Ralph Hunter Daughton (September 23, 1885 – December 22, 1958) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

from 1944 to 1947.

Early life and career

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

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ( ...

. He was graduated from the law department of National University, 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 Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

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

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

, 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 shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

until after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. 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 parts 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 to the Seventy-eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Winder R. Harris Winder Russell Harris (December 3, 1888 – February 24, 1973) was an American journalist, civil servant, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia from 1941 to 1944. Early life and career Born in Wake County (now a part ...

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.) People from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers