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William Joseph Sears | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida | |
| In office March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1929 | |
| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Ruth Bryan Owen |
| Constituency | 4th district |
| In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1937 | |
| Preceded by | Seat inactive |
| Succeeded by | Seat inactive |
| Constituency | At-large |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1874-12-04)December 4, 1874 Smithville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 1944(1944-03-30) (aged 69) Kissimmee, Florida, U.S. |
| Resting place | Rose Hill Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Kissimmee, Florida |
William Joseph Sears (December 4, 1874 – March 30, 1944) was a lawyer andU.S. Representative fromFlorida. A Democrat, he was an avowed white supremacist.[1]
Born inSmithville, Georgia, Sears moved with his parents toEllaville, Georgia, and thence toKissimmee, Florida, in January 1881. He attended the public schools. He graduated from Florida State College at Lake City in 1895 and fromMercer University inMacon, Georgia, in 1896.
He studied law and wasadmitted to the bar in 1905. He commenced his law practice in Kissimmee, and served as its mayor from 1907 to 1911.He was also the superintendent of public instruction of Osceola County 1905–1915.
Sears was elected as aDemocrat to theSixty-fourth and to the six succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1929). He served as chairman of the Committee on Education (Sixty-fifth Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1928 and resumed the practice of his legal profession in Kissimmee. He moved toJacksonville, Florida, and continued the practice of law.
Sears was again elected to the U.S. House for theSeventy-third andSeventy-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1937), holding anat-large seat. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1936, in a newly drawn district.
Sears served as an associate member of the Board of Veterans' Appeals of theVeterans' Administration inWashington, D.C., from 1937 until his retirement in October 1942. He died in Kissimmee on March 30, 1944, and was interred in Rose Hill Cemetery.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by District created | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 4th congressional district 1915 – 1929 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Seat inactive | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's at-large congressional district 1933 – 1937 | Succeeded by Seat inactive |
| Education and Labor (1867–1883) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (1883–1947) | ||
| Labor (1883–1947) | ||
| Education and Labor* (1947–) | ||
| Note | * Alternately namedEconomic and Educational Opportunities in 104th Congress andEducation and the Workforce in 105th through 109th and 112th through 115th Congresses. | |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
