Representative Albert McDonald Cole

Albert McDonald Cole (October 13, 1901 – June 5, 1994) was a lawyer, state legislator, federal housing administrator, and U.S. Representative from Kansas. He was born in Moberly, Randolph County, Missouri, on October 13, 1901. In 1909 his family moved to Topeka, Kansas, where he spent the remainder of his youth. Growing up in Kansas during the early twentieth century, he was educated in the public schools of Topeka and later in Sabetha, reflecting the family’s relocation within the state as his parents sought opportunities in the developing communities of northeastern Kansas.

Cole attended the grade schools of Topeka and graduated from Sabetha High School in Sabetha, Kansas. He then enrolled at Washburn University in Topeka, where he pursued undergraduate studies that prepared him for a career in law and public service. Seeking advanced legal training, he entered the University of Chicago Law School, from which he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1925. The following year, in 1926, he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Holton, Jackson County, Kansas, establishing himself as a young attorney in a small but active county seat.

Cole quickly became involved in local public affairs. He served as county attorney of Jackson County from 1927 to 1931, a role in which he was responsible for prosecuting criminal cases and advising county officials on legal matters during the late 1920s and the onset of the Great Depression. Deepening his engagement with community issues, he was elected to the Holton School Board, serving as a member and president from 1931 to 1943. In that capacity he helped oversee local educational policy and administration over more than a decade marked by economic hardship and the disruptions of World War II.

Building on his local service, Cole entered state politics and was elected to the Kansas Senate, where he served from 1941 to 1945. His tenure in the state legislature coincided with the war years, when state governments were grappling with mobilization, resource allocation, and postwar planning. As a state senator, he gained legislative experience and a broader public profile that positioned him for national office.

Cole was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-ninth and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1945, to January 3, 1953. Representing a Kansas district in the immediate post–World War II era, he participated in congressional deliberations on reconversion to a peacetime economy, veterans’ benefits, housing, and early Cold War policy. After four consecutive terms, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1952 to the Eighty-third Congress, bringing his House service to a close at the start of 1953.

Following his congressional career, Cole remained in Washington and moved into the field of federal housing and urban development. He was appointed administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency in Washington, D.C., serving from March 1953 to January 1959. In that position, which predated and later fed into the creation of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, he oversaw federal programs related to housing finance, urban renewal, and public housing during a period of rapid suburbanization and significant federal involvement in the housing sector.

After leaving federal service, Cole entered the private sector with Reynolds Metals, a major aluminum producer. He served as vice president of Reynolds Aluminum Service Corporation from 1959 to 1961, then as president of Reynolds Metals Development Corporation from 1961 to 1967. From 1967 to 1970 he continued his association with the company as a director. These positions placed him at the intersection of industry, construction, and housing-related development at a time when aluminum products were increasingly used in building and consumer applications.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Cole maintained an active legal career. Beginning in 1967, he practiced law in Washington, D.C., drawing on his extensive experience in government, legislation, and housing policy. He continued in legal practice until 1990, remaining professionally engaged well into his late eighties. A long-time resident of Washington, D.C., Cole lived there until his death on June 5, 1994, at the age of 92.