Representative Charles McGavin

Charles McGavin (January 10, 1874 – December 17, 1940) was a Republican U.S. Representative from Illinois who served two terms in the United States Congress from 1905 to 1909. Over the course of his public career, he was active in municipal law in Chicago, represented an Illinois district in the House of Representatives during a significant period of early twentieth-century American political and economic development, and later remained engaged in party affairs at the national level.

McGavin was born on January 10, 1874, in Riverton, Sangamon County, Illinois. He attended the common schools in nearby Springfield, Illinois, reflecting the typical public-school education of Midwestern youth of his era. He subsequently pursued secondary studies at the high school in Mount Olive, Illinois. After completing his early education, he turned to the study of law, preparing for a legal career through the traditional method of legal reading and apprenticeship then prevalent in the United States.

In 1897 McGavin was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in Springfield, Illinois. He practiced there for approximately two years, gaining initial experience in the legal profession. In 1899 he moved to Chicago, Illinois, which was emerging as a major commercial and industrial center, and resumed the practice of law in that city. His work in Chicago led to his appointment as assistant city attorney, a position he held in 1903 and 1904. In that capacity, he participated in the legal affairs of the municipal government of Chicago, an experience that helped establish his public profile and provided a foundation for his subsequent entry into national politics.

McGavin was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-ninth and Sixtieth Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1905, to March 3, 1909. Representing an Illinois constituency during the Progressive Era, he took part in the legislative process at a time when issues such as industrial regulation, transportation, and political reform were prominent in national debate. As a member of the House of Representatives, McGavin participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in Illinois, contributing to deliberations and votes on measures before Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1908, thereby concluding his congressional service after two consecutive terms.

Following his departure from Congress, McGavin returned to private life and resumed the practice of law in Chicago. In 1912 he relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he continued his legal practice until 1915. After three years on the West Coast, he returned once more to Chicago, reestablishing himself in the legal community there. Remaining active in Republican Party affairs, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1920, participating in the party’s national deliberations during the presidential election cycle that followed World War I.

Charles McGavin died in Chicago, Illinois, on December 17, 1940. He was interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Berwyn, Illinois. His career encompassed local legal service, two terms in the United States House of Representatives, and continued engagement in Republican politics, reflecting the trajectory of a Midwestern lawyer who rose to national office and remained involved in public life into the early decades of the twentieth century.