John J. McGrath
Encyclopedia
John Joseph McGrath was a U.S. Representative from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 from 1933-39. Born in Limerick, Ireland, he immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen, living initially in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. He studied law briefly and worked as a salesman and sales manager for many year, becoming a U. S. citizen in 1896. In California he served as postmaster of San Mateo
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...

 from 1916 to 1925, and as a justice of the peace in San Mateo County from 1928 to 1932. In 1932 he was elected to Congress 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...

, defeating incumbent Arthur M. Free
Arthur M. Free
Arthur Monroe Free was a United States Representative from California. He was born in San Jose, California. He attended the public schools of Santa Clara and the University of the Pacific. He graduated from Stanford University in 1901 and from its law department in 1903. He was admitted to the...

 in the 8th district, which ran from San Mateo County south across Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties. He served three full terms from 1933 to 1939, but was defeated for reelection in 1938 by Republican Jack Z. Anderson
Jack Z. Anderson
John Zuinglius Anderson was a U.S. Representative from California.Born in Oakland, California, Anderson moved with his parents to Santa Cruz, California, the same year, and to San Jose, California, in 1913, attended the public schools.He was graduated from San Jose High School in 1923.He moved to...

. Subsequently, he served as commissioner for immigration and naturalization in San Francisco from 1939 to 1940 before retiring. He died in 1951 in San Mateo.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK