John A. Elston
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| birthname=John Arthur Elston
| name=John A. Elston
| image name=JohnAElston.jpg
| state1=California
| district1=6th
| party=Progressive Party
Republican Party
| term_start1=March 4, 1915
| term_end1=December 15, 1921
| preceded1=Joseph R. Knowland
| succeeded1=James H. MacLafferty
| birth_date={{birth date|1874|2|10}}
| birth_place=Woodland, California, US
| death_date={{death date and age|1921|12|15|1874|2|10}}
| death_place= Washington, D.C., US
| death_cause = suicide by drowning
| resting_place = Chapel of the Chimes (Oakland, California)
| spouse=
| children=
| religion=
| occupation=
| residence=
| alma_mater= University of California, Berkeley
}}
John Arthur Elston (February 10, 1874 – December 15, 1921) was an American educator, lawyer and politician who served four terms as a U.S. Representative from California from 1915 to 1921.{{CongBio|E000161}}
Early life and career
Born in Woodland, California, Elston attended public schools.
He graduated from Hesperian College, Woodland, 1892.
He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, California, 1897.
= Early career =
He was a teacher and was admitted to the California state bar, 1901. He worked as a lawyer in private practice.
He served as executive secretary to the Governor of California (George C. Pardee) from 1903 to 1907.
He served as member of the board of trustees of the State Institution for the Deaf and Blind from 1911 to 1914.
Congress
Elston was elected as a Progressive to the Sixty-fourth Congress and reelected as a Republican to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1915 – December 15, 1921).
He served as chairman of the Committee on Mileage (Sixty-sixth Congress).
Death
After missing congressional proceedings the previous day and being treated by a physician for “nervousness,” Elston killed himself in Washington, D.C., on December 15, 1921, by drowning in the Potomac River.{{cite web | url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/12/14/berkeley-a-look-back-u-s-rep-elston-dies-of-apparent-suicide-in-d-c/amp/ | author=Stephen Finacom | website=East Bay Times | date=December 14, 2021 | title=A look back at the apparent suicide in DC of Representative John Elston}}{{cite news |date=16 December 1921 |title=Congressman is Potomac Suicide |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1921/12/16/page/1/article/congressman-is-potomac-suicide |newspaper=Daily Tribune |location=Chicago |access-date=16 December 2015 }} He was cremated and the ashes placed in the California Crematorium, now the Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, California.[https://oakland.chapelofthechimes.com/about-us/ Chapel of the Chimes]
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change | title= 1914 United States House of Representatives elections
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Progressive Party (US, 1912)
| candidate = John A. Elston
| votes =
| percentage = 44.4
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (US)
| candidate = George H. Derrick
| votes =
| percentage = 37.7
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Socialist Party of America
| candidate = Howard H. Caldwell
| votes =
| percentage = 13.9
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Prohibition Party
| candidate = Harlow E. Wolcott
| votes =
| percentage = 3.9
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes =
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box gain with party link without swing
| winner = Progressive Party (US, 1912)
| loser = Republican Party (US)
}}
{{End}}
{{Election box begin no change | title= 1916 United States House of Representatives elections
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (US)
| candidate = John A. Elston (Incumbent)
| votes = 56,520
| percentage = 64.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Democratic Party (US)
| candidate = H. Avery Whitney
| votes = 19,787
| percentage = 22.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Socialist Party of America
| candidate = Luella Twining
| votes = 7,588
| percentage = 8.7
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Prohibition Party
| candidate = Harlow E. Wolcott
| votes = 3,605
| percentage = 4.1
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 87,500
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing
| winner = Republican Party (US)
}}
{{End}}
{{Election box begin no change | title= 1918 United States House of Representatives elections
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (US)
| candidate = John A. Elston (Incumbent)
| votes = 59,082
| percentage = 88.4
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Socialist Party of America
| candidate = Luella Twining
| votes = 7,721
| percentage = 11.6
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 66,803
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing
| winner = Republican Party (US)
}}
{{End}}
{{Election box begin no change | title= 1920 United States House of Representatives elections{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1920election.pdf|title=1920 election results|accessdate=June 30, 2023}}
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (US)
| candidate = John A. Elston (Incumbent)
| votes = 75,610
| percentage = 83.3
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Democratic Party (US)
| candidate = Maynard Shipley
| votes = 15,151
| percentage = 16.7
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 90,761
| percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing
| winner = Republican Party (US)
}}
{{End}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
- [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015070206993;view=1up;seq=9 John A. Elston, late a representative from California, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1924]
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{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box
| state=California
| district=6
| before=Joseph R. Knowland
| after=James H. MacLafferty
| years=1915–1921}}
{{s-end}}
{{Bioguide}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elston, John Arthur}}
Category:People from Woodland, California
Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
Category:Suicides by drowning in the United States
Category:American politicians who died by suicide
Category:Suicides in Washington, D.C.
Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
Category:Delta Upsilon members
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