Percy Lee Gassaway
Encyclopedia
Percy Lee Gassaway was a U.S. Representative
from Oklahoma
.
Born in Waco
, McLennan County
, Texas
, Gassaway moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma (then Indian Territory
), with his parents in 1899.
He attended the public schools in Fort Sill and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
.
He was employed as a clerk in a law office.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar
in 1918 and commenced practice
in Coalgate, Oklahoma
.
He also engaged in agricultural and ranching pursuits.
He was appointed county judge of Coal County, Oklahoma
, in 1923, elected in 1924, and served until 1926.
He served as district judge
of the twenty-sixth judicial district 1926-1934.
Gassaway was elected as a Democrat
to the Seventy-fourth Congress
(January 3, 1935-January 3, 1937).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1936.
He resumed the practice of law and also engaged as a rancher near Coalgate, Oklahoma
.
He died in Coalgate, Oklahoma
, May 15, 1937.
He was interred in Coalgate Cemetery.
Percy Lee Gassaway was a distant cousin of 1904 United States Vice-Presidential candidate and Senator from West Virginia Henry Gassaway Davis
, being the grt-grt-grt-grt-grt-grandson and grt-grt-grt-grt-grandson respectively of early Maryland planter and politician Colonel Nicholas Gassaway
.
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 Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Born in Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, McLennan County
McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Gassaway moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma (then Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
), with his parents in 1899.
He attended the public schools in Fort Sill and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
.
He was employed as a clerk in a law office.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1918 and commenced practice
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
in Coalgate, Oklahoma
Coalgate, Oklahoma
Coalgate is a city in and the county seat of Coal County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,005 at the 2000 census.Morris W. Turner , a businessman and the mayor of Lubbock, Texas, from 1972–1974, was born in Coalgate.-Geography:...
.
He also engaged in agricultural and ranching pursuits.
He was appointed county judge of Coal County, Oklahoma
Coal County, Oklahoma
Coal County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population is 6,031. Its county seat is Coalgate.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
, in 1923, elected in 1924, and served until 1926.
He served as district judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
of the twenty-sixth judicial district 1926-1934.
Gassaway 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 Seventy-fourth Congress
74th United States Congress
-House:Also 2 Delegates, 3 Resident Commissioners-Senate:*President of the Senate: John N. Garner *President pro tempore: Key Pittman -Majority leadership:*Majority leader: Joseph T. Robinson...
(January 3, 1935-January 3, 1937).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1936.
He resumed the practice of law and also engaged as a rancher near Coalgate, Oklahoma
Coalgate, Oklahoma
Coalgate is a city in and the county seat of Coal County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,005 at the 2000 census.Morris W. Turner , a businessman and the mayor of Lubbock, Texas, from 1972–1974, was born in Coalgate.-Geography:...
.
He died in Coalgate, Oklahoma
Coalgate, Oklahoma
Coalgate is a city in and the county seat of Coal County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,005 at the 2000 census.Morris W. Turner , a businessman and the mayor of Lubbock, Texas, from 1972–1974, was born in Coalgate.-Geography:...
, May 15, 1937.
He was interred in Coalgate Cemetery.
Percy Lee Gassaway was a distant cousin of 1904 United States Vice-Presidential candidate and Senator from West Virginia Henry Gassaway Davis
Henry G. Davis
Henry Gassaway Davis was a self-made millionaire and U.S. Senator from West Virginia. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1904. His brother was U.S...
, being the grt-grt-grt-grt-grt-grandson and grt-grt-grt-grt-grandson respectively of early Maryland planter and politician Colonel Nicholas Gassaway
Nicholas Gassaway
Colonel Nicholas Gassaway was a colonial military and political leader and justice in early Maryland. He is also notable for having originated the family name Gassaway , as a variant of his father Thomas Gaswaie’s family name...
.
Source
- Gassaway, Henry Griffith Jr., Gassaway: a history and genealogy of the descendants of Col Nicholas Gassaway, Birmingham, MI 1935