Representative John Jefferson Whitacre

John Jefferson Whitacre (December 28, 1860 – December 2, 1938) was an American businessman and Democratic politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1911 to 1915. His congressional service took place during a significant period in American history, and as a member of the House of Representatives he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents in Ohio.

Whitacre was born on December 28, 1860, in Decatur, Nebraska. He attended the local public schools before pursuing higher education in Ohio and Michigan. He studied at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, an institution known for its liberal arts curriculum and for producing a number of prominent public figures, and later attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. His education provided him with a broad academic foundation that would support both his business endeavors and his later political career.

After completing his studies, Whitacre established himself in business as a manufacturer of hollow building tile. He became active in the growing field of fireproof and structural building materials at a time when industrialization and urban construction were rapidly expanding in the United States. Over time he rose to positions of leadership in this sector, eventually serving as president of the Whitacre Engineering Co. and the Whitacre-Greer Fireproofing Co. His business activities were centered in Ohio, where he also built a home in Brown Township, Carroll County, reflecting both his economic success and his rootedness in the community.

Whitacre’s involvement in public affairs developed alongside his business career. A committed Democrat, he became active in party politics in Ohio and sought national office in the early twentieth century. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election to the Sixty-first Congress in 1908, but his campaign helped establish his profile as a political figure. He also served as a delegate to the 1912 Democratic National Convention, participating in the party’s national deliberations during a pivotal election year that brought Woodrow Wilson to the presidency.

Whitacre was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-second and Sixty-third Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1911, to March 3, 1915. Representing an Ohio district as a member of the Democratic Party, he contributed to the legislative process during two terms in office. His tenure coincided with the early years of the Wilson administration and a period of progressive reform in federal policy. Reflecting on his experience in Washington, Whitacre later explained his decision not to seek a third term in 1914 by stating that “All I’ve done since I’ve been in Washington has been to sit around and try to look wise, and that’s what any man has to do who isn’t willing to barter his convictions for political expediency. … No man who wants to be intellectually honest has any business in congress.” With this announcement, he voluntarily stepped away from congressional service rather than compromise what he regarded as his principles.

After leaving Congress in 1915, Whitacre resumed his former manufacturing pursuits in Ohio. As president of the Whitacre Engineering Co. and the Whitacre-Greer Fireproofing Co., he continued to play a prominent role in regional industry, particularly in the production of fireproof building materials. His home in Brown Township, Carroll County, became a notable local landmark. During the 1920 presidential campaign, both major-party candidates, Republican Warren G. Harding and Democrat James M. Cox, visited his residence, underscoring his continued standing within Ohio political and business circles even after his departure from elective office. In 1928 he again entered electoral politics when he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 18th district, but he was defeated in that race.

In his later years, Whitacre divided his time between Ohio and Florida. He died in Miami, Florida, on December 2, 1938. His body was returned to Ohio, where he was interred in Magnolia Cemetery in Magnolia, Ohio, reflecting his enduring ties to the state in which he had built his business career and from which he had been elected to Congress.