Stephen Andrew Rudd (December 11, 1874 – March 31, 1936) was an American attorney and politician. He served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

for

New York's 9th congressional district New York's 9th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City, represented by Yvette Clarke. The district is located entirely within Brooklyn. It includes the neighborhoods of ...

from 1931 to 1936.

Early life

Stephen A. Rudd was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York on December 11, 1874, the son of Robert J. Rudd, who served in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

. He was educated in the public schools of Brooklyn and the New York Preparatory School.

Start of career

In addition to becoming active in politics as a member of the Democratic Party, Rudd was a laborer in several Brooklyn businesses, including a

ropewalk A ropewalk is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope. Due to the length of some ropewalks, workers may use bicycles to get from one end to the other. Many ropew ...

, a tin factory, and a horse blanket manufacturer. He later became active in several business ventures, including real estate and construction. He studied law, then attended

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a Private university, private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and adjunct faculty. ...

, from which he received his certificate of graduation in 1912. Rudd 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 1914 and practiced law in Brooklyn. For several years, Rudd worked as a clerk and stenographer in the office of the

Brooklyn District Attorney The Kings County District Attorney's Office, also known as the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, is the district attorney's office for Kings County, coterminous with the Borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The office is responsible for th ...

, a position that became the subject of prolonged litigation when Rudd unsuccessfully sued for wrongful termination. He later served as executive assistant to one of the

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

's deputy commissioners. From 1922 to 1931, Rudd was a member of the New York City Board of Aldermen.

U.S. Representative

In 1931, Rudd was elected to the

, filling the vacancy caused by the death of David J. O'Connell. He was re-elected three times, and served in the 71st, 72nd, 73rd and

74th United States Congress The 74th 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 January 3, 193 ...

es, February 17, 1931 until his death.

Death and burial

Rudd died in Brooklyn on March 31, 1936. He was buried at

Cemetery of the Evergreens The Cemetery of the Evergreens, also called The Evergreens Cemetery, is a non-denominational rural cemetery along the Cemetery Belt in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City. It was incorporated in 1849, not long after the passage of New York's Ru ...

in Brooklyn.

Family

In 1895, Rudd married Elizabeth Lindsay, who was the sister of Representative George W. Lindsay and daughter of Representative George H. Lindsay. They were the parents of four children: Martha, Stephen, Lindsay, and Roy. Roy H. Rudd served in the

from 1937 to 1946. In 1926, Rudd married Martha Lindsay, the sister of his first wife.

References

External links

* 1874 births 1936 deaths Burials at the Cemetery of the Evergreens Politicians from Brooklyn St. Lawrence University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{NewYork-Representative-stub