Newt Virgus Mills | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's5th district | |
| In office January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1943 | |
| Preceded by | Riley J. Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Charles E. McKenzie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1899-09-27)September 27, 1899 Calhoun, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | May 15, 1996(1996-05-15) (aged 96) Monroe, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Monroe, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Louisiana Tech University Louisiana State University |
| Occupation | Educator;Businessman Farmer |
Newt Virgus Mills (September 27, 1899 – May 15, 1996) was an American educator, businessman, and politician who served three terms as aU.S. Representative in the first half of the 20th century forLouisiana's 5th congressional district, based inMonroe,Louisiana.
Born inCalhoun in westernOuachita Parish, Mills attended public schools and then enrolled atLouisiana Tech University inRuston,Louisiana State University inBaton Rouge,Northwestern State University, then Louisiana Normal College, inNatchitoches, and Spencer Business College inNew Orleans. He also studied law.
From 1921 to 1932, Mills taught school inMer Rouge inMorehouse Parish. He was the Louisiana supervisor of public accounts from 1933 to 1936. He was also engaged in agricultural pursuits, cattle raising, real estate, and oil. In 1936, he served as colonel on the staff of thegovernor.
Mills was elected as aDemocrat to the Seventy-fifty, Seventy-sixth, and Seventy-seventh Congresses from January 3, 1937, to January 3, 1943. He unseated RepresentativeRiley J. Wilson ofCatahoula Parish in the 1936 Democraticprimary. In 1942, however, he was himself defeated for renomination byCharles E. McKenzie, a native ofDeSoto Parish who had relocated to Monroe.
In 1950, Mills and Malcolm Lafargue, the formerU.S. attorney for theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, based inShreveport, waged unsuccessful intraparty challenges toU.S. SenatorRussell B. Long, son of the legendaryHuey Pierce Long, Jr.
Mills resumed his involvement in oil and natural gas, cotton planting, and a building-supply company. He was a resident of Monroe until his death there at the age of ninety-six on May 15, 1996. He was the last living U.S. representative born in the nineteenth century.
Media related toNewt V. Mills at Wikimedia Commons| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's 5th congressional district 1937–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living United States representative (Sitting or former) May 29, 1995 – May 15, 1996 | Succeeded by |
