Representative John Camillus Lehr

John Camillus Lehr (November 18, 1878 – February 17, 1958) was an American lawyer, local official, United States Representative, and United States Attorney from the state of Michigan. He was born in Monroe, Monroe County, Michigan, where he attended St. Mary’s private school and the local public schools. He graduated from Monroe High School in 1897. Lehr then enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, completing his legal studies in the law department and graduating in 1900. He was admitted to the bar that same year and immediately commenced the practice of law in his hometown of Monroe.

In 1905 Lehr moved to Port Huron, Michigan, where he continued in private legal practice, building his experience in municipal and general law. After more than a decade there, he returned to Monroe in 1916 and resumed his law practice. He soon became active in local government, serving as city attorney of Monroe from 1918 to 1922 and again from 1928 to 1930. In addition to his legal and municipal work, Lehr played a significant role in local educational affairs. He was a member of the board of education of Monroe from 1926 to 1936 and served as its vice president from 1930 to 1936, reflecting his sustained involvement in civic and community matters.

Lehr’s growing prominence in Monroe and within the Democratic Party led to his election to Congress during the early years of the Great Depression. In the 1932 election, he ran as a Democrat from Michigan’s 2nd congressional district and defeated seven-term Republican incumbent Earl C. Michener. Lehr served in the 73rd United States Congress from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1935, participating in the legislative program of the early New Deal era. In the 1934 election, Michener sought to reclaim his former seat and defeated Lehr, ending Lehr’s single term in the House of Representatives.

After leaving Congress, Lehr remained active in Democratic politics and public service. He served as a delegate to the 1936 Democratic National Convention, which renominated President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In Monroe, he continued his engagement with local economic and civic development as a member of the Monroe Port Commission from 1936 to 1942, contributing to oversight and promotion of the city’s port facilities on Lake Erie.

On July 2, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Lehr as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. In this capacity, he was the chief federal prosecutor for a large and industrially significant region of the state, which included Detroit and its environs. Lehr held the office from July 2, 1936, until September 2, 1947, spanning the latter New Deal years, World War II, and the immediate postwar period. His tenure involved the enforcement of federal law during a time of substantial economic, social, and regulatory change.

Lehr resigned as United States Attorney on September 2, 1947, to devote his time to leading a fraternal beneficiary association in Detroit known as The Maccabees, a major fraternal and insurance organization with roots in Michigan. He was succeeded in the U.S. Attorney’s office by his chief assistant, Thomas P. Thornton. In his later years, Lehr maintained his ties to Monroe, where he had spent much of his professional and public life. John C. Lehr died in Monroe on February 17, 1958, and was interred there in St. Joseph Cemetery.