Jessie Sumner

Jessie Sumner

Jessie Sumner (born July 17, 1898 in Milford , Iroquois County , Illinois , † August 10, 1994 in Watseka , Illinois) was an American politician . Between 1939 and 1947 she represented the state of Illinois in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Jessie Sumner attended the public schools in her home country and then the Girton School in Winnetka until 1916 and Smith College in Northampton ( Massachusetts ) until 1920 . After completing a law degree at various universities and being admitted to the bar in 1923, she began to work in this profession in Chicago . In 1928 she was employed by the Chase National Bank in New York City . In 1932 she returned to Milford where she practiced as a lawyer. In 1937 she became a district judge in Iroquois County. Then she got a director position at Sumner National Bank in Sheldon . Since 1938 she was vice president of this bank. Politically, she became a member of the Republican Party .

In the 1938 congressional election , Sumner was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 18th constituency of Illinois , where she succeeded Democrat James A. Meeks on January 3, 1939 . After three re-elections, she was able to complete four terms in Congress by January 3, 1947 . By 1941, the last of the Federal Government's New Deal laws were passed there under President Franklin D. Roosevelt , which Sumner's party was rather hostile to. Since 1941, the work of the Congress was also shaped by the events of the Second World War and its consequences.

In 1946, Jessie Sumner decided not to run again for Congress. After her time in the US House of Representatives she was Vice President of Sumner National Bank until 1966 . From 1966 to 1994 she then acted as president of this bank. She died in Watseka on August 10, 1994.

Web links

• Jessie Sumner in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Jessie Sumner in the database of Find a Grave (English)