Representative Henry Elbert Stubbs

Henry Elbert Stubbs (March 4, 1881 – February 28, 1937) was an American clergyman and Democratic politician who served as a U.S. Representative from California during the New Deal era. Over the course of three terms in Congress, from March 4, 1933, until his death in 1937, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his California constituents in the House of Representatives.

Stubbs was born on March 4, 1881, in Nampa, Coleman County, Texas. He attended the public schools in Groesbeck, Texas, where he received his early education. Seeking further training for a life in the ministry, he enrolled at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma, an institution associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). His studies there prepared him for both pastoral work and the public responsibilities he would later assume.

In 1911 Stubbs was ordained a minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), beginning a long career in the clergy before entering national politics. He first served as pastor of the Christian Church in Frederick, Oklahoma, from 1911 to 1914. He then led the congregation in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, from 1914 to 1917, returning to Frederick to serve again as pastor from 1918 to 1921. Through these pastorates he became known as a community leader and advocate for his parishioners, experience that would later inform his legislative priorities.

Stubbs moved to California in 1921, continuing his ministerial vocation on the West Coast. From 1921 to 1923 he served as pastor of the Christian Church in Tulare, California. In 1923 he became pastor of the Christian Church in Santa Maria, California, a position he held for a decade. His work in Santa Maria, where he remained until his election to Congress, deepened his ties to the region and brought him into close contact with the social and economic concerns of Central California communities during the years leading up to the Great Depression.

Transitioning from the pulpit to elective office, Stubbs entered national politics as a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third, Seventy-fourth, and Seventy-fifth Congresses, representing California in the U.S. House of Representatives. His service began on March 4, 1933, coinciding with the inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the launch of the New Deal. During his tenure in Congress, which extended until 1937, Stubbs participated in the democratic process at a time of profound economic and social change, contributing to legislative deliberations and representing the interests of his California constituents during three consecutive terms in office.

Stubbs’s congressional career was cut short by his death in office. He died in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 1937, while still serving in the Seventy-fifth Congress. Following his death, he was interred in Santa Maria Cemetery in Santa Maria, California, the community where he had long served as a pastor and from which he had first been elected to national office.