Martin Dies senior

Martin Dies (born March 13, 1870 in Jackson Parish , Louisiana , †  July 13, 1922 in Kerrville , Texas ) was an American politician . He represented the state of Texas as a member of the US House of Representatives .

Career

Martin Dies was born in Louisiana in 1870 to David Warren and Sarah Jane (Pyburn). The family then moved to Freestone County , Texas, in 1876 , where Dies attended public school. Some sources indicate that Dies attended the University of Texas Law School , with other sources claiming that he worked in a variety of professions in East Texas , including: B. Farrier, railway construction, teacher and in a sawmill. Even so, Dies was licensed to practice in Texas in 1892. He practiced in Woodville , Beaumont , Colorado City, and Kountze . It is also worth noting that he published a newspaper in Freestone County and was later a County Marshal .

This married Olive Cline Blackshear on May 15, 1892. They had two daughters and a son, Martin Jr. , who also became a politician. The marriage later ended in divorce. In 1894 he was elected District Judge for Tyler County . This was a godsend for Dies, as he used his judicial powers to secure land claims in the lumber region in East Texas. He and his family then moved south to Beaumont in 1897.

politics

During the Spanish-American War , he joined D Company of the 3rd Beaumont Light Guards Regiment of the Texas Volunteer Army. After his return in 1898 he was elected public prosecutor of the first district court. This was not very lucky, however, as he suffered a financial slump when he was unable to repay a loan to his friend John Herry Kirby. The result of it all was that he and his family moved to Colorado City, West Texas, in 1899.

In 1908, Dies stood for election to Congress and won. He defeated the incumbent Samuel B. Cooper . This then represented the second congressional electoral district of Texas from the 61st to 65th Congress (1909-1919). During his tenure, he rejected large military expenditures and high tariffs, but he was in favor of an income tax. He did not run for re-election in Congress in 1918. He was a Democrat , a Methodist, and an outspoken nativist . He was also against women's suffrage and in 1916 against Woodrow Wilson's Preparedness Program .

Martin Dies died in Kerrville on July 13, 1922 and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery , Houston .

Web links

• Martin Dies in Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Martin Dies in Handbook of Texas Online (English)