Robert Crosser

Robert Crosser
Robert Crosser
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from Ohio
	In office; March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919
Preceded by	inactive
Succeeded by	John J. Babka
Constituency	At Large (1913-1915); 21st district (1915-1919)
	In office; March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1955
Preceded by	Harry C. Gahn
Succeeded by	Charles Vanik
Constituency	21st district
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives; from the Cuyahoga County district
	In office; January 2, 1911 – January 5, 1913 Serving with 9 others
Preceded by	11 others
Succeeded by	13 others
Personal details
Born	June 7, 1874; Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died	June 3, 1957 (aged 82); Bethesda, Maryland
Resting place	Highland Park Cemetery, Warrensville Heights, Ohio
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Isabelle Dargarvel Hogg

Robert Crosser (June 7, 1874 – June 3, 1957) was an American lawyer and politician who served 19 terms as a U.S. Representative from Ohio. He remains the longest-serving member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Ohio, serving from 1911 to 1919, then again from 1923 until 1955.

Life and career

Born in Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Crosser emigrated to the United States in 1881 with his parents and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. He moved to Salineville, Ohio, the same year and attended the public schools. He graduated from Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, in 1897. He studied law at Columbia Law School in New York City and graduated from Cincinnati Law School in 1901. He was admitted to the bar in 1901 and commenced practice in Cleveland, Ohio. He taught law at Baldwin-Wallace Law School in 1904 and 1905. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1911 and 1912. He served as member of the fourth constitutional convention in 1912. At the convention, he was the author of the Initiative and referendum amendment adopted by the voters in 1912.^[1]

Congress

Robert Crosser was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third, Sixty-fourth, and Sixty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce (Sixty-fifth Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1918 and for election in 1920.

Crosser was elected to the Sixty-eighth and to the fifteen succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1955). He served as chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Eighty-first and Eighty-second Congresses).

He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1954. In that race, he was defeated in the primary by Charles Vanik in a field of candidates that also included African-American challenger John Holly, founder of the Negro Future Outlook League.^[2]^[3]

Death

He resided in Bethesda, Maryland, until his death there on June 3, 1957. He was interred in Highland Park Cemetery, Warrensville, Ohio.

Robert Crosser was married to Isabelle Dargarvel Hogg.^[1]

Crosser was a member of Phi Delta Phi.^[1]

Election results

Year	Democratic	Republican	Other
1952	Robert Crosser: 100,340	Lawrence O. Payne: 45,896
1950	Robert Crosser: 66,341	William Hodge: 21,588
1948	Robert Crosser: 72,417	Harry W. Mitchell: 22,932
1946	Robert Crosser: 49,111	James S. Hudee: 27,657
1944	Robert Crosser: 77,525	Harry C. Gahn: 22,288
1942	Robert Crosser: 35,109	William J. Rogers: 19,137	Arnold S. Johnson: 744
1940	Robert Crosser: 79,602	J. E. Chizek: 23,658
1938	Robert Crosser: 53,180	J. E. Chizek: 24,240
1936	Robert Crosser: 70,596	Harry C. Gahn: 23,811
1934	Robert Crosser: 47,540	Frank W. Sotak: 25,253	E. C. Greenfield (C): 1,684
1932	Robert Crosser: 49,436	Gerard Pilliod: 25,527	Joseph Schiffer (C): 672 Eugene F. Cheeks: 204
1930	Robert Crosser: 30,722	George H. Bender: 29,081	Gustave F. Ebding: 96
1928	Robert Crosser: 39,090	Joseph F. Lange: 26,267
1926	Robert Crosser: 17,819	Harry C. Gahn: 10,733
1924	Robert Crosser: 24,889	Harry C. Gahn: 21,629	John Brahtin (W): 272
1922	Robert Crosser: 18,645	Harry C. Gahn: 14,024	Henry Kuhlman (S): 997 Frank Kalcec (SL): 185

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Neff, William B, ed. (1921). Bench and Bar of Northern Ohio History and Biography. Cleveland: The Historical Publishing Company. p. 346.
^ "VANIK, CHARLES ALBERT". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Retrieved 2016-11-16. Vanik defeated long-time Congressman ROBERT CROSSER in the Democratic Primary in 1954.
^ "22 Negroes Win Primary Nominations". Jet. Chicago: Johnson Publishing Company. 1954-05-20. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 2014-07-04. Young, active in civic affairs, will face Charles A. Vanik, a white municipal court judge, who edged out John Holly, founder of the Negro Future Outlook League, in the Democratic primary.

Sources

United States Congress. "Robert Crosser (id: C000932)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by District inactive	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's at-large congressional district 1913-1915	Succeeded by District inactive
Preceded by Robert J. Bulkley	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 21st congressional district 1915-1919	Succeeded by John J. Babka
Preceded by Harry C. Gahn	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 21st congressional district 1923-1955	Succeeded by Charles Vanik

[bbno-1] Neff, William B, ed. (1921). Bench and Bar of Northern Ohio History and Biography. Cleveland: The Historical Publishing Company. p. 346.

[The_Encyclopedia_of_Cleveland_History-2] "VANIK, CHARLES ALBERT". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Retrieved 2016-11-16. Vanik defeated long-time Congressman ROBERT CROSSER in the Democratic Primary in 1954.

[Jet-20May1954-3] "22 Negroes Win Primary Nominations". Jet. Chicago: Johnson Publishing Company. 1954-05-20. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 2014-07-04. Young, active in civic affairs, will face Charles A. Vanik, a white municipal court judge, who edged out John Holly, founder of the Negro Future Outlook League, in the Democratic primary.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Chairmen of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Commerce and Manufactures (1795–1819)	Goodhue Swanwick Livingston S. Smith Mitchill Crowninshield Mumford Newton
Commerce (1819–1893)	Newton Cambreleng Sutherland F. Smith Cushman Curtis Kennedy Holmes McClelland Hunt McLane Seymour Fuller Washburne Cochrane Washburne Eliot Dixon Shellabarger Wheeler Hereford Ward Reagan Page Reagan Clardy Baker
Interstate and Foreign Commerce (1893–1981)	Mills Wise Hepburn Mann Adamson Sims Esch Winslow Parker Rayburn Lea Wolverton Crosser Wolverton Priest Harris Staggers
Energy and Commerce (1981–present)	Dingell Bliley Tauzin Barton Dingell Waxman Upton Walden Pallone McMorris Rodgers

v t e Ohio's congressional districts
Ohio 21	Henry R. Brinkerhoff (1843–1844) Edward S. Hamlin (1844–1845) Joseph M. Root (1845–1851) Norton Strange Townshend (1851–1853) Andrew Stuart (1853–1855) John Bingham (1855–1863) Martin A. Foran (1883–1889) Theodore E. Burton (1889–1891) Tom L. Johnson (1891–1895) Theodore E. Burton (1895–1909) James H. Cassidy (1909–1911) Robert J. Bulkley (1911–1915) Robert Crosser (1915–1919) John J. Babka (1919–1921) Harry C. Gahn (1921–1923) Robert Crosser (1923–1955) Charles Vanik (1955–1969) Louis Stokes (1969–1993)
Ohio 22	Henry I. Emerson (1915–1921) Theodore E. Burton (1921–1928) Chester C. Bolton (1929–1937) Anthony A. Fleger (1937–1939) Chester C. Bolton (1939–1939) Frances P. Bolton (1940–1969) Charles Vanik (1969–1981) Dennis E. Eckart (1981–1983)

v t e Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 23rd, 24th, at-large, and the Northwest Territory's congressional districts
Ohio 23	George H. Bender (1953–1954) William Edwin Minshall Jr. (1955–1974) Ronald M. Mottl (1975–1983)
Ohio 24	Buz Lukens (1967–1971) Walter E. Powell (1971–1973)
Ohio at-large	Jeremiah Morrow (1803–1813) Robert Crosser (1913–1915) Charles V. Truax (1933–1935) Stephen M. Young (1933–1937) Daniel S. Earhart (1936–1937) John McSweeney (1937–1939) Harold G. Mosier (1937–1939) George H. Bender (1939–1949) L. L. Marshall (1939–1941) Stephen M. Young (1941–1943) Stephen M. Young (1949–1951) George H. Bender (1951–1953) Robert Taft Jr. (1963–1965) Robert E. Sweeney (1965–1967)
Northwest Territory at-large	William Henry Harrison (1799–1800) William McMillan (1800–1801) Paul Fearing (1801–1803)

Authority control databases
International	VIAF FAST WorldCat
National	United States
People	US Congress
Other	NARA