Porter J. McCumber

Porter J. McCumber

Porter James McCumber (born February 3, 1858 in Crete , Will County , Illinois , †  May 18, 1933 in Washington DC ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) who represented the state of North Dakota in the US Senate .

The year Porter McCumbers was born, his parents moved with him from Illinois to Rochester , Minnesota . There he attended public schools and worked as a teacher before studying law at the University of Michigan . After graduating in 1880, he was inducted into the bar and began practicing in Wahpeton , Dakota Territory . In 1885 he was a member of the House of Representatives of the Territory , in 1887 its Senate. Between 1889 and 1891 he was a district attorney in Richland County .

In 1898 he prevailed against the Democratic incumbent William N. Roach in the election to the US Senate . McCumber moved into Congress on March 4, 1899 and remained there after multiple re-elections until March 3, 1923. In 1922, he was no longer established by his party; the nomination went to former Governor Lynn Frazier . During his tenure in the Senate, he chaired and served on several committees; In 1922, he and Congressman Joseph W. Fordney drafted a customs law marked by isolationism at the time, known as the Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act .

After retiring from the Senate, McCumber worked as a lawyer in Washington. In 1925, US President Calvin Coolidge appointed him to the International Joint Commission , which was tasked with resolving disagreements between the United States and Canada over the use of the common border waters. He was a member of the commission until his death in 1933. He was buried first in a mausoleum at Arlington National Cemetery ; when the building was later demolished, McCumber's remains had to be relocated as well. His later burial place is unknown.

Web links

Commons : Porter J. McCumber  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Porter J. McCumber in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Porter J. McCumber in the database of Find a Grave (English)