Representative Joseph Edward Hendricks

Joseph Edward Hendricks (September 24, 1903 – October 20, 1974) was an American lawyer, businessman, and Democratic politician who served six terms as a United States Representative from Florida from 1937 to 1949. Over the course of his twelve years in Congress, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hendricks was born on September 24, 1903, in Lake Butler, Union County, Florida. He grew up in a rural setting and attended the local rural schools before enrolling at Montverde School in Montverde, Florida. His early education in small-town and rural institutions shaped his familiarity with the concerns of agricultural and small-community life in Florida, experiences that later informed his public service.

Pursuing higher education, Hendricks attended Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He completed his undergraduate studies there in 1930 and continued at Stetson’s law department, from which he received a graduate law degree in 1934. That same year, he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in DeLand. Also in 1934, he served as an attorney for the legal tax survey of Florida, gaining experience in state fiscal and legal matters at a time when Florida, like the rest of the nation, was grappling with the economic and regulatory challenges of the Great Depression.

Hendricks entered national politics as a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the Seventy-fifth Congress and to the five succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1937, to January 3, 1949. During these six consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, he contributed to the legislative process as the federal government expanded its role in economic recovery, social welfare, and wartime mobilization. His congressional service spanned the late New Deal era, World War II, and the immediate postwar period, and he participated in the democratic process on issues affecting both Florida and the nation. In 1948, he chose not to be a candidate for renomination to the Eighty-first Congress, thereby concluding his congressional career at the start of 1949.

After leaving Congress, Hendricks turned to business and local public service in Florida. He became president of Hendricks Homes, Inc., engaging in the housing and development sector during a period of rapid postwar growth in the state. He also remained active in civic affairs, serving as chairman of the Planning Board in Plant City, Florida, where he helped guide local development and land-use decisions. In addition, he was a member of the County Planning Commission of Hillsborough County, Florida, extending his influence to broader regional planning and community development efforts.

Hendricks resided in Plant City, Florida, for the remainder of his life while maintaining his involvement in business and local governance. He died in Lakeland, Florida, on October 20, 1974. Following his death, he was buried in Lakeland Memorial Cemetery in Lakeland, Florida, closing the life of a public servant who had moved from rural beginnings and legal practice to a dozen years in Congress and later to leadership roles in local planning and development.