J. Ernest Wharton
From 1963's Pocket Congressional Directory of the Eighty-Eighth Congress
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York
In office
January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1965
Preceded byJay Le Fevre
Succeeded byJoseph Y. Resnick
Constituency30th district (1951–53)
29th district (1953–63)
28th district (1963–65)
Personal details
Born(1899-10-04)October 4, 1899
Binghamton, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 19, 1990(1990-01-19) (aged 90)
Summit, New York, U.S.
Resting placeCobleskill Rural Cemetery, Cobleskill, New York
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Freda Boynton
Marion Turner
Children1
Parents
  • James H. Wharton (father)
  • Mae Dibble (mother)
EducationAlbany Law School
ProfessionAttorney
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1918
RankPrivate
UnitStudent Army Training Corps
Battles/warsWorld War I

James Ernest Wharton (October 4, 1899 – January 19, 1990) was an American attorney and politician. A Republican, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1951 to 1965.

Biography

James Ernest Wharton was born in Binghamton, New York on October 4, 1899[1] to James H. Wharton and Mae Dibble.[2] He attended the public schools of Richmondville and graduated from Richmondville High School.[3] After his high school graduation, Wharton attended Albany Law School.[4]

During World War I, Wharton joined the Student Army Training Corps.[5] He enlisted as a private in October 1918, and was discharged in December, following the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war.[5] Wharton then completed his studies at Albany Law School, from which he graduated in 1919.[6]

Wharton worked for Travelers Insurance from 1920 until 1929.[6] He attained admission to the bar in 1923 and commenced a law practice in 1929.[3][7] A Republican, Wharton was the district attorney of Schoharie County, New York from 1932 until 1941.[6] From 1941 to 1951, he served as the county's surrogate, family, and county court judge.[3]

He was elected to the U.S. House in 1950 and served from January 3, 1951, until January 3, 1965.[7] In 1960, his Democratic opponent was Gore Vidal, whom Wharton defeated to win a fifth term.[6] In 1964, he was defeated for reelection by Democrat Joseph Y. Resnick.[8] After leaving Congress, Wharton resumed the practice of law and became involved in real estate development.[7]

Wharton voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[9] 1960,[10] and 1964,[11] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[12]

He died in Summit, New York on January 19, 1990.[6] He was buried at Cobleskill Rural Cemetery in Cobleskill.

Wharton was first married to Freda Boynton (1899-1979).[13] They divorced and he married Marion Turner (1913-2006).[6] With his first wife, Wharton was the father of a daughter, Beverly Wharton Radez.[6][13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Official Congressional Directory
  2. ^ "Death Notice, J. Ernest Wharton". Schoharie County Historical Review. Vol. 53–60. Schoharie, NY: Schoharie County Historical Society. 1990. p. 78 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c Official Congressional Directory. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 1951. p. 92 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Entry for J. Ernest Wharton". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. September 12, 1918. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "New York Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919, Entry for J. Ernest Wharton". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Obituary, J. Ernest Wharton". The New York Times. New York, NY. January 23, 1990. p. D22 – via TimesMachine.
  7. ^ a b c Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1996. Alexandria, VA: CQ Staff Directories, Inc. 1997. p. 2038. ISBN 978-0-87289-124-1 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Stone, Kurt F. (2011). The Jews of Capitol Hill. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-8108-7738-2 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
  10. ^ "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
  11. ^ "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE".
  12. ^ "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS". GovTrack.us.
  13. ^ a b "Obituary, Beverly A. Radez". Tributes.com. Boston, MA: Tributes, Inc. October 16, 2019.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives Preceded byJay LeFevre Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 30th congressional district 1951–1953 Succeeded byLeo W. O'Brien Preceded byKatharine St. George Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 29th congressional district 1953–1963 Succeeded byLeo W. O'Brien Preceded byKatharine St. George Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 28th congressional district 1963–1965 Succeeded byJoseph Y. Resnick


New York's delegation(s) to the 82nd-88th United States Congress (ordered by seniority)
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