Cyrenus Cole | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's5th district | |
| In office August 1, 1921 – March 3, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | James W. Good |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd Thurston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1863-01-13)January 13, 1863 Pella, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | November 14, 1939(1939-11-14) (aged 76) Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Central College |
| Occupation | Newspaper editor |
Cyrenus Cole (January 13, 1863 – November 14, 1939) was anewspaper editor,columnist andhistorian, then aRepublicanU.S. Representative fromIowa's 5th congressional district for over eleven years.
Born nearPella, Iowa, Cole graduated fromCentral College inPella in 1887. He was an associate editor atThe Iowa State Register,[1] then the editor and (until 1913) co-owner ofThe Cedar Rapids Republican.[2] He was also the author of many books, including "A History of the People of Iowa,"[3] "Iowa Through the Years," and "The Farmer in Politics and Prosperity."[4] He also owned two farms near Pella.[5]
While serving as editor, Cole was very active in thestand-patters faction of theIowa Republican Party, a "more" conservative alternative to the party's progressive wing.[6]
In late 1920,James W. Good, the Republican U.S. Representative for Iowa's 5th congressional district (which included Cedar Rapids) indicated he would resign the following year. Cole easily prevailed in the district convention called to nominate a Republican candidate to fill the vacancy, and defeated hisDemocratic adversary in the July 1921 race. Cole was sworn into office on August 1, 1921, as a member of the67th Congress.
Cole won re-election four times, but by increasingly narrow margins in 1928 and 1930. He was considered a "dry" (supporter ofprohibition) in the ongoing legislative controversy over the repeal of prohibition. In 1932, he elected not to seek re-election,[7] following reapportionment that left him and another incumbent ("wet" DemocratBernhard M. Jacobsen ofClinton) in a reconstituted2nd congressional district that included several new counties in which Cole's "dry" stance on prohibition was unpopular. Jacobsen, and many other Democrats, won in theRoosevelt landslide. In all, Cole served in Congress from August 1, 1921 to March 3, 1933.
Cole returned to writing, publishing several more books, including his memoirs.[8] He died on November 14, 1939, inWashington, D.C., and was interred in the First Dutch Reform Church Cemetery, nearPella.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 5th congressional district August 1, 1921–March 3, 1933 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
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