J. Ernest Wharton

James Ernest Wharton (October 4, 1899 – January 19, 1990) was an American attorney and politician. A Republican, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1951 to 1965.

J. Ernest Wharton
From 1963's Pocket Congressional Directory of the Eighty-Eighth Congress
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 28th district
In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965
Preceded by	Katharine St. George
Succeeded by	Joseph Y. Resnick
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 29th district
In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1963
Preceded by	Katharine St. George
Succeeded by	Leo W. O'Brien
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 30th district
In office January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953
Preceded by	Jay Le Fevre
Succeeded by	Leo W. O'Brien
Personal details
Born	October 4, 1899 Binghamton, New York, U.S.
Died	January 19, 1990 (aged 90) Summit, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Cobleskill Rural Cemetery, Cobleskill, New York
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Freda Boynton Marion Turner
Children	1
Mother	Mae Dibble
Father	James H. Wharton
Education	Albany Law School
Profession	Attorney
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1918
Rank	Private
Unit	Student Army Training Corps
Battles/wars	World War I

Biography

James Ernest Wharton was born in Binghamton, New York on October 4, 1899[1] to James H. Wharton and Mae Dibble.[2] He attended the public schools of Richmondville and graduated from Richmondville High School.[3] After his high school graduation, Wharton attended Albany Law School.[4]

During World War I, Wharton joined the Student Army Training Corps.[5] He enlisted as a private in October 1918, and was discharged in December, following the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war.[5] Wharton then completed his studies at Albany Law School, from which he graduated in 1919.[6]

Wharton worked for Travelers Insurance from 1920 until 1929.[6] He attained admission to the bar in 1923 and commenced a law practice in 1929.[3][7] A Republican, Wharton was the district attorney of Schoharie County, New York from 1932 until 1941.[6] From 1941 to 1951, he served as the county's surrogate, family, and county court judge.[3]

He was elected to the U.S. House in 1950 and served from January 3, 1951 until January 3, 1965.[7] In 1960, his Democratic opponent was Gore Vidal, whom Wharton defeated to win a fifth term.[6] In 1964, he was defeated for reelection by Democrat Joseph Y. Resnick.[8] After leaving Congress, Wharton resumed the practice of law and became involved in real estate development.[7]

Wharton voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[9] 1960,[10] and 1964,[11] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[12]

He died in Summit, New York on January 19, 1990.[6] He was buried at Cobleskill Rural Cemetery in Cobleskill.

Wharton was first married to Freda Boynton (1899-1979).[13] They divorced and he married Marion Turner (1913-2006).[6] With his first wife, Wharton was the father of a daughter, Beverly Wharton Radez.[6][13]

See also

References

1. Official Congressional Directory
2. "Death Notice, J. Ernest Wharton". Schoharie County Historical Review. Vol. 53–60. Schoharie, NY: Schoharie County Historical Society. 1990. p. 78 – via Google Books.
3. Official Congressional Directory. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 1951. p. 92 – via Google Books.
4. "U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Entry for J. Ernest Wharton". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. September 12, 1918. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
5. "New York Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919, Entry for J. Ernest Wharton". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
6. "Obituary, J. Ernest Wharton". The New York Times. New York, NY. January 23, 1990. p. D22 – via TimesMachine.
7. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1996. Alexandria, VA: CQ Staff Directories, Inc. 1997. p. 2038. ISBN 978-0-87289-124-1 – via Google Books.
8. Stone, Kurt F. (2011). The Jews of Capitol Hill. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-8108-7738-2 – via Google Books.
9. "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
10. "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
11. "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE".
12. "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS". GovTrack.us.
13. "Obituary, Beverly A. Radez". Tributes.com. Boston, MA: Tributes, Inc. October 16, 2019.

External links

• United States Congress. "J. Ernest Wharton (id: W000323)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-01-29
• J. Ernest Wharton at Find a Grave