940. He died in

McAllen, Texas McAllen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Hidalgo County. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexican border. The city limits extend south to the Rio Grande, acros ...

, January 14, 1943. His remains were cremated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elvins, Politte 1878 births 1943 deaths University of Missouri School of Law alumni People from Pharr, Texas Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri People from St. Francois County, Missouri People from Park Hills, Missouri People from Bonne Terre, Missouri 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives