Robert Lincoln Ramsay

Robert Lincoln Ramsay

Robert Lincoln Ramsay (born March 24, 1877 in County Durham , England , † November 14, 1956 in Wheeling , West Virginia ) was an American politician . Between 1933 and 1953 he represented the first constituency of the state of West Virginia in the US House of Representatives three times .

Career

In 1881 Robert Ramsay came to the United States with his parents. The family settled in New Cumberland , Hancock County , West Virginia. There the boy attended public schools. After a subsequent law degree at West Virginia University in Morgantown and his admission to the bar in 1901, he began to practice in New Cumberland in his new profession. In 1905 he moved to Wellsburg , Brooke County, and practice . Between 1905 and 1930 he was a lawyer for the neighboring community of Follansbee. From 1908 to 1912 and again from 1916 to 1920, Ramsay was a district attorney in Brooke County. From 1927 to 1930 he was a member of the board of directors of West Virginia University.

Ramsay was a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in 1932 as its candidate in the first district of West Virginia . There, on March 4, 1933, he succeeded the Republican Carl G. Bachmann , whom he had defeated in the election. When he won the election, Ramsay benefited from a nationwide trend in favor of his party, which culminated with the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt as US president. After two re-elections, he was able to complete three consecutive terms in Congress by January 3, 1939 , during which most of the New Deal laws were passed. In addition, the 20th and 21st amendments to the constitution were discussed and passed. On the one hand, the beginning and the end of the legislative periods of both the Congress and the President were reorganized and, on the other hand, the alcohol ban introduced in 1919 with the 18th amendment to the constitution was repealed.

In the 1938 elections he was defeated by the Republican AC Schiffler , who then held Ramsay's previous mandate for one term. During this time Ramsay worked again as a lawyer. But already in the next election in 1940 he was able to beat Schiffler, regain his old seat in Congress, and from January 3, 1941 to January 3, 1943, he spent another legislative period in Congress. During this time, the American entry into World War II occurred as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In the 1942 elections, there was another duel with A. C. Schiffler, which he won. With this, Schiffler ousted Ramsay a second time from the congress.

Between 1943 and 1945, Ramsay worked for the US Department of Justice . From 1945 to 1948 he was the Assistant Attorney General of West Virginia. In 1948 Ramsay was elected to Congress again. After being re-elected in 1950, he completed two further legislative terms there between January 3, 1949 and January 3, 1953. The 22nd amendment to the constitution , which regulated the presidential term of office , fell during this period . For the elections in 1952 he was no longer nominated by his party. His mandate then went to his party colleague Bob Mollohan .

After his tenure in Congress, Robert Ramsay returned to practice as a lawyer. From 1952 to 1956 he was an assistant district attorney. He died in Wheeling on November 14, 1956 and was buried in Follansbee.

Web links

• Robert Lincoln Ramsay in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Robert Lincoln Ramsay in the database of Find a Grave (English)