Representative James Washington Logue

James Washington Logue (February 22, 1863 – August 27, 1925) was an American lawyer and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, serving one term from 1913 to 1915. Known professionally as J. Washington Logue, he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he spent the entirety of his life and career. His early years in Philadelphia placed him in the midst of a rapidly industrializing urban center, an environment that would later shape his legal and political interests.

Logue received his education in Philadelphia and graduated from La Salle University, an institution that at the time was emerging as a significant Catholic center of higher learning in the city. After completing his collegiate studies, he pursued the law, undertaking legal training that prepared him for admission to the bar. In 1888 he was admitted to the bar and immediately commenced the practice of law in Philadelphia. His legal career, rooted in the city’s active courts and commercial life, provided the professional foundation and public visibility that would support his later entry into electoral politics.

By the early twentieth century, Logue had established himself as a practicing attorney and a member of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania, a state then dominated politically by Republicans. In this context, his election as a Democrat reflected both his personal standing and the shifting political currents of the Progressive Era. In 1912, he was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third Congress, representing a Pennsylvania district in the United States House of Representatives. His term in Congress began on March 4, 1913, and continued until March 3, 1915. As a member of the Democratic Party representing Pennsylvania, Logue contributed to the legislative process during this single term in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history marked by major reforms under President Woodrow Wilson.

During his congressional service, Logue served at a time when the Sixty-third Congress addressed landmark issues such as tariff reform, banking and currency legislation, and the early stages of federal regulatory expansion. Although specific committee assignments and sponsored measures are not detailed in surviving summaries, his participation in this Congress placed him within the broader Democratic legislative program of the era, which included the Underwood Tariff and the Federal Reserve Act. His tenure coincided with growing national debates over economic regulation, labor, and America’s emerging role on the world stage, and he took part in the deliberations that shaped federal policy in these areas.

Logue’s congressional career was limited to a single term. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1914, ending his service in the House in March 1915. Remaining active in public affairs, he sought higher statewide office a few years later. In 1918, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, reflecting his continued prominence within the Democratic Party despite the electoral challenges Democrats faced in the state during that period.

After leaving Congress, Logue resumed the practice of law in Philadelphia, returning to the profession that had first brought him public recognition. During World War I, he extended his public service beyond elective office by serving as a member of the speakers’ bureau of the Council of National Defense. In this role, he helped support the national war effort through public advocacy and informational work, contributing to the mobilization of public opinion and resources on behalf of the United States during the conflict. His later public service also included administrative responsibilities in the state penal system; in 1923, he served as secretary of the board of inspectors of the Eastern Penitentiary, one of Pennsylvania’s most prominent correctional institutions.

James Washington Logue died in Philadelphia on August 27, 1925. He was interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, a burial place for many of the region’s Catholic and civic figures. His life reflected the career of a Philadelphia lawyer who moved into national politics during a transformative era, served a term in Congress, and remained engaged in public service and legal practice in Pennsylvania until his death.