Representative Raymond Clinton Cole

Raymond Clinton Cole (August 21, 1870 – February 8, 1957) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served three terms as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1919 to 1925. He was born in Biglick Township, near Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio, where he attended the local common schools before pursuing higher education at Findlay College in Findlay, Ohio. He was part of a politically active family; his brother, Ralph Dayton Cole, also served in the United States Congress.

Before entering the legal profession, Cole devoted himself to education, teaching school for nine years in Ohio. Seeking to advance his career, he enrolled in the law department of Ohio Northern University at Ada and was graduated in 1900. That same year he was admitted to the bar of Ohio, and in 1901 he commenced the practice of law in Findlay, establishing himself as an attorney in his home region.

In addition to his legal work, Cole was active in military and municipal service. He served as a member of the Ohio National Guard from 1903 to 1913, participating in the state’s organized militia during a period of modernization in the Guard. Concurrently, he built his reputation in local government, serving as city solicitor of Findlay from 1912 to 1916. In that role he was responsible for advising the city on legal matters and representing its interests, experience that helped prepare him for later legislative responsibilities.

Cole was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-sixth, Sixty-seventh, and Sixty-eighth Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1919, to March 3, 1925. His tenure in Congress coincided with a significant period in American history, encompassing the immediate post–World War I years, the early 1920s economic adjustments, and major debates over domestic and foreign policy. As a member of the House of Representatives, Raymond Clinton Cole participated in the democratic process, contributed to the legislative work of the chamber, and represented the interests of his Ohio constituents. During the Sixty-eighth Congress he served as chairman of the Committee on Elections No. 1, a key panel responsible for adjudicating contested elections to the House, underscoring the confidence placed in his judgment by his colleagues.

After three consecutive terms, Cole stood for reelection in 1924 as a candidate to the Sixty-ninth Congress but was unsuccessful. Following his departure from Congress in March 1925, he returned to Findlay and resumed the practice of law, continuing his professional career in the community where he had long been established. He remained identified with the Republican Party and with public affairs, drawing on his combined experience as educator, lawyer, soldier, municipal officer, and legislator.

Raymond Clinton Cole died in Findlay, Ohio, on February 8, 1957. He was interred in Bright Cemetery, bringing to a close a life marked by service at the local, state, and national levels.