Harry Rowbottom
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's1st district
In office March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1931
Preceded by	William Wilson
Succeeded by	John W. Boehne Jr.
Member of theIndiana House of Representatives
In office 1919–1923
Personal details
Born	Harry Emerson Rowbottom (1884-11-03)November 3, 1884 Aurora, Indiana, U.S.
Died	March 22, 1934(1934-03-22) (aged 49) Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	University of Kentucky Cincinnati Business College (BS)

Harry Emerson Rowbottom (November 3, 1884 – March 22, 1934) was an American businessman andRepublican politician. He was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives fromIndiana in1924 and served three terms from 1925 to 1931. He was defeated for re-election in1930 and subsequently convicted of accepting bribes, abruptly terminating his political career.

Rowbottom was born inAurora, Indiana, and moved with his parents toLudlow, Kentucky, in 1885. InKentucky he attended the common schools, graduated from Ludlow High School in 1901, and subsequently attended Kentucky State College at Lexington from 1902 to 1904.^{[citation needed]}

From 1904 to 1907, Rowbottom worked selling lubricating oils. He graduated from the Cincinnati Business College in 1907, where he studied accountancy. Following graduation, Rowbottom found work as an auditor in Cincinnati from 1907 to 1910 and Chicago from 1910 to 1912. He moved toEvansville, Indiana, in 1913 and was employed as chief clerk for the Indiana Refining Company from 1913 to 1918.^{[citation needed]}

Rowbottom was elected to theIndiana House of Representatives in 1918, serving two consecutive terms from 1919 to 1923. His legislative service coincided with the end ofWorld War I and theRed Summer of 1919, which witnessed the rise of the secondKu Klux Klan. Like many prominent Indiana Republicans, Rowbottom sought out the Klan's electoral support and proudly boasted of his membership in the organization.

With the Klan's endorsement he was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1924, defeatingDemocratic incumbentWilliam E. Wilson inIndiana's 1st congressional district. Klan-backed candidates won up and down the ballot in 1924, with local Klan leaderD. C. Stephenson widely believed to have orchestrated the nomination of the incoming Republican governor,Edward L. Jackson. Rowbottom's victory in traditionally Democratic southern Indiana, coming despite Wilson's eminent public stature and Rowbottom's comparatively poor reputation, was considered as major upset.^[1]

Rowbottom was re-elected in 1926 and 1928, serving from 1925 to 1931. He was defeated for re-election to the72nd Congress in 1930 following the onset of theGreat Depression, which was blamed on the Republican Party and theadministration of Herbert Hoover.

During his final term in office, Rowbottom was indicted for accepting bribes in exchange for appointments to jobs with theUnited States Postal Service. He was found guilty in 1931 and sentenced to one year and one day in prison. Rowbottom was incarcerated atUSP Leavenworth.^[2][3][4][5]

He died in Evansville on March 22, 1934, and is interred in Locust Hill Cemetery.^[6]

• List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes
• List of federal political scandals in the United States

Notes

Sources

• United States Congress."Harry E. Rowbottom (id: R000474)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• Harry E. Rowbottom atFind a Grave

 This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.

• 1884 births
• 1934 deaths
• American accountants
• American politicians convicted of federal public corruption crimes
• Indiana politicians convicted of crimes
• Republican Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives
• People from Aurora, Indiana
• People from Kenton County, Kentucky
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana
• 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• 20th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly

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