Melvin Price | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois | |
| In office January 3, 1945 – April 22, 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Calvin D. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Jerry Costello |
| Constituency | 22nd district (1945–1949) 25th district (1949–1953) 24th district (1953–1973) 23rd district (1973–1983) 21st district (1983–1988) |
| Chair of theHouse Committee on Armed Services | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | F. Edward Hebert |
| Succeeded by | Les Aspin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Melvin Price January 1, 1905 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 1988(1988-04-22) (aged 83) Camp Springs, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | St. Louis University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States Army |
| Branch/service | Quartermaster Corps |
| Years of service | 1943–1944 |
Charles Melvin Price (January 1, 1905 – April 22, 1988) was a member of theUnited States House of Representatives for over 40 years, from 1945 to his death. He representedMetro East, the Illinois portion of theSt. Louis metropolitan area.
Charles Melvin Price was born inEast St. Louis, Illinois on January 1, 1905. After a parochial school education, he graduated fromSt. Louis University High School and took two years ofpre-law coursework atSaint Louis University. He became a sports correspondent for theEast St. Louis Journal and later theSt. Louis Globe-Democrat. He served as a member of the St. Clair County Board of Supervisors from 1929 to 1931. He served as secretary to U.S. RepresentativeEdwin M. Schaefer during the latter's tenure from 1933 to 1943. In October 1943, duringWorld War II, Price enlisted in theUnited States Army. He was stationed atFort Lee at the time of his own election to the United States House of Representatives.[1]
Price was elected to Congress in 1944. Most notably, he served as chairman of theHouse Armed Services Committee between 1975 and 1985. He lost this position at the beginning of the99th United States Congress. Overthrowing a committee chairman was not a common occurrence at that time, but a majority of theHouse Democratic Caucus seemed to feel that the aged Price was no longer up to the job. In addition, Price, while liberal on domestic issues, was notably more supportive of defense spending than most Democrats. When it came to choosing Price's successor, the Caucus bypassed several other old hawkish members of the committee in favor ofLes Aspin, who was not only much younger than Price and other more senior members, but also seemed closer in his defense policy preferences to the majority of the Democratic Caucus.
During his time in Congress, Price also chaired theEthics Committee (1967–76) and theJoint Committee on Atomic Energy (1973–74). Price had a role in enacting thePrice-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act. He died in office in 1988 of pancreatic cancer.[2] Price is the namesake of theMelvin Price Locks and Dam, nearAlton, Illinois on the upperMississippi River, and theMelvin Price Federal Building and United States Courthouse in East St. Louis.
In the special election to succeed Price, fellow Democrat and chairman of the St. Clair County BoardJerry Costello defeated Republican candidate Robert Gaffner. Costello took office August 9, 1988.[3] He was elected to a full term that November with 53% of the vote.[4]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 22nd congressional district 1945–1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 25th congressional district 1949–1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 24th congressional district 1953–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 23rd congressional district 1973–1983 | District eliminated |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 21st congressional district 1983–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| New office | Chair of theHouse Ethics Committee 1967–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Armed Services Committee 1975–1985 | Succeeded by |
Chairs of theUnited States House Committee on Armed Services | ||
|---|---|---|
| Military Affairs Committee (1822–1947) |  | |
| Naval Affairs Committee (1822–1947) | ||
| Armed Services Committee* (from 1947) | ||
*Alternately namedNational Security in 104th and 105th Congresses. | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
