Chester I. Long

Chester I. Long

Chester Isaiah Long (born October 12, 1860 in Perry County , Pennsylvania , † July 1, 1934 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) who represented the state of Kansas in both chambers of Congress .

Life

Childhood and youth

Chester I. Long was born in Pennsylvania, the youngest of nine children of Abraham and Mary Long; his father's ancestors had come to the United States from Germany in the early 18th century . At the age of five he and his family moved to Daviess County , Missouri , where his father had bought a farm . He attended rural schools and therefore had a rather low level of education.

He began working as an assistant teacher at a school in 1875 and completed his education in 1880 at a school in Paola, Kansas. He worked as a teacher for three more years until he found a job in the law firm Peck, Johnson & McFarland in Topeka in 1883 . In 1885, after studying law, he became a member of the Kansas Bar. Shortly thereafter, he opened his own law firm in Medicine Lodge .

Political career

As a 16-year-old, Long showed political interest when he was allowed to carry a torch during a Republican move. Because of his talent for rhetoric, Republican top candidates for Senate or MP posts often approached Long, who then acted as speechwriter.

In 1889 Long ran successfully for a seat in the Senate of Kansas , which he served as the youngest Senator until 1892. In the same year he ran as a Republican for a seat in the US House of Representatives , but suffered a defeat against Jerry Simpson , the candidate of the Populist Party . Long ran for a second time in 1894 and this time was able to record an election victory. However, he was only able to defend his seat in Washington for one legislative period, from March 4, 1895 to March 3, 1897; in 1896 he failed in the regional elections. In 1898 he again registered his candidacy for a seat in the House of Representatives and was again able to record an election victory. Long, who took office on March 4, 1899, was subsequently re-elected twice, and served until March 4, 1903.

The next step on the career ladder meant his election to the US Senator in January 1903. A renewed candidacy for the office failed in 1908, so that Long resigned from the Senate on March 3, 1909.

Later life and family

After his career as a politician, Long returned to his profession as a lawyer, first in Medicine Lodge, and, from 1911, in Wichita . Between 1921 and 1923 he was a member of a commission whose task it was to reform the state law of Kansas.

In 1925 he moved to Washington, where he was elected president of the American Bar Association that same year . In 1926 he resigned from that position and devoted himself to his pension. He spent this with his wife Anna Bache, with whom he had been married since February 12, 1895. The two had two daughters together, Agnes and Margaret.

Web links

• Chester I. Long in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Chester I. Long in the database of Find a Grave (English)