Robert Crosser (June 7, 1874 – June 3, 1957) was an American lawyer and politician who served 19 terms as a U.S. Representative from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He remains the longest-serving member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of

, serving from 1911 to 1919, then again from 1923 until 1955.

Life and career

Born in Holytown,

Lanarkshire, Scotland Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

, Crosser emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1881 with his parents and settled in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. He moved to

Salineville, Ohio Salineville ( ) is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,206 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Salineville was laid out in 1839 and incorporated as a village ...

, the same year and attended the public schools. He graduated from

Kenyon College Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...

Gambier, Ohio Gambier ( ) is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2020 census. Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. History Gambier was laid out in 1824. The village was named after one of Kenyon College's early ...

, in 1897. He studied law at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and graduated from Cincinnati Law School in 1901. He was admitted to the bar in 1901 and commenced practice in

. He taught law at Baldwin-Wallace Law School in 1904 and 1905. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1911 and 1912. He served as member of the fourth constitutional convention in 1912. At the convention, he was the author of the Initiative and referendum amendment adopted by the voters in 1912.

Congress

Robert Crosser was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third, Sixty-fourth, and Sixty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce ( Sixty-fifth Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1918 and for election in 1920. Crosser was elected to the Sixty-eighth and to the fifteen succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1955). He served as chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce ( Eighty-first and Eighty-second Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1954. In that race, he was defeated in the primary by Charles Vanik in a field of candidates that also included African-American challenger John Holly, founder of the Negro Future Outlook League.

Death

He resided in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, until his death there on June 3, 1957. He was interred in Highland Park Cemetery, Warrensville, Ohio. Robert Crosser was married to Isabelle Dargarvel Hogg. Crosser was a member of

Phi Delta Phi Phi Delta Phi (), commonly known as Phid or PDP, is an international legal honor society and the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States. Founded in 1869 at the University of Michigan as a professional fraternity, ...

Election results

References

Sources