John E. Nelson (Maine)
Encyclopedia
John Edward Nelson was a United States Representative from Maine
. He was born in China
, Kennebec County, Maine
on July 12, 1874.
He attended the common and high schools of Waterville, Maine
. He graduated from Friends School, Providence, R.I., in 1894, from Colby College
in 1898, and from the law department of the University of Maine at Orono in 1904.
He was admitted to the bar in 1904 and commenced practice in Waterville. He then moved to Augusta
in 1913 and continued the practice of his chosen profession.
He was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-seventh Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of United States Representative John A. Peters
. He was reelected to the five succeeding Congresses (March 20, 1922-March 3, 1933), but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress.
He was a trustee of Colby College 1926-1931, and also served as trustee of Monmouth (Maine) Academy. He practiced law until his retirement in 1946, and died on April 11, 1955, in Augusta, Maine. His interment is in Pine Grove Cemetery, Waterville, Maine.
of New York to investigate communist activity in the United States. When the committee's report was issued in early 1931, it called for the outlawing of the Communist Party in the United States, denying citizenship to naturalized communists, and other measures to guard against what it saw as a substantial domestic political threat. Nelson refused to sign it, and issued his own minority report, finding that "communism is making no menacing headway in America" and recommending that no new legislation need be enacted. He decried the "hysteria" over Communism, declared: Our best defense against the red shirt of the Communist and the black shirt of the Fascist is the blue shirt of the American workingman. The New York World congratulated Nelson as the "one member of the committee (who) was able to keep his feet on the ground".
, was a state-wide landslide for Democrats. He was hurt as well by a recent census-based re-districting that for the first time placed Democratic-leaning urban centers in Maine's Second Congressional District. He was further hurt by the presence in the race of an "Independent Republican", Frederick E. Bonney, whom he accused of being a 'spoiler' for his Democratic rival, Edward C. Moran. Bonney accused Nelson of nepotism for putting some of his childen on the congressional payroll as aides.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,769452,00.html#ixzz1DihDLnTS
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. He was born in China
China, Maine
China is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,106 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, Kennebec County, Maine
Kennebec County, Maine
Kennebec County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 122,151. Its county seat is Augusta. The center of population of Maine is located in Kennebec County, in the city of Augusta....
on July 12, 1874.
He attended the common and high schools of Waterville, Maine
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
. He graduated from Friends School, Providence, R.I., in 1894, from Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
in 1898, and from the law department of the University of Maine at Orono in 1904.
He was admitted to the bar in 1904 and commenced practice in Waterville. He then moved to Augusta
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
in 1913 and continued the practice of his chosen profession.
He was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-seventh Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of United States Representative John A. Peters
John A. Peters (1864-1953)
John Andrew Peters was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and a nephew of John Andrew Peters.Born in Ellsworth, Maine, Peters attended public schools and graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, in 1885 where he studied law.He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Ellsworth in...
. He was reelected to the five succeeding Congresses (March 20, 1922-March 3, 1933), but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress.
He was a trustee of Colby College 1926-1931, and also served as trustee of Monmouth (Maine) Academy. He practiced law until his retirement in 1946, and died on April 11, 1955, in Augusta, Maine. His interment is in Pine Grove Cemetery, Waterville, Maine.
Dissenter on Anti-Communist Fish Committee
In 1930 Nelson served on a House Committee convened by Rep. Hamilton Fish IIIHamilton Fish III
Hamilton Fish III was a soldier and politician from New York State...
of New York to investigate communist activity in the United States. When the committee's report was issued in early 1931, it called for the outlawing of the Communist Party in the United States, denying citizenship to naturalized communists, and other measures to guard against what it saw as a substantial domestic political threat. Nelson refused to sign it, and issued his own minority report, finding that "communism is making no menacing headway in America" and recommending that no new legislation need be enacted. He decried the "hysteria" over Communism, declared: Our best defense against the red shirt of the Communist and the black shirt of the Fascist is the blue shirt of the American workingman. The New York World congratulated Nelson as the "one member of the committee (who) was able to keep his feet on the ground".
1932 Election
Nelson was defeated in the 1932 election, which, coming in the early years of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, was a state-wide landslide for Democrats. He was hurt as well by a recent census-based re-districting that for the first time placed Democratic-leaning urban centers in Maine's Second Congressional District. He was further hurt by the presence in the race of an "Independent Republican", Frederick E. Bonney, whom he accused of being a 'spoiler' for his Democratic rival, Edward C. Moran. Bonney accused Nelson of nepotism for putting some of his childen on the congressional payroll as aides.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,769452,00.html#ixzz1DihDLnTS