James H. Duff

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James H. Duff

James Henderson Duff (* 21st January 1883 in Mansfield, now Carnegie , Pennsylvania ; † 20th December 1969 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician of the Republican Party . He represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US Senate and was also its 36th governor .

Early years

After graduating from Princeton in 1904, he began law school that same year at the University of Pennsylvania . At the local law school he graduated in 1907; that same year he was inducted into the bar and began practicing in Pittsburgh . He was a partner at Duff, Scott & Smith for 35 years. In 1909 he married Jean Taylor.

Political career

Duff was politically active for most of his adult life, but it was not until 1943 that he ran for public office and became Attorney General of the State of Pennsylvania. Four years later, the Republican was elected governor of the state. Duff took up his new office on January 21, 1947. During his four-year tenure, he increased taxation on cigarettes, soft drinks and stock profits. The additional income was invested in environmental protection as well as in construction and healthcare. The Philadelphia port was expanded and he took steps to detoxify the polluted Schuylkill River . At that time, new bridges were also built over the Delaware . The overcrowded hospitals were expanded or supplemented by new buildings. In the school sector, the teaching profession has been made more attractive through salary increases. In order to secure public supplies, the governor banned strikes at the utilities. Duff campaigned for equal pay for men and women for equal work performance. On the other hand, the maximum weekly working time for women has been extended from 40 to 48 hours.

After his four-year term he ran for the US Senate and was again successful. However, he did not succeed in re-election: Six years later he was defeated by the Democrat Joseph S. Clark and had to resign from his office. He ended his political career, but stayed in Washington and became a partner in a law firm. James Duff was married to Jean Taylor.

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personal data
SURNAME Duff, James H.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Duff, James Henderson (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH Mansfield , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH 20th December 1969
Place of death Washington, DC