Representative Donald Claude Dobbins

Donald Claude Dobbins (March 20, 1878 – February 14, 1943) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Illinois from 1933 to 1937. His congressional service coincided with the early years of the New Deal, during which he contributed to the legislative process as the nation confronted the Great Depression.

Dobbins was born on a farm near Dewey, Champaign County, Illinois, on March 20, 1878. He was raised in a rural environment and attended the local public schools, receiving a basic education that prepared him for further study. His early life in central Illinois, in an agricultural community, helped shape his understanding of the concerns of farmers and small-town residents that he would later represent in public office.

Pursuing higher education, Dobbins attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he undertook collegiate studies before continuing his training in business. He subsequently enrolled at Dixon Business College, gaining commercial and clerical skills that would support his early career. Seeking further advancement and exposure to the workings of the federal government, he later studied at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., an experience that placed him in close proximity to the nation’s political institutions.

Before entering the legal profession, Dobbins worked as a stenographer from 1900 to 1906, a position that required precision, attention to detail, and familiarity with official proceedings. From 1906 to 1909 he served as a post office inspector, a federal position that involved oversight of postal operations and investigations, and that provided him with practical experience in government service. During this period he studied law, and in 1909 he was admitted to the bar. He then commenced the practice of law in Champaign, Illinois, establishing himself as an attorney and building a professional reputation in his home region.

Dobbins’s legal and governmental experience led him into active participation in Democratic Party politics. A member of the Democratic Party, he became increasingly involved in public affairs at a time when the party was gaining strength in Illinois and nationally. His standing within the party was later reflected in his selection as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention held in Philadelphia in 1936, where delegates renominated President Franklin D. Roosevelt and helped shape the party’s platform during a critical phase of the New Deal.

In 1932, Dobbins was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third Congress, taking office on March 4, 1933, as a Representative from Illinois. He was reelected to the Seventy-fourth Congress, serving continuously until January 3, 1937. During his two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Illinois constituents while Congress addressed the economic and social crises of the Great Depression. As a member of the House of Representatives during this significant period in American history, Dobbins contributed to the legislative process as the federal government expanded its role in economic recovery and social welfare. He chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1936, concluding his congressional service at the end of his second term.

After leaving Congress, Dobbins returned to Champaign, Illinois, where he resumed the practice of law. He continued his professional work as an attorney, remaining engaged in the civic and legal life of his community. He lived in Champaign until his death on February 14, 1943. Donald Claude Dobbins was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Champaign, closing a career that spanned federal service, legal practice, and two terms in the United States Congress.