Wade Hampton Kitchens (December 26, 1878 – August 22, 1966) was an Arkansas lawyer and politician. He served as an infantryman and officer in the Arkansas State Guard and 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 ...

during three conflicts and practiced law on two continents before entering politics in Arkansas. Kitchens served in the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

from 1929 to 1933, and won election to 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 ...

in 1936.

Early life and career

Born on a farm near Falcon,

Nevada County, Arkansas Nevada County ( ) is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,310, less than half of its peak in 1920. The county seat is Prescott. Nevada County is Arkansas's 63rd ...

, Kitchens attended the common schools and Southern Academy. He earned an undergraduate degree from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

Fayetteville Fayetteville may refer to: *Fayetteville, Alabama *Fayetteville, Arkansas ** The Fayetteville Formation *Fayetteville, Georgia *Fayetteville, Illinois *Fayetteville, Indiana *Fayetteville, Washington County, Indiana *Fayetteville, Missouri *Fayette ...

between 1895 and 1898. In 1898 Kitchens served as a sergeant in the Arkansas State Guard ( 1st Arkansas Volunteer Infantry), during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. Kitchens returned home and graduated from

Cumberland School of Law The Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA-accredited law school at Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law sch ...

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842. The oldest campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842–1861 The university was founded by the Cumberl ...

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon ( ) is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metro ...

, in 1900 and 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 ...

. Kitchens enlisted in the

as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

(Company E, Twentieth and Second United States Infantry) to serve in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

from 1900 to 1902. He remained in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, practicing law at

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and

Lingayen Lingayen, officially the Municipality of Lingayen (; ; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 10 ...

. Kitchens married Lillie Dempsey in 1906 and returned to the United States in 1909. Now living in

Magnolia, Arkansas Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 11,577. The city is the county seat of Columbia County. Magnolia is home to the World's Largest Charcoal Grill and the World Championship ...

, Kitchens established a law practice and began to become involved in the community. He served as a delegate to the Democratic state conventions at

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

in 1910 and 1912. 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 ...

, he enlisted in the

on May 18, 1917. Kitchens was commissioned August 5, 1917 as an infantry

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, and served overseas. He returned to Arkansas in 1918 and resumed practicing law.

Political career

Arkansas House of Representatives

Kitchens won election to the

in November 1928. He would enter the 47th Arkansas General Assembly, which was entirely controlled by the Democratic Party (typical during the

Solid South The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...

period). He would serve alongside Garland Pearce, who had represented Columbia County's other House seat since 1927.. Kitchens was re-elected for the 48th Arkansas General Assembly, this time serving Columbia County alongside S. A. Crumpler, but did not seek reelection after his second term.

House of Representatives

Kitchens 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-fifth and Seventy-sixth Congresses (January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1941). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1940.

Later life and death

After defeat, Kitchens resumed the practice of law in Magnolia. He died there August 22, 1966, and was interred in Columbia Cemetery, near Waldo, Arkansas.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kitchens, Wade Hampton 1878 births 1966 deaths United States Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas Democratic Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives People from Nevada County, Arkansas Arkansas lawyers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War University of Arkansas alumni Cumberland University alumni United States Army personnel of World War I 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly