Roy Henry Thorpe (December 13, 1874 – September 19, 1951) was an American salesman and Republican Party politician.

Roy H. Thorpe
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Nebraska's 1st district
In office
November 7, 1922 – March 3, 1923
Preceded byC. Frank Reavis
Succeeded byJohn H. Morehead
Personal details
Born(1874-12-13)December 13, 1874
Greensburg, Indiana
DiedSeptember 19, 1951(1951-09-19) (aged 76)
Lincoln, Nebraska
Political partyRepublican

Early life and education edit

He was born near Greensburg, Indiana, on December 13, 1874, and graduated from Greensburg High School. He studied pharmacy, medicine, and law.[1]

Career edit

As an evangelist, Thorpe was known as "the boy tramp orator of 1896". He worked as a salesman in Du Quoin, Illinois, from 1897 to 1904 and in Shenandoah, Iowa, from 1905 to 1919.

In 1919, Thorpe moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, still working as a salesman. On November 7, 1922, he was elected to the Sixty-seventh United States Congress to fill the seat left open by C. Frank Reavis who resigned to become a special war fraud prosecutor. He did not seek reelection in 1922, but attempted a comeback in 1924 but was defeated by John H. Morehead.[2] He traveled as a sales organizer and later engaged in the insurance business.[3]

Death edit

He died in Lincoln on September 19, 1951, and is interred in Wyuka Cemetery.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Congress, United States; Printing, United States Congress Joint Committee on (1928). Biographical Directory of the American Congress. 1774-1927: The Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788 and the Congress of the United States from the First to the Sixty-ninth Congress, March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1927, Inclusive. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  2. ^ Congress, United States (1922). Official Congressional Directory. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  3. ^ "THORPE, Roy Henry". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  4. ^ "Nebraska politicians buried at Wyuka". graveyardsofomaha.com. Retrieved 2022-07-11.

External links edit

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Nebraska's 1st congressional district

November 7, 1922 – March 3, 1923
Succeeded by