John J. Hemphill

John James Hemphill (August 25, 1849 – May 11, 1912) was a U.S. representative from South Carolina.

Early life John James Hemphill was born on August 25, 1849, in Chester, South Carolina, to James H. Hemphill. He attended public schools and was graduated from the University of South Carolina at Columbia in 1869. He studied law under his father and was admitted to the bar in 1870.

Career After graduating, Hemphill practiced law in Chester. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the state legislature in 1874. He served as member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1876 to 1882. He was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1893). He served as chairman of the committee on the District of Columbia (Fiftieth and Fifty-second Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1892 to the Fifty-third Congress. He resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Loan and Trust Building, while retaining his residence in South Carolina. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election as United States Senator from South Carolina in 1902. He wrote a number of books, including Why The Solid South.

Personal life

Hemphill married Addie Avery, granddaughter of John Motley Morehead, of Morganton, North Carolina. She died. He then married Elizabeth S. Henry of Maryland. They had a son, John J. Jr. His cousin William H. Brawley, uncle John Hemphill and great-nephew Robert Witherspoon Hemphill were all politicians.