George H. Tinkham

George Holden Tinkham
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 11th district
In office March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1933
Preceded by	Andrew J. Peters
Succeeded by	John J. Douglass
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 10th district
In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1943
Preceded by	John J. Douglass
Succeeded by	Christian Herter
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1910-1912
Personal details
Born	October 29, 1870 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	August 28, 1956 (aged 85) Cramerton, North Carolina
Resting place	Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston, Massachusetts
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Harvard University
Profession	Attorney
Military service
Battles/wars	World War I

George Holden Tinkham (October 29, 1870 – August 28, 1956) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Massachusetts.

Early years

Tinkham was born October 29, 1870, in Boston, Massachusetts,^[1] to Frances Ann Holden and George Henry Tinkham, a produce dealer. He graduated from Harvard College in 1894.^[1]

Career

Tinkham served as a member of the Boston Common Council in 1897 and 1898.^[1] After this first venture into politics he resumed his education at Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1899 and commenced practice in Boston.^[1] Tinkham returned to public office, serving as a member of the Boston Board of Aldermen from 1900 to 1902.^{[1][2][note 1]}

Tinkham spent the next several years working as a lawyer. In 1910 he returned to public service, being elected as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate, where he served from 1910 to 1912.^[1][2]

During World War I he served in the military;^[1] Tinkham would later tell Life magazine that during his service he fired the first American shot against the Austrians.^[3]

Tinkham was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fourth Congress and to the thirteen succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1915 – January 3, 1943).^[1] During that time Tinkham was nicknamed "the conscience of the House" for his efforts to protect voting rights for African Americans,^[2] in part by highlighting of the South's disproportionate representation in the House related to that region's voting population.^[4]

Tinkham did not stand for renomination in 1942. He continued to practice law in Boston until his retirement; died in Cramerton, N.C., August 28, 1956; interment in Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston.^[1]

In his spare time, he went on safaris in Kenya.^[3]

Footnotes

1. The Boston Common Council and the Boston Board of Aldermen were later combined into the Boston City Council, following a rewrite of Boston's city charter.

References

1. George H. Tinkham at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2012-12-08
2. Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk (2008). "The Negroes' Temporary Farewell". Black Americans in Congress, 1870–2007. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
3. Lang, Will (December 16, 1940). "Tinkham the Mighty Hunter". Life. Vol. 9 no. 25. pp. 69ff. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
4. "Demands Inquiry on Disfranchising; Representative Tinkham Aims to Enforce 14th and 15th Articles of Constitution.". The New York Times. December 6, 1920. Retrieved 2012-12-08.

External links

• George H. Tinkham at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress