Bernhard M. Jacobsen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Frontispiece of 1937'sBernhard Martin Jacobsen, Late a Representative from Iowa. | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1931 – June 30, 1936 | |
| Preceded by | F. Dickinson Letts |
| Succeeded by | William S. Jacobsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1862-03-26)March 26, 1862 Tønder,Slesvig,Denmark |
| Died | June 30, 1936(1936-06-30) (aged 74) Rochester, Minnesota,United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Businessman |
Bernhard Martin Jacobsen (March 26, 1862 – June 30, 1936) was a DemocraticU.S. Representative fromIowa who served nearly three full terms during theGreat Depression. He was the father ofWilliam S. Jacobsen, who succeeded him in Congress following his death.
Born inTønder, (which was then a part of the Danish fiefSchleswig, but is now inDenmark proper), Jacobsen attended the public schools. He immigrated in 1876 to the United States with his parents, who settled inClinton, Iowa. He learned to speak English while serving as a helper in a Clintonsawmill.[1] He was employed as a clerk in adry goods store until 1886, when he engaged in the mercantile business. He served aspostmaster of Clinton 1914–1923. He retired from the mercantile business in 1927 and engaged in the industrial finance business.
In 1930, Jacobsen was elected as aDemocrat to representIowa's 2nd congressional district, unseating incumbent Republican CongressmanF. Dickinson Letts. He was the first Democrat elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa since 1916. Jacobsen's defeat of Letts was particularly embarrassing for President Hoover, as the district included the President's home in West Branch, Cedar County. In the next two elections (in which Iowa Democrats established, then retained, a clear majority of U.S. House seats), Jacobsen won by large margins.
On June 1, 1936, Jacobsen won the Democraticprimary for a fourth term, this time to theSeventy-fifth Congress.[2] However, he died on June 30, 1936, inRochester, Minnesota, after ten days of hospitalization.[3] A special nominating convention selected his son,William S. Jacobsen, to fill his place on the ballot. His son then held the seat in the general election, defeatingCharles Penningroth ofCedar Rapids.
He was interred in Springdale Cemetery,Clinton, Iowa.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 2nd congressional district 1931–1936 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
