James H. Duff

James Henderson Duff (January 21, 1883 – December 20, 1969) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1943 to 1947. He was the 34th governor of Pennsylvania from 1947 to 1951. He served as United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1957.

Early life and education James Duff was born in Mansfield (now Carnegie), a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The oldest of four children, he was the son of Rev. Joseph Miller and Margaret (née Morgan) Duff. His father was a Presbyterian minister for forty years, and his paternal grandfather was the first college-educated doctor in western Pennsylvania. Two of his great-grandfathers were members of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania between 1683 and 1717.

After graduating at the top of his class at Carnegie High School, Duff attended Princeton University in New Jersey, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1904. He subsequently engaged in ventures in other parts of western Pennsylvania as well as Mexico.

In 1946, John Bell, who had been elected Lieutenant Governor in 1942 and had ascended to the governorship following Martin's resignation for the US senate, declined to be a candidate in the upcoming 1946 gubernatorial election. Duff subsequently won the Republican nomination, and was elected the 34th Governor of Pennsylvania in the general election. His campaign focused on the issues of conservation, public health, and education. He handily defeated his Democratic opponent, former President pro tempore of the State Senate John Rice, by more than 557,000 votes.

Duff was elected to the United States Senate from Pennsylvania in 1950, narrowly unseating Democratic Senator Francis J. Myers. After losing the 1956 election to Democrat Joe Clark in one of the closest elections in Pennsylvania history, Duff retired from politics, but remained in Washington, D.C., as a partner in the law firm of Davies, Richberg, Tydings, Landa & Duff. He died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.