Ralph Dayton Cole (November 30, 1873 – October 15, 1932) was an American lawyer and politician from Ohio. A Republican, he served three 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 ...

, March 4, 1905 to March 3, 1911. He was the brother of

Raymond Clinton Cole Raymond Clinton Cole (August 21, 1870 – February 8, 1957) was an American lawyer and politician who served three terms a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1919 to 1925. He was the brother of Ralph Dayton Cole, who also served in Congress. Bi ...

, who also served in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. A native of

Vanlue, Ohio Vanlue is a village in Hancock County, Ohio, United States. The population was 341 at the 2020 census. History The village is 2 miles west from Sheriden Cave, where native habitation was dated to have occurred around 11,000BC. Vanlue was pla ...

, Cole was raised and educated in Findlay, graduated from

Findlay College The University of Findlay (UF) is a private Christian university in Findlay, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1882 through a joint partnership between the Churches of God General Conference and the city of Findlay. UF has nearly 80 ...

in 1896, then attended Ada College (now

Ohio Northern University Ohio Northern University (Ohio Northern or ONU) is a private college in Ada, Ohio, United States. Founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871, ONU offers over 60 programs across five undergraduate and graduate colleges and is affiliated with the Unit ...

). He worked as deputy clerk of

Hancock County, Ohio Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,920. Its county seat and largest city is Findlay. The county was created in 1820 and later organized in 1828. It was named for John Ha ...

while studying law, and he was admitted to the bar in 1900 and practiced in Findlay. In addition to practicing law, Cole was active in politics as a Republican and served in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from 1900 to 1904. In 1904 he won election to the United House of Representatives; he was reelected in 1906 and 1908 and served from March 4, 1905 to March 3, 1911. After leaving Congress, Cole was a delegate to several national Republican conventions and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate and governor of Ohio. During

World War I 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 ...

, Cole served in combat with the 37th Division and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. In October 1932, Cole was severely injured in an automobile; his injuries proved fatal and he died in

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Mahoning River, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown, Ohio, Y ...

on October 15, 1932. He was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Findlay.

Early life

Ralph D. Cole was born in

on November 30, 1873, a son of John W. Cole and Sarah McRea (or McCree) Cole. He attended the public schools of Findlay, then began attendance at

, from which he graduated with a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; or or ) is the title of an academic degree in philosophy that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's degrees, the ...

degree in 1896. After graduating, Cole continued his studies at Ada College (now

). From 1897 to 1899, Cole served as the deputy clerk of

. While working in the clerk's office, he studied law in preparation for a career as an attorney. Cole was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1900 and commenced practice in Findlay.

Political career

A Republican, Cole served as member of the

from 1900 to 1904. In 1904, he was elected to the

59th United States Congress The 59th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1905, t ...

. He won reelection to the 60th and 61st Congresses, and served from March 4, 1905 to March 3, 1911. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910. After leaving Congress, Cole returned to Ohio, where he resumed the practice of law in Findlay,

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

, and

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

. From 1912 to 1913, he was a legal advisor to the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency. While practicing law, Cole maintained his interest in Republican politics, including an unsuccessful candidacy for the Republican nomination in the

1914 United States Senate election in Ohio The 1914 United States Senate election in Ohio was held on November 3, 1914. Republican nominee Warren G. Harding, future President of the United States, defeated Democratic nominee Timothy S. Hogan and Progressive Arthur L. Garford to suc ...

. In 1916, he served as chairman of the speakers' bureau for the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

. He was also a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

, and

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

. Cole was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination in the 1920 Ohio gubernatorial election.

Military career

Cole enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

on June 6, 1917. He served during combat in France as commander of the 112th Military Police Battalion, a unit of the 37th Division. He later as the division's assistant

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

, and he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. Following the termination of hostilities, Cole became one of the founders of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

at Paris on February 15, 1919. He was honorably discharged from the service April 6, 1919.

Death and legacy

Cole sustained serious injuries in an automobile accident near Parkman, Ohio. They proved fatal and he died in

, on October 15, 1932. Cole was interred at Maple Grove Cemetery in Findlay.

Honors

Cole received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

in 1915, and from

Marietta College Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio, United States. Its campus encompasses approximately six city blocks next to downtown Marietta and enrolls 1,200 students. History Marietta College began as the Muskin ...

and

, both in 1919. American Legion Post 3 in Findlay is named in Cole's honor.

Family

In 1907, Cole married Blanche Davis of Findlay. They were the parents of a son, Ralph D. Cole Jr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Ralph Dayton 1873 births 1932 deaths People from Hancock County, Ohio University of Findlay alumni Claude W. Pettit College of Law alumni Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives United States Army personnel of World War I Ohio lawyers Road incident deaths in Ohio United States Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly