John A. Sterling

John Allen Sterling (February 1, 1857 – October 17, 1918) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois, and brother of Thomas Sterling.

John Allen Sterling
Sterling c. 1913
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 17th district
In office March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913
Preceded by	Ben F. Caldwell
Succeeded by	Louis Fitzhenry
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 17th district
In office March 4, 1915 – October 17, 1918
Preceded by	Louis Fitzhenry
Succeeded by	Frank L. Smith
Personal details
Born	(1857-02-01)February 1, 1857 Le Roy, Illinois, U.S.
Died	October 17, 1918(1918-10-17) (aged 61) Pontiac, Illinois, U.S.
Cause of death	Automobile accident
Resting place	Park Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Relatives	Thomas Sterling (brother)

Early life and education

Born to Charles Sterling (1821-1905) and Anna Kessler (1827-1908) near Le Roy in McLean County, Illinois, Sterling attended the public schools, and graduated from the Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington in 1881. He was superintendent of the public schools of Lexington, Illinois (now Lexington Community Unit School District 7) from 1881 to 1883.^[1]

Career

He studied law, was admitted to the bar in December 1884, and commenced law practice in Bloomington. He was the state's attorney of McLean County from 1892 to 1896, and a member of the Republican state central committee from 1896 to 1898.^[1]

Sterling was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-eighth through Sixty-second Congresses (March 4, 1903–March 3, 1913).^[2] He was one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1912 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against Robert W. Archbald, judge of the United States Commerce Court.^[1] He lost re-election to the Sixty-third Congress, but was re-elected to the Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth Congresses and served from March 4, 1915 until his death near Pontiac, Illinois, as the result of an automobile accident on October 17, 1918.^[1]

Death

He was interred in Park Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Illinois.^[1]

See also

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)

References

1. Entry in Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed 2008-11-01. (see external links)
2. "S. Doc. 58-1 - Fifty-eighth Congress. (Extraordinary session -- beginning November 9, 1903.) Official Congressional Directory for the use of the United States Congress. Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing by A.J. Halford. Special edition. Corrections made to November 5, 1903". GovInfo.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office. 9 November 1903. p. 24. Retrieved 2 July 2023.

External links

• United States Congress. "John A. Sterling (id: S000870)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• John A. Sterling at Find a Grave
• John A. Sterling, late a representative from Illinois, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1920

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Ben F. Caldwell	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 17th congressional district March 4, 1903 - March 3, 1913	Succeeded by Louis Fitzhenry
Preceded by Louis Fitzhenry	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 17th congressional district March 4, 1915 - October 17, 1918	Succeeded by Frank L. Smith