James W. Mott | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1933 – November 12, 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Willis C. Hawley |
| Succeeded by | A. Walter Norblad |
| Member of theOregon House of Representatives | |
| In office 1922–1928 1930–1932 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Wheaton Mott November 12, 1883 |
| Died | November 12, 1945(1945-11-12) (aged 62) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ethel Lucile Walling |
James Wheaton Mott (November 12, 1883 – November 12, 1945) was aU.S. representative fromOregon. A graduate ofColumbia University andWillamette University'slaw school, he worked as a newspaper reporter, city attorney, and was elected to theOregon House of Representatives.
Born inClearfield County[1] nearNew Washington, Pennsylvania, Mott moved with his parents toSalem, Oregon, in 1890. There he attended the public schools, and then theUniversity of Oregon in Eugene,Stanford University in California, and finallyColumbia University in New York City where he graduated in 1909. Mott then worked as a newspaper reporter in New York City,San Francisco, California, and Salem between 1909 and 1917. In Salem he graduated fromWillamette University College of Law in 1917 with alaw degree. He was admitted to thebar in the same year and commenced practice inAstoria, Oregon.
DuringWorld War I, Mott served as a seaman first class in theUnited States Navy. After the war he returned to Astoria, where he worked as the city attorney from 1920 to 1922. In 1919, he married Ethel Lucile Walling, and they had three daughters together.[2]
Mott was elected to and served as member of theOregon House of Representatives from 1922 to 1928, and again from 1930 to 1932.Between stints in the House, he moved to Salem in 1929. While in the legislature, he worked as the Corporation Commissioner of Oregon from 1931 to 1932.
In 1932, Mott was elected as aRepublican to theUnited States House of Representatives. He was re-elected to five more terms.
While in Congress, he worked towards federal improvements at Tongue Point Naval Base and otherColumbia River projects.[2] In his version of theFederal-Aid Highway Act of 1944, Mott is credited with the first use of the terminterstate to refer to the system of express highways that became the federalInterstate Highway System.[3]
In April and May 1945, Mott traveled toGermany with a number of other congressmen and senators to tour some of the newly liberatedNazi concentration camps, includingBuchenwald on April 24 andDachau on May 2. Mott helped to put together a special report for the U.S. Senate concerning the atrocities and conditions in the camps.[4]
Mott remained in Congress until his death inBethesda, Maryland, on November 12, 1945, his 62nd birthday. He was interred inSalem, Oregon'sCity View Cemetery.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Representative of Oregon's 1st Congressional District 1933–1945 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| Territorial (1849–1859) |
|  | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At-large seats (1859–1893) |
| ||||
| Districts (1893–present) |
| ||||
| 3rd district | |||||
| 4th district | |||||
| 5th district | |||||
| 6th district | |||||
