James P. Pope

James Pinckney Pope (March 31, 1884 – January 23, 1966) was a Democratic politician from Idaho. He was mayor of Boise for four years and a one-term United States Senator, serving from 1933 to 1939.

James P. Pope
United States Senator from Idaho
In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939
Preceded by	John W. Thomas
Succeeded by	D. Worth Clark
Mayor of Boise
In office April 30, 1929 – February 13, 1933
Preceded by	Walter F. Hansen
Succeeded by	Ross Cady
Personal details
Born	James Pinckney Pope March 31, 1884 Jonesboro, Louisiana
Died	January 23, 1966 (aged 81) Alexandria, Virginia
Resting place	Lynnhurst Cemetery Knoxville, Tennessee.
Nationality	United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Pauline Ruth Horn (1887–1957)
Children	2 sons [1]
Residence	Boise
Alma mater	Louisiana Industrial Institute, 1906 University of Chicago, J.D., 1909
Profession	Attorney

Early life and career

Born in Jonesboro, Louisiana, Pope graduated from Louisiana Industrial Institute (now Louisiana Tech University) in Ruston in 1906 and from the University of Chicago Law School in 1909 where he became a member of the Delta Chi fraternity. He was admitted to the bar then moved west to Idaho to practice law in Boise, and served as city attorney, assistant attorney general of Idaho, and a member of the board of education of Boise. Pope was mayor of Boise from 1929 to 1933.

United States Senate

He was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1932, defeating Republican incumbent John W. Thomas of Gooding. From 1934-36, Pope was a member of the Nye Committee. In 1938, he was defeated for renomination in the Democratic primary by Congressman D. Worth Clark of Pocatello,[2][3][4] who went on to win the general election.

Pope was a stalwart of the Roosevelt administration and the New Deal,[2][5][6] and it was suggested that Idaho's senior senator William Borah, the dean of the U.S. Senate, felt upstaged at times and had a hand in Pope's loss to the more conservative Clark in the August primary.[4]

U.S. Senate elections in Idaho (Class III): Results 1932

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1932		James P. Pope	103,020	55.6%		John W. Thomas	78,325	42.3%		Earl A. Oliason	Liberty	3,801	2.1%

Source:[7]

After Congress

In 1939, Pope was appointed a director of the Tennessee Valley Authority by President Roosevelt and served in that capacity until 1951. He continued to practice law and serve on several boards in Tennessee after that.[8]

Pope relocated to Alexandria, Virginia, in 1963 and died there at age 81 in 1966.[8] He and his wife, Pauline Ruth Horn Pope (1887–1957),[9] are buried in Lynnhurst Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee. They had two sons, Ross P. Pope and George A. Pope.[1]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.

1. Hanrahan, Mrs. R.E. (October 27, 1935). "Mrs. Pope, wife of Idaho senator, devotes time to two sons and little to Capitol society affairs". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 7.
2. "New Deal trails in Idaho test as Pope loses". Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Associated Press. August 10, 1938. p. 1.
3. "Idaho chiefs of new deal uneasy". Bend Bulletin. Oregon. United Press. April 12, 1938. p. 1.
4. Dutcher, Rodney (August 19, 1938). "Pope defeat credited to ire of Borah". St. Petersburg Independent. Florida. p. 5A.
5. "Pope defends federal relief". Spartanburg Herald. South Carolina. Associated Press. November 28, 1934. p. 1.
6. "Senator Pope trailing in hot fight". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. August 10, 1938. p. 1.
7. "Office of the Clerk: Election statistics". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
8. "Ex-Idaho Senator Pope dies at 81". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 24, 1966. p. 6.
9. "Senator Pope takes a look at his home state". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. (photo). October 22, 1935. p. 1.

External links

• United States Congress. "James P. Pope (id: p000430)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• The Political Graveyard
• James P. Pope at Find a Grave