American politician
William Joseph Hynes
(March 31, 1843 ? April 2, 1915) was an American newspaperman, lawyer, and politician who served one term as a
U.S. Representative
from
Arkansas
from 1873 to 1875.
Biography
[
edit
]
He was born in
Kilkee
,
County Clare, Ireland
on March 31, 1843. His family immigrated to the United States in 1854, following the death of his father, and settled in
Springfield, Massachusetts
. Hynes attended the public schools of Springfield and became a
printer
after completing an apprenticeship at the
Springfield Republican
newspaper.
His mother died in 1864 and Hynes relocated to
Nashville, Tennessee
, to study law with attorney John O'Neill. He attended Columbian University's law school (now
George Washington University Law School
) in
Washington, D.C.
, while working as a newspaper reporter and secretary for
Benjamin F. Rice
, a
United States senator
from
Arkansas
. He graduated in 1870, and his work for Rice inspired him to move to
Arkansas
. He was
admitted to the bar
and commenced practice in
Little Rock
.
Congress
[
edit
]
Hynes had been a
Democrat
, but Rice was a Republican, and Hynes became involved in the Liberal Republican movement of the 1870s. He was elected as a
Liberal Republican
to the
43rd Congress
(March 4, 1873 ? March 3, 1875). He was the sole non-Republican to vote in favor of the
Civil Rights Act of 1875
. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the
44th Congress
.
Later career
[
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]
He moved to Chicago in 1876 and resumed the practice of law. He returned to the Democratic Party and was active in the
Irish Home Rule movement
.
He retired from the practice of law in 1910 and moved to
Los Angeles, California
, where he remained until his death.
Death
[
edit
]
He died on April 2, 1915, and was interred in
Calvary Cemetery
, vault H.
External links
[
edit
]
United States Congress.
"HYNES, William Joseph (id: H001027)"
.
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
.
This article incorporates
public domain material
from the
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress