Benjamin K. Focht

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Benjamin K. Focht

Benjamin Kurtz Focht (born March 12, 1863 in New Bloomfield , Perry County , Pennsylvania , †  March 27, 1937 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . Between 1907 and 1937 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives three times .

Career

Benjamin Focht attended the public schools of his home country and then Bucknell University in Lewisburg . This was followed by courses at Pennsylvania State College and Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove . Then he worked in the newspaper industry. In 1881 he founded the Lewisburg Saturday News , which he published until his death. He was also an officer in the National Guard. Politically, he became a member of the Republican Party ; in 1889 he took part as a delegate to their regional party convention for Pennsylvania. Between 1893 and 1897 Focht was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives , and from 1901 to 1905 he was a member of the State Senate . From 1912 to 1914 he was state commissioner for the water supply.

In the congressional elections of 1906 Focht was elected in the 17th  constituency of Pennsylvania to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Thaddeus Maclay Mahon on March 4, 1907 . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1913 . In 1912 he was not confirmed. In the elections of 1914 Focht was again elected to Congress in the 17th district of his state, where he replaced the Democrat Franklin Lewis Dershem on March 4, 1915 , who had succeeded him two years earlier. After three re-elections, he was able to spend four more terms in the US House of Representatives until March 3, 1923. During this time the First World War and the ratification of the 18th and 19th amendments to the constitution took place . From 1919 to 1921 Focht was chairman of the Committee on War Claims ; between 1921 and 1923 he chaired the District of Columbia Administration Committee .

In 1922 Focht was not re-elected. In the following years until 1930 he ran unsuccessfully in all congressional elections for his return to Congress. During this time he continued to work in the newspaper industry in Lewisburg. In 1928 and 1929 he was Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth in the Pennsylvania state government . In the congressional elections of 1932 Focht was then re-elected to Congress in the 18th district of his state, where he succeeded Joseph Franklin Biddle on March 4, 1933 . After two re-elections, he was able to exercise this mandate until his death on March 27, 1937 in Washington. During his time in Congress, the first of the Roosevelt government's New Deal laws were passed, which Focht's party was rather hostile to. In 1935 the provisions of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution were applied for the first time , according to which the legislative period of the Congress ends or begins on January 3rd.

Benjamin Focht was buried in his hometown of Lewisburg.

Web links

  • Benjamin K. Focht in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
predecessor Office successor
Thaddeus Maclay Mahon United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (17th constituency)
March 4, 1907 - March 3, 1913
Franklin Lewis Dershem
Franklin Lewis Dershem United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (17th constituency)
March 4, 1915 - March 3, 1923
Herbert Wesley Cummings
Joseph Franklin Biddle United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (18th constituency)
March 4, 1933 - March 27, 1937
Richard M. Simpson