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Julius Kahn
Portrait byHarris & Ewingc. 1920s
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's4th district
In office March 4, 1905 – December 18, 1924
Preceded by	Edward J. Livernash
Succeeded by	Florence Prag Kahn
In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903
Preceded by	James G. Maguire
Succeeded by	Edward J. Livernash
Member of theCalifornia State Assembly from the39th district
In office January 2, 1893 – January 7, 1895
Preceded by	Charles S. Arms
Succeeded by	H. G. W. Dinkelspiel
Personal details
Born	(1861-02-28)February 28, 1861 Kuppenheim,German Confederation
Died	December 18, 1924(1924-12-18) (aged 63) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Florence Prag Kahn ​ (m. 1899)​

Julius Kahn (February 28, 1861 – December 18, 1924) was aUnited States Congressman who was succeeded by his wifeFlorence Prag Kahn after his death. He has been described by theAmerican Jerusalem as "among the most influential Jews in San Francisco—as well as national–civic life, from the middle of the 19th century into the 1930s".^[1]

Kahn was born inKuppenheim, in theGrand Duchy of Baden, in what would become Germany. He immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in California in 1866. After studying law in San Francisco, he was elected a member of theState Assembly in 1892 and admitted to the bar in January 1894. He was elected as aRepublican to the 56th and 57th Congresses (March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903). Although he unsuccessfully contested the election ofEdward J. Livernash to the 58th Congress, he was elected to the 59th and to the nine succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1905, until his death in 1924.

During his time in theHouse of Representatives he was noted as an advocate of military preparedness. He helped draft and secure the passage of theNational Defense Act of 1916, theSelective Service Act of 1917, and theNational Defense Act of 1920. He served as chairman ofCommittee on Military Affairs (66th–68th Congresses). Representative Kahn also authored the Kahn Exclusion Act, ultimately enacted as the Alien Exclusion Act, telling Congress that "I submit if the Chinese people themselves would deal honestly with us, and if they resorted less to trickery and duplicity to circumvent our laws, then there would be no need of closing up all possible loopholes in the law with the seemingly severely restrictive measures that the Chinese themselves make necessary."^[2]

At the time of his death, he had been re-elected to the 69th Congress. His wife,Florence Prag Kahn, succeeded him in Congress and served until 1937. He was buried in the Home of Peace Cemetery inColma, California. A well-known playground and adjacent ballpark in San Francisco was named in his honor; in 2018, it was proposed to strip his name from the playground due to the fact that he championed the extension of theChinese Exclusion Act in 1902 which he justified by stating that the Chinese people were "morally, the most debased people on the face of the earth."^[3]

TheWestern Jewish History Center, of theMagnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, inBerkeley, California has a large collection of family papers, documents, correspondence, and photographs relating to Julius Kahn and to his wife, Florence Prag Kahn.

• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
• List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1900–1949)

• United States Congress."Julius Kahn (id: K000003)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Florence Kahn: Congressional Widow to Trailblazing LawmakerMultimedia presentation created by the Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.

• Media related toJulius Kahn at Wikimedia Commons

• 1861 births
• 1924 deaths
• People from Rastatt (district)
• 19th-century German Jews
• Anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States
• Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Baden
• American people of German-Jewish descent
• American Reform Jews
• Jewish United States representatives
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
• Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
• Politicians from San Francisco
• Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery (Colma, California)
• 19th-century members of the California State Legislature
• 20th-century United States representatives
• German emigrants to the United States

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