Representative Henry Vollmer

Henry Vollmer (July 28, 1867 – August 25, 1930) was an attorney and politician who served as mayor of Davenport, Iowa, and as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa’s 2nd congressional district. Winning a special election in 1914, he served just over one year in Congress. As a member of the Democratic Party representing Iowa, Vollmer contributed to the legislative process during one term in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history.

Vollmer was born in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, on July 28, 1867. He attended the public schools of Davenport and completed his secondary education there. Following his graduation from high school, he traveled to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a distributing clerk of the Fiftieth Congress in 1887 and 1888. This early exposure to the workings of the federal legislature helped shape his interest in law and public service and provided him with firsthand experience of national politics at a young age.

After his service in Washington, Vollmer pursued formal legal studies. He studied law at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, and later at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He was admitted to the bar in 1889 and commenced the practice of law in his hometown of Davenport. Establishing himself as a practicing attorney, he quickly became involved in local civic affairs, combining his legal career with an emerging role in municipal government and Democratic Party politics.

Vollmer’s public career began at the local level. In 1889, the same year he was admitted to the bar, he served as a member of the board of aldermen of Davenport. He was elected mayor of Davenport and held that office from 1893 to 1897, a period in which he gained a reputation as an energetic and outspoken municipal leader. Following his mayoral service, he continued his involvement in local governance as a member of the Davenport board of education from 1898 to 1901, reflecting his interest in public education and community affairs. He later served as corporation counsel for Davenport in 1913 and 1914, providing legal advice to the city and further solidifying his standing as a prominent local attorney and Democratic figure.

From 1911 to 1913, Iowa’s 2nd congressional district was represented by Democrat Irvin S. Pepper. Pepper died in office on December 22, 1913, midway through his second term, creating a vacancy in the Sixty-third Congress. In a special election held in February 1914, Henry Vollmer ran as the Democratic candidate and defeated Republican Harry E. Hull, thereby succeeding Pepper as the district’s representative. He took his seat on February 10, 1914. During his brief tenure in Congress, Vollmer defended the Underwood Tariff, a key Democratic tariff-reduction measure of the Wilson era, and he opposed Prohibition, positions that placed him squarely within the progressive, low-tariff, and anti-Prohibition wing of his party.

Less than two months after winning the special election, Vollmer announced that he would not be a candidate for re-election in the regular election scheduled for November 1914. He publicly attributed this decision to family considerations, indicating a desire to return to private life and his legal practice. Many Republicans, however, contended that his withdrawal reflected the unpopularity of the Underwood Tariff in his district. In the general election that followed, Harry E. Hull won the seat and succeeded Vollmer. In all, Vollmer’s service in the U.S. House of Representatives extended from February 10, 1914, to March 3, 1915, encompassing the remainder of the Sixty-third Congress.

After leaving Congress, Vollmer resumed the practice of law in Davenport while remaining active in local and state Democratic politics. His legal work drew public attention in 1917 when he defended his brother, former county attorney Fred Vollmer, who had been indicted for allegedly assisting and abetting a conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act of 1917. The charge arose from Fred Vollmer’s role in bringing a controversial League of Humanity speaker to Davenport soon after the United States entered World War I. The first trial in 1917 ended with a hung jury. On retrial, Fred Vollmer pleaded guilty, paid a fine, and later moved to the Los Angeles area. Throughout this period, Henry Vollmer’s fiery speeches and outspoken style continued to attract criticism from his opponents and praise from his supporters, underscoring his reputation as a vigorous advocate for his views.

In his later years, Vollmer continued his legal and political activities before relocating to California. He died in Piedmont, California, on August 25, 1930, at the age of 63. His remains were cremated, and his ashes were placed in a crypt in the California Crematorium, now known as the Chapel of the Chimes, in Oakland, California.