John Dalzell
Encyclopedia
John Dalzell was a U.S. Representative from the state
of Pennsylvania
.
. He moved with his parents to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
in 1847.
He attended the common schools and the Western University of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. He graduated from Yale College
, where he was a member of Scroll and Key
, with the class of 1865. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1867 and commenced practice in Pittsburgh.
Dalzell was elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth
and to the twelve succeeding Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Pacific Railroads during the Fifty-first
Congress, and the United States House Committee on Rules
during the Sixty-first Congress
.
He ran for the US Senate in 1898
and 1900
but was defeated both times by Matthew S. Quay.
In 1902 he lost his bid for the Speakership of the House of Representatives
to Joseph G. Cannon
.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1912. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1904
and 1908
, and served as a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution
from 1906 to 1913.
According to obituary newspaper clippings reproduced on page 27 of vol 2 of Kitzmiller's The Family Encyclopedia:
"For 18 years he was a member of the all-powerful committee on Rules and Ways and Means
."
and because of his position on the Rules, Ways and Means Committee:
"For his service in Congress, Dalzell for years was known as the 'Father of the House of Representatives'".
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He married Mary Louise Duff, Sept 26, 1867. She was the daughter of Peter Duff (Feb. 16, 1802 to Sept 13, 1869), the founder of Duff's Business Institute in Pittsburg, (now Everest Institute).
John and Mary Dalzell had five children: William Sage Dalzell (Aug 17, 1868 - Sept 27, 1924), Elizabeth Marter Dalzell (Mar 4, 1870–1961), Samuel Dalzell (April 22. 1873 - 1958), John Dalzell Jr (Aug 1, 1875 - May 6, 1877) and Robert Duff Dalzell (Aug 27, 1882 - Nov 30, 1967).
Elizabeth Marter Dalzell married Col. George M. Dunn, one of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders.
During John Dalzell's political career, his wife Mary Louise was a prominent hostess active in the Washington political scene. Although women did not have the vote at that time, still she was politically influential. To briefly quote a passage describing this from vol 2, p 25 of Kitzmiller's The Family Encyclopedia:
"... his friends persuaded him, somewhat against his will, to go to Congress. In this project they were aided and abetted by his wife .... (who) was exceptionally well-fitted to be the helpmate of a congressman. Relieving her husband of many of the burdens which constituents place upon the representative, she also unobtrusively engineered campaign contracts, quietly supervising that meticulous reelection detail which is the bane of a congressman's existence.... The death of Mrs Dalzell in 1909 broke the mainspring of his political existence."
He retired in Washington, D.C.
, following the death of his wife in 1909. In 1925, he moved to live in the home of his youngest son, Samuel Dalzell, in Altadena, California
. He died in California at the age of 82. He is buried in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Cemetery
.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Biography
John Dalzell was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He moved with his parents to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
in 1847.
He attended the common schools and the Western University of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. He graduated from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, where he was a member of Scroll and Key
Scroll and Key
The Scroll and Key Society is a secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the wealthiest and second oldest Yale secret society...
, with the class of 1865. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1867 and commenced practice in Pittsburgh.
Dalzell was elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth
50th United States Congress
The Fiftieth 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, 1887 to March 4, 1889, during the third and fourth...
and to the twelve succeeding Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Pacific Railroads during the Fifty-first
51st United States Congress
The Fifty-first United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar 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...
Congress, and the United States House Committee on Rules
United States House Committee on Rules
The Committee on Rules, or Rules Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. Rather than being responsible for a specific area of policy, as most other committees are, it is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor...
during the Sixty-first Congress
61st United States Congress
The Sixty-first 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, DC from March 4, 1909 to March 4, 1911, during the first two years of...
.
He ran for the US Senate in 1898
United States Senate elections, 1898
The United States Senate election of 1898 was a landslide election which had the Republican Party gain nine seats in the United States Senate.As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures....
and 1900
United States Senate elections, 1900
The United States Senate election of 1900 was an election which had the Republican Party gain three seats in the United States Senate, and which corresponded with President William McKinley's landslide re-election....
but was defeated both times by Matthew S. Quay.
In 1902 he lost his bid for the Speakership of the House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
to Joseph G. Cannon
Joseph Gurney Cannon
Joseph Gurney Cannon was a United States politician from Illinois and leader of the Republican Party. Cannon served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1903 to 1911, and historians generally consider him to be the most dominant Speaker in United States history, with such...
.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1912. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1904
1904 Republican National Convention
The 1904 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in the Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, on June 21 to June 23, 1904....
and 1908
1908 Republican National Convention
The 1908 Republican National Convention, the fourteenth presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, was held in Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois on June 16 to June 19, 1908. It convened to nominate a successor to the popular GOP President, Theodore Roosevelt...
, and served as a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
from 1906 to 1913.
According to obituary newspaper clippings reproduced on page 27 of vol 2 of Kitzmiller's The Family Encyclopedia:
"For 18 years he was a member of the all-powerful committee on Rules and Ways and Means
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
."
and because of his position on the Rules, Ways and Means Committee:
"For his service in Congress, Dalzell for years was known as the 'Father of the House of Representatives'".
Personal life
John and Mary Dalzell had five children: William Sage Dalzell (Aug 17, 1868 - Sept 27, 1924), Elizabeth Marter Dalzell (Mar 4, 1870–1961), Samuel Dalzell (April 22. 1873 - 1958), John Dalzell Jr (Aug 1, 1875 - May 6, 1877) and Robert Duff Dalzell (Aug 27, 1882 - Nov 30, 1967).
Elizabeth Marter Dalzell married Col. George M. Dunn, one of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders.
During John Dalzell's political career, his wife Mary Louise was a prominent hostess active in the Washington political scene. Although women did not have the vote at that time, still she was politically influential. To briefly quote a passage describing this from vol 2, p 25 of Kitzmiller's The Family Encyclopedia:
"... his friends persuaded him, somewhat against his will, to go to Congress. In this project they were aided and abetted by his wife .... (who) was exceptionally well-fitted to be the helpmate of a congressman. Relieving her husband of many of the burdens which constituents place upon the representative, she also unobtrusively engineered campaign contracts, quietly supervising that meticulous reelection detail which is the bane of a congressman's existence.... The death of Mrs Dalzell in 1909 broke the mainspring of his political existence."
He retired in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, following the death of his wife in 1909. In 1925, he moved to live in the home of his youngest son, Samuel Dalzell, in Altadena, California
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
. He died in California at the age of 82. He is buried in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Cemetery
Allegheny Cemetery
Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.It is a nonsectarian, wooded hillside park located at 4734 Butler Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood and bounded by Bloomfield, Garfield, and Stanton Heights...
.
Sources
- The Political Graveyard
- R. B. Kitzmiller(Robert Blythe,b 1913), The Family Encyclopedia Volume 2, 1982, Private Printing. pp. 22 to 29.
- Bartleby.com Great Books On Line Nonfiction > Theodore Roosevelt > The Rough Riders > APPENDIX A: MUSTER-OUTROLL