Heartsill Ragon
Encyclopedia
Heartsill Ragon was a U.S. Representative
from Arkansas
.
Born in Dublin, Arkansas, Ragon attended the common schools, the Clarksville High School, the College of the Ozarks (now University of the Ozarks
), Clarksville, Arkansas
, and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
He graduated from the law department of Washington and Lee University
, Lexington, Virginia
.
He was admitted to the bar
in 1908 and commenced practice in Clarksville, Arkansas
.
He served as member of the State house of representatives 1911-1913.
He served as district attorney 1916-1920.
Secretary of the Democratic State convention in 1918.
He served as chairman of the Democratic State convention in 1920.
He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1920.
Ragon was elected as a Democrat
to the Sixty-eighth
and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1923, until his resignation effective June 16, 1933, having been appointed judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
on May 12, 1933, in which capacity he served until his death in Fort Smith, Arkansas
, September 15, 1940.
He was interred in Forest Park Cemetery.
In 1939, Judge Ragon authored an opinion in United States v. Miller, 26 F. Supp. 1002, stating that a federal statute violated the Second Amendment
. His opinion was reversed by the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Miller
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Born in Dublin, Arkansas, Ragon attended the common schools, the Clarksville High School, the College of the Ozarks (now University of the Ozarks
University of the Ozarks
The University of the Ozarks is a private, four-year liberal arts, comprehensive university located in Clarksville, Arkansas, a community of just over 9,000 people and the county seat of Johnson County. U of O is located at the foot of the Ozark Mountains, about west of Little Rock...
), Clarksville, Arkansas
Clarksville, Arkansas
Clarksville is a city in Johnson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was approximately 9,300 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Johnson County.. Clarksville is nestled between the Arkansas River and the foot hills of the Ozark Mountains and Interstate 40 and US Hwy 64...
, and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
He graduated from the law department of Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
, Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
.
He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1908 and commenced practice in Clarksville, Arkansas
Clarksville, Arkansas
Clarksville is a city in Johnson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was approximately 9,300 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Johnson County.. Clarksville is nestled between the Arkansas River and the foot hills of the Ozark Mountains and Interstate 40 and US Hwy 64...
.
He served as member of the State house of representatives 1911-1913.
He served as district attorney 1916-1920.
Secretary of the Democratic State convention in 1918.
He served as chairman of the Democratic State convention in 1920.
He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1920.
Ragon was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Sixty-eighth
68th United States Congress
The Sixty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923 to March 4, 1925, during the last months of...
and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1923, until his resignation effective June 16, 1933, having been appointed judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas is a United States District Court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Clarke, Columbia, Crawford, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Springs, Howard,...
on May 12, 1933, in which capacity he served until his death in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, September 15, 1940.
He was interred in Forest Park Cemetery.
In 1939, Judge Ragon authored an opinion in United States v. Miller, 26 F. Supp. 1002, stating that a federal statute violated the Second Amendment
Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
. His opinion was reversed by the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Miller
United States v. Miller
United States v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 , was the first Supreme Court of the United States decision to involve the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Miller is a controversial decision in the ongoing American gun politics debate, as both sides claim that it supports their...
.