Samuel L. Devine | |
|---|---|
![]() Devine in 1973 | |
| Chair of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office June 20, 1979 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Leader | John Rhodes |
| Preceded by | John B. Anderson |
| Succeeded by | Jack Kemp |
| Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office September 16, 1971 – June 20, 1979 | |
| Leader | John Rhodes |
| Preceded by | Robert Stafford |
| Succeeded by | Jack Edwards |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's12th district | |
| In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | John Vorys |
| Succeeded by | Bob Shamansky |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Leeper Devine (1915-12-21)December 21, 1915 South Bend, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 27, 1997(1997-06-27) (aged 81) Upper Arlington, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Children | Carol |
| Education | Colgate University Ohio State University (BA) University of Notre Dame (LLB) |
| Signature | |
Samuel Leeper Devine (December 21, 1915 – June 27, 1997) was an American politician of theRepublican Party who served in theUnited States House of Representatives as Representative ofthe 12th congressional district of Ohio from January 3, 1959, until January 3, 1981; he left office after being defeated byDemocratBob Shamansky, who lost the seat after a single term to RepublicanJohn Kasich.[1] During the96th Congress, he was the Chairman of theHouse Republican Conference.
Samuel L. Devine was born inSouth Bend, Indiana, on December 21, 1915, and his family moved toColumbus, Ohio, in 1920. He attendedUpper Arlington High School. Devine attendedColgate University from 1933 to 1934 and theOhio State University from 1934 to 1937. After graduating from OSU, Devine went to law school at theUniversity of Notre Dame (located in the city of his birth) and received anLL.B. andJ.D. in 1940.
Devine was admitted to the bar in 1940 and began private legal practice in Columbus, but in 1940 was appointed a special agent of theFederal Bureau of Investigation. He resigned from the Bureau in October 1945 and resumed private practice in Columbus.
Devine embarked on a political career in 1950 and was elected to theOhio House of Representatives, where he served from 1951 to 1955. Devine was chairman of the Ohio Un-American Activities Committee, a joint committee of the Ohio House and theSenate modelled on the federalHouse Un-American Activities Committee. This committee, given extensive powers of interrogation, declared in 1952 that approximately 1,300 Ohioans were members of theCommunist Party. At Devine's urging, the state legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto of a bill to impose prison terms and fines on Communists.
Devine served as Prosecuting Attorney forFranklin County, Ohio, from 1955 until 1958, when he was elected to theUnited States Congress.
Devine was also a college football official for 27 years.
He died on June 27, 1997, from cancer inUpper Arlington, Ohio.[2]
His daughter,Carol Miller, is a former Republican member of theWest Virginia House of Delegates, where she served asmajority whip.[3] In2018, Miller was elected to Congress fromWest Virginia's 3rd congressional district over DemocratRichard Ojeda in one of the most-watched races in the country.[4][5]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's 12th congressional district 1959–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Administration Committee 1970–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee 1973–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference 1971–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of the House Republican Conference 1979–1981 | Succeeded by |