born May 7, 1836, Guilford county, N.C., U.S.
died Nov. 12, 1926, Danville, Ill.
U.S. politician.
He began practicing law in Illinois in 1859. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1872, he served 46 years (1873–91, 1893–1913, 1915–23). A staunchly conservative Republican, he used his power as speaker (1903–11) in a partisan manner. In 1910 a coalition of Democrats and insurgent Republicans passed a resolution that made the speaker ineligible for membership on the rules committee, the main source of his power. Personally well liked, he was popularly known as "Uncle Joe."