William August Rodenberg (October 30, 1865 – September 10, 1937) was 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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Biography

Born near

Chester, Illinois Chester is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, Illinois, United States, on a bluff above the Mississippi River. The population was 7,640 at the 2020 census. It lies south of St. Louis, Missouri. History Founding Samuel Smith is s ...

, the son of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

immigrants, Rodenberg attended the public schools. He graduated from

Central Wesleyan College Central Wesleyan College was a private college sponsored by the Methodist Church in Warrenton, Missouri, from 1864 to 1941. History The college has its roots in the German and English College founded in 1854 in Quincy, Illinois, Quincy, Illino ...

in 1884. He taught school for seven years. He attended The St. Louis Law School. He 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 1893 and commenced practice in East St. Louis,

St. Clair County, Illinois St. Clair County is the ninth most populous county in Illinois. Located directly east of St. Louis, the county is part of the Metro East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in southern Illinois. As of the 2020 United States ...

. He served as delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1896, 1908, 1916, and 1920. Rodenberg was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1900 to the Fifty-seventh Congress. He was appointed a member of the

United States Civil Service Commission The United States Civil Service Commission was a government agency of the federal government of the United States. It was created to select employees of federal government on merit rather than relationships. In 1979, it was dissolved as part of ...

by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

March 25, 1901, and served until April 1, 1902, when he resigned. He resumed the practice of law in East St. Louis, also financially interested in various business enterprises. Rodenberg was elected to the 58th and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913). He served as chairman of the Committee on Industrial Arts and Expositions (61st Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1912 to the 63rd Congress. Rodenberg was elected to the 64th and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1923). On April 5, 1917, he voted with 49 other representatives against declaring war on Germany. He served as chairman of the Committee on Flood Control (66th and 67th Congresses). In November 1915, Rodenberg appeared as a dignitary on the train car along with the

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American Revolution, American independence located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of Pennsylvania State House, now know ...

as it passed through southern Illinois on its nationwide tour returning to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

from the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. After that trip, the Liberty Bell returned to Pennsylvania and will not be moved again. He practiced law 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 ...

He died in

Alpena, Michigan Alpena ( ') is the only city and the county seat of Alpena County, Michigan, United States. The population was 10,197 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populated city in the Northern Michigan region, after Traverse City and Cadillac ...

, while on a visit on September 10, 1937. He was interred in

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

, Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodenberg, William August 1865 births 1937 deaths 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives American people of German descent Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery Central Wesleyan College (Missouri) alumni Illinois lawyers People from Chester, Illinois People from East St. Louis, Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Washington University School of Law alumni