View source for Jo Byrns

{{Short description|American politician (1869–1936)}}
{{for|his son|Joseph W. Byrns Jr.}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = Speaker of the House Joseph Byrns LCCN2016890551 (1) (cropped).jpg
| imagesize           = 
| caption             = Byrns in 1935
| order               = 41st
| office              = Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
| term_start          = January 3, 1935
| term_end            = June 4, 1936
| predecessor         = [[Henry Thomas Rainey]]
| successor           = [[William B. Bankhead]]
| office2             = Leader of the [[House Democratic Caucus#Caucus Leader|House Democratic Caucus]]
| term_start2         = January 3, 1935
| term_end2           = June 4, 1936
| predecessor2        = [[Henry Thomas Rainey]]
| successor2          = [[William B. Bankhead]]
| order3              = [[Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives|House Majority Leader]]
| term_start3         = March 4, 1933
| term_end3           = January 3, 1935
| predecessor3        = [[Henry Thomas Rainey]]
| successor3          = [[William B. Bankhead]]
| office4             = Member of the<br />[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br /> from [[Tennessee]]
| term_start4         = March 4, 1909
| term_end4           = June 4, 1936
| predecessor4        = [[John W. Gaines]]
| successor4          = [[Richard Merrill Atkinson]]
| constituency4       = [[Tennessee's 6th congressional district|6th district]] (1909–1933)<br />[[Tennessee's 5th congressional district|5th district]] (1933–1936)
| office5             = Member of the [[Tennessee Senate]]
| term5               = 1901-1903
| office6             = Member of the [[Tennessee House of Representatives]]
| term6               = 1895-1901
| birth_name          = Joseph Wellington Byrns
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1869|7|20}}
| birth_place         = [[Cedar Hill, Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1936|6|4|1869|7|20}}
| death_place         = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| nationality         = 
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = Julia Elizabeth Woodward
| relations           = 
| children            = [[Joseph W. Byrns Jr.]]
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = [[Vanderbilt University]]
| occupation          = 
| profession          = [[Law]]
| signature           = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
}}

'''Joseph Wellington Byrns Sr.''' (July 20, 1869 – June 4, 1936) was a [[United States|U.S.]] politician. He served as a 14-term [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[United States House of Representatives|congressman]] from [[Tennessee]], and as the 41st [[speaker of the United States House of Representatives]].

==Early life==
Byrns was born in [[Cedar Hill, Tennessee|Cedar Hill]], [[Robertson County, Tennessee]], son of James Henry Byrns and Mary Emily Jackson. He was named for a maternal uncle, Joseph William Green Jackson, who died in the [[American Civil War]]. His great-grandfather, James Byrns, Esq., figures in the legend of [[Bell Witch|The Bell Witch]], and is mentioned in the Authenticated History of The Bell Witch by Martin Van Buren Ingram. The Byrns family moved to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] in 1885 to pursue greater educational opportunities for their children. Jo Byrns attended [[Hume-Fogg High School|Fogg High School]], graduating in 1887. He then enrolled at [[Vanderbilt University]], where he won honors in English and history, actively participated in debates, and became a member of [[Beta Theta Pi]] fraternity. He graduated with a law degree in 1890 and soon began building up a successful law practice.<ref name=":0" />

== Political career ==
Byrns displayed a strong early interest in politics and was elected to the [[Tennessee House of Representatives]] in 1894 and reelected in 1896 and 1898. In 1900 he was elected to the [[Tennessee State Senate]].

In 1902, he ran for [[district attorney]] of [[Davidson County, Tennessee]], but was defeated—his only unsuccessful political race in 18 efforts. In 1908, Byrns received the Democratic nomination for U.S. Representative and was elected in November of that year to a term beginning March 4, 1909. He served in the House for the rest of his life.

Byrns was widely respected and his influence grew as his seniority did. He was chairman of the [[Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]] from 1928 to 1935.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |author=Irish, Ann B. |title=Joseph W. Byrns of Tennessee: a political biography |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville |year=2001 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/josephwbyrnsofte00iris/page/220 220] |isbn=1-57233-131-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/josephwbyrnsofte00iris/page/220 }}</ref> In 1931 he was appointed chairman of the powerful [[House Appropriations Committee]] and in 1933 became [[House Majority Leader]]. In 1935 he became [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]].

Byrns suffered a serious heart attack at his Washington home on the evening of June 4, 1936. The Speaker died before he could be taken to a hospital.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://knoxfocus.com/columnist/hill/mr-speaker-joseph-w-byrns-tennessee/ |title=Mr. Speaker: Joseph W. Byrns of Tennessee - the Knoxville Focus |website=knoxfocus.com |access-date=10 September 2020}}</ref> His funeral, attended by President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and other dignitaries, was held in Nashville. He was interred at [[Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)|Mount Olivet Cemetery]] in Nashville.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/06/07/archives/nashville-pays-honor-to-byrns-more-than-40000-brave-the-terrific.html |title=Nashville Pays Honor to Byrns |date=1936-06-07 |page=2 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=2022-01-17}}</ref> His son [[Jo Byrns Jr.]] later served a single term in the House but never achieved the popularity of Jo Sr.

Byrns was also an active [[Civitan International|Civitan]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Leonhart |first= James Chancellor |title= The Fabulous Octogenarian |year= 1962 |publisher= Redwood House, Inc. |location= Baltimore Maryland |pages= 277 }}</ref>

== Freemasonry ==
Byrns was a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]] and member of the [[Grand Lodge of Tennessee]]. He served as the Worshipful Master of West Nashville Phoenix Lodge #131 in 1906 and 1907.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jo Byrns|url=https://www.westnashvillephoenix.org/jo-byrns|access-date=2021-07-08|website=West Nashville Phoenix Freemasons' Lodge|language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1900–1949)]]

==References==
<references/>

==Legacy==
[[Jo Byrns High School]] and Jo Byrns Elementary School, in his hometown, [[Cedar Hill, Tennessee]], are named in his honor.

==External links==
*{{Find a Grave|11740}}
*[https://jbes.rcstn.net Jo Byrns Elementary School]
*[https://jbhs.rcstn.net Jo Byrns High School]

{{CongBio|B001217}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box
| state=Tennessee
| district=6
| before= [[John W. Gaines]]
| years=1909–1933
| after=[[Clarence W. Turner]]}}
{{US House succession box
| state=Tennessee
| district=5
| before= [[Ewin L. Davis]]
| years=1933–1936
| after=[[Richard Merrill Atkinson]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[William R. Wood (Indiana politician)|William R. Wood]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Appropriations|House Appropriations Committee]]|years=1931–1933}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James P. Buchanan]]}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Henry T. Rainey]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[House Majority Leader]]<br />[[House Democratic Leader]]|years=1933–1935}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[William B. Bankhead]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives]]| years=January 3, 1935 – June 4, 1936}}
{{s-end}}

{{Democratic Party (United States)}}
{{USHouseSpeaker}}
{{USHouseMajLead}}
{{USHouseDemLead}}
{{House Appropriations Chairmen}}
{{USCongRep-start|congresses= 61st–74th [[United States Congress]]es |state=[[Tennessee]]}}
{{USCongRep/TN/61}}
{{USCongRep/TN/62}}
{{USCongRep/TN/63}}
{{USCongRep/TN/64}}
{{USCongRep/TN/65}}
{{USCongRep/TN/66}}
{{USCongRep/TN/67}}
{{USCongRep/TN/68}}
{{USCongRep/TN/69}}
{{USCongRep/TN/70}}
{{USCongRep/TN/71}}
{{USCongRep/TN/72}}
{{USCongRep/TN/73}}
{{USCongRep/TN/74}}
{{USCongRep-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrns, Joseph W Sr}}
[[Category:1869 births|Byrns, Joseph Wellington]]
[[Category:1936 deaths|Byrns, Joseph Wellington]]
[[Category:Majority leaders of the United States House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Speakers of the United States House of Representatives|Byrns, Joseph Wellington]]
[[Category:Democratic Party Tennessee state senators]]
[[Category:People from Davidson County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:People from Robertson County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee]]
[[Category:20th-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly]]
[[Category:Chairs of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]]