William Purington Cole Jr. (May 11, 1889 – September 22, 1957) was an American

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

and politician. From 1927 to 1929 and from 1931 to 1942, Cole was a

United States representative 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 ...

who represented the second district of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. He later served as a

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of the

United States Customs Court The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Ct. Int'l Trade), or CIT, is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in Lower Manhattan, New York City, ...

and as an associate judge of the

United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals The United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (CCPA) was a United States federal court which existed from 1909 to 1982 and had jurisdiction over certain types of civil disputes. History The CCPA began as the United States Court of Custom ...

Early life and education

Cole was born in

Towson Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is t ...

, and graduated as a civil engineer from Maryland Agricultural College (now the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

) in 1910, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E.) degree. He also studied law at the

University of Maryland School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law from 1924 to 2011) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1816, it i ...

, was admitted to the bar in 1912, and commenced practice the same year. 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 ...

, Cole was commissioned as

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in 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 ...

in November 1917. He was assigned to the 316th Regiment of Infantry, 79th Division at

Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States military bands#Army Field Band, United States Army Field Band, and the head ...

, and served overseas. He resumed the practice of law in 1919 in Towson. Cole served as a member of the

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...

of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

from 1940 to 1943, and was named a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Maryland, College Park in 1931, becoming

Chairman of the board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

in 1944.

Congressional service

In 1926, Cole 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

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 ...

, serving one full term in the

70th United States Congress The 70th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 192 ...

from March 4, 1927, to March 3, 1929. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1928, and resumed the practice of law in Towson. He was again elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1930, and this time served from March 4, 1931, until his resignation on October 26, 1942 to accept a judicial post, serving in the

72nd United States Congress The 72nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931 ...

and the five succeeding Congresses. On December 26, 1941, in the absence of Speaker of the House

Sam Rayburn Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn (January 6, 1882 – November 16, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 43rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a three-time House speaker, former House majority leader, two-time ...

, Cole presided with Vice President

Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) was the 33rd vice president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1945, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as the 11th U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 10th U.S ...

at the first of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

's three addresses to a joint meeting of Congress.

Federal judicial service

Cole was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

on May 11, 1942, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

George Stewart Brown George Stewart Brown (August 16, 1871 – November 11, 1941) was a judge of the United States Customs Court and a member of the Board of General Appraisers. Education and career Born on August 16, 1871, in Baltimore, Maryland, Brown received an ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on May 11, 1942, and received his commission on May 14, 1942. His service terminated on July 9, 1952, due to his elevation to the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. Cole was nominated by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

on July 4, 1952, to an Associate Judge seat on the

vacated by Associate Judge

Joseph Raymond Jackson Joseph Raymond Jackson (August 30, 1880 – August 29, 1969) was an associate judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. Education and career Born on August 30, 1880, in Albany, New York, Jackson received an Artium Baccal ...

. He was confirmed by the Senate on July 5, 1952, and received his commission on July 7, 1952. His service terminated on September 22, 1957, due to his death.

Death

ANCExplorer William Purington Cole grave

Cole died on September 22, 1957, in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland. He is interred in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Cole Field House The Jones-Hill House is an indoor collegiate sports training complex located on of land on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, a suburb north of Washington, D.C. Jones-Hill House is situated in the center of the campu ...

at the University of Maryland, College Park is named in his honor.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, William Purington Jr. 1889 births 1957 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Judges of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals Judges of the United States Customs Court Maryland lawyers Military personnel from Maryland People from Towson, Maryland Politicians from Baltimore County, Maryland United States Army officers United States Article I federal judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt University of Maryland, College Park alumni University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives