Ralph Hunter Daughton (September 23, 1885 – December 22, 1958) was an American lawyer and politician who served 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 ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

from 1944 to 1947.

Early life and career

Born 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 ...

, Daughton attended public and private schools in Washington, D.C., and

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

. He was graduated from the law department of

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...

, Washington, D.C., in 1905. He was admitted to the bar in 1907 and practiced law in Washington, D.C., and later joined the investigative agency of the Department of Justice, which later became the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1910. He moved to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, in 1912, and served as chief of the F.B.I. for Virginia,

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 ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, and part of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

until after 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 ...

. He commenced the private practice of law in

. He served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 1933 to 1940. He served as member of the

Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...

from 1940 to 1944. In 1938 he was elected president of the Piedmont Baseball League and served for nine years.

Congress

Daughton was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Seventy-eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Winder R. Harris and at the same time was elected to the Seventy-ninth Congress and served from November 7, 1944, to January 3, 1947. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1946.

Later career and death

He resumed the practice of law until his death. He died in

, December 22, 1958. He was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Election of 1944

Daughton won the special election to Congress, defeating Republican Thomas L. Woodward and Independent W.B. Shafer winning 54.47% of the vote. Daughton won the general election over the same two opponents with 57.68% of the vote.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daughton, Ralph Hunter 1885 births 1958 deaths Virginia lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Democratic Party Virginia state senators Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Politicians from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly