Edward W. Pou

Edward William Pou
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 4th district
In office March 4, 1901 – April 1, 1934
Preceded by	John W. Atwater
Succeeded by	Harold D. Cooley
34th Dean of the United States House of Representatives
In office March 1933 – April 1934
Preceded by	Gilbert N. Haugen
Succeeded by	Adolph J. Sabath
Personal details
Born	September 9, 1863 Tuskegee, Alabama
Died	April 1, 1934 (aged 70) Washington, D.C.
Political party	Democratic Party
Alma mater	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Edward William Pou (September 9, 1863 – April 1, 1934), was an American politician, serving in the United States Congress as a representative from 1901 until his death in Washington, D.C. on April 1, 1934.

Biography

Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, September 9, 1863, he moved to North Carolina with his parents in 1867, where he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and studied law. After practicing law in Smithfield, North Carolina for a number of years, he served as a Democratic U.S. Representative from the North Carolina 4th District, 1901–1934, and served as chairman of the Committee on Claims (abolished in 1946) and then of the Rules Committee. He died in Washington, D.C., April 1, 1934, while still in office.

Name

Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest "Though my name is spelled Pou, it is pronounced as though it were spelled pew or pugh." (Charles Earle Funk, What's the Name, Please?, Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)

Sources

• United States Congress. "Edward W. Pou (id: P000474)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• New York Times: "E.W. Pou is Dead, Veteran in House," April 2, 1934, accessed January 15, 2010