| John Jennings, Jr. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District From: December 30, 1939 – January 3, 1951 | |||
| Predecessor | J. Will Taylor | ||
| Successor | Howard Baker, Sr. | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Republican | ||
| Spouse(s) | Pearnie Ethel Hamby | ||
John Jennings, Jr. (June 6, 1880 – February 27, 1956) was a Tennessee Republican who represented the state's 2nd congressional district mostly during the 1940s, succeeding James Willis Taylor, who died in office. He was previously a delegate to the Republican National Conventions three times during the 1910s, in addition to being a special assistant to the United States Attorney General.
U.S. House of Representatives
Death of Taylor, special election
Following the death of incumbent popular congressman James Willis "J. Will" Taylor, Jr. in 1939, Jennings was among several Republican contenders for the seat, which included Taylor's older daughter Elizabeth.[1] However, Elizabeth Taylor ultimately decided against running for her late father's seat, citing her mother's ill health.
Jennings, who previously unsuccessfully sought to primary Taylor, subsequently received the GOP nomination and faced Democrat Hammond Fowler, who attacked the authenticity of his support for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA),[2] an extremely popular New Deal agency in the state. Despite such, Jennings still defeated Fowler by a landslide.[3]
He would be re-elected five times in 1940, 1942, 1944, 1946, and 1948.[4]
Tenure
Jennings carried the brand of conservatism held by his neighboring colleague B. Carroll Reece and the late Taylor, voting with the political right three-quarters of the time during his first months in Congress for the 1939–1940 session.[5]
Jennings voted for the 1940 Gavagan-Fish[6] anti-lynching bill,[7] in addition to an anti-poll tax measure two years later.[8]
During the 1945–46 congressional session, Jennings' MC-Index[note 1] was 92%.[9]
In the 1950 Midterm Elections, Jennings faced a primary challenge from Howard Baker, Sr. (the father of later Tennessee U.S. senator Howard Baker, Jr.), and lost renomination in a landslide.[10] He missed five percent of all roll call votes during his congressional tenure.[11]
References
- ↑ Hill, Ray (September 3, 2018). The Mystery After J. Will Taylor’s Death, II. The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ Hill, Ray (September 9, 2018). The Fight To Succeed J. Will Taylor. The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ TN - District 02 - Special Election Race - Dec 30, 1939. Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ Candidate - John Jennings. Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ FascinatingPolitics (March 2020). 1939-40-mc-index-3.pdf. Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ↑ FascinatingPolitics (July 1, 2018). On Ideology and Anti-Lynching Legislation. Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H.R. 801, A BILL TO MAKE LYNCHING A FEDERAL CRIME.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H.R. 1024 WHICH DECLARES ILLEGAL THE REQUIREMENT OF A POLL TAX AS A PREREQUISITE FOR VOTING OR REGISTERING TO VOTE FOR PRESIDENT, VICE-PRESIDENT, OR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ FascinatingPolitics (July 2020). 1945-46-civil-rights-converted.pdf. Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ↑ TN District 2 - R Primary Race - Aug 03, 1950. Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ↑ Rep. John Jennings Jr.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
Notes
- ↑ FascinatingPolitics.com utilizes a "Mike's Conservative Index" (MC-Index) to track the level of conservatism among representatives and senators based on their voting record, with the scale ranging from 0% (most liberal) to 100% (most conservative).