Representative Mell Gilbert Underwood

Mell Gilbert Underwood (January 30, 1892 – March 8, 1972) was an American educator, lawyer, United States representative from Ohio, and United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He was born on January 30, 1892, in Rose Farm, Perry County, Ohio, a rural community in the southeastern part of the state. Raised in Ohio, he attended the public schools of his native region, an experience that helped shape his early interest in education and public service.

Underwood pursued higher education at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he studied from 1911 to 1914. After leaving Ohio University, he turned to teaching and worked as an educator in the public schools of Ohio. His early career in education provided him with firsthand knowledge of the needs of local communities and the challenges facing rural school systems in the early twentieth century.

While teaching, Underwood studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1915. He commenced the practice of law in New Lexington, Ohio, the county seat of Perry County. His legal practice quickly led him into local public service. He served as prosecuting attorney of Perry County from 1917 to 1921, gaining experience in criminal law and county administration during and immediately after World War I. After his term as prosecutor, he continued in private practice and remained active in Democratic Party politics at the local and state levels.

A member of the Democratic Party, Mell Gilbert Underwood was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio and served seven consecutive terms in Congress from March 4, 1923, to January 3, 1937. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, spanning the prosperity of the 1920s, the onset of the Great Depression, and the early years of the New Deal. As a member of the House of Representatives, Underwood participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents, contributing to the legislative work of the chamber over fourteen years in office. He was part of the Democratic resurgence that accompanied the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt and supported the broader legislative agenda of his party during this transformative era.

Underwood chose not to seek renomination to the House in 1936, as his career was turning toward the federal judiciary. On January 15, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated him to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, filling a vacancy created by the death of Judge Smith Hickenlooper. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on February 12, 1936, and he received his commission the same day. This appointment marked the beginning of a long tenure on the federal bench, during which he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters arising in southern Ohio.

As a United States district judge, Underwood served for decades, eventually assuming senior status on February 11, 1965. In this capacity, he continued to hear cases while carrying a reduced caseload, reflecting both his long experience and continued commitment to the federal judiciary. His judicial service extended through periods of substantial social and legal change, including World War II, the postwar era, and the early years of the civil rights movement, and he remained an important figure in the administration of justice in his district.

Mell Gilbert Underwood remained on the federal bench until his death on March 8, 1972, in New Lexington, Ohio. His career spanned education, local prosecution, seven terms in the United States Congress from 1923 to 1937, and more than three and a half decades as a United States district judge for the Southern District of Ohio, marking him as a significant Ohio public servant of the twentieth century.