Preceded by Atlee Pomerene Preceded by Matthew Denver Succeeded by Alvin V. Donahey Party Republican Party | Preceded by James D. Post Name Simeon Fess Succeeded by Charles Brand Spouse Eva C. Thomas (m. 1890) Resigned January 3, 1935 | |
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Role Former United States Senator Died December 23, 1936, Washington, D.C., United States | ||
Education Ohio Northern University Previous office Senator (OH) 1923–1935 Succeeded by Charles Cyrus Kearns | ||
Simeon D. Fess | Wikipedia audio article
Simeon Davison Fess (December 11, 1861 – December 23, 1936) was a Republican politician and educator from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.
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Early life
Born on a farm near Harrod, Ohio to Henry and Barbara (Herring) Fess, he was educated in country schools and graduated at Ohio Northern University of Ada in 1889 and married Eva C. Thomas the following year. After graduation, he taught history and law at the university as well was working in the university administration from 1889-1896. Fess graduated from the law department at ONU in 1894 and served as dean of that department from 1896-1900. He then served as vice president of the university 1900-1902. He left for Illinois to become a graduate student and lecturer at the University of Chicago from 1902-1907. He then returned to Ohio and served as the president of Antioch College of Yellow Springs from 1907 to 1917.
Politics
In 1912, while still serving at Antioch College, Fess was a delegate to the state constitutional convention as well as being elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1923 (6th District 1913-15, 7th District 1915-23). He served as chairman of the Committee on Education during the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses and chairman of the Republican National Congressional Committee from 1918-1922. In 1922 he did not seek re-election, but ran for the U.S. Senate and won serving from March 4, 1923, to January 3, 1935. He served as chairman of the Committee on the Library during Sixty-ninth through Seventy-second Congresses and as Republican Whip from 1929 to 1933. He also served as chairman of the Republican National Committee 1930-32. He was an unsuccessful candidate for a third term as Senator in 1934.
Retirement and death
Fess was a Methodist, an editor, an author and a member of the Freemasons and Knights of Pythias. He died in Washington, D.C. at the age of 75 and is interred at Glen Forest Cemetery in Yellow Springs, Ohio.