James G. Scrugham

James Graves Scrugham ( born January 19, 1880 in Lexington, Kentucky, † June 23, 1945 in San Diego, California ) was an American politician and from 1923 to 1927 governor of Nevada. Between 1933 and 1945 he represented his country in both chambers of the U.S. Congress.

Early years and political rise

James Scrugham studied at the University of Kentucky in Lexington Engineering. After that, he worked for some companies in Cincinnati, Chicago and San Francisco before moving to Nevada. In 1903 Scrugham assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno was. In 1904 he returned for a short time to Kentucky, where he married Julia McCann, with whom he should have two children later. In 1905 he went to the University of Nevada at the faculty of Mechanical Engineering and another year later Scrugham was appointed professor in his field. In 1912 he was also professor of electrical engineering. Between 1914 and 1917 he served as Dean of the Faculty Head.

Scrugham became a member of the Democratic Party. During the First World War he was a soldier in the U.S. Army for one year. Then he took it as a reserve officer of the Army to Lieutenant Colonel. From 1917 to 1923 Scrugham State Engineer. His time in this office was interrupted by the mentioned time in the military. His main work as State Engineer were the preparations for the construction of a dam on the Colorado River. To this end, he had to negotiate with the neighboring states and the federal government. The construction was delayed because Arizona rejected the plan. Named after President Herbert C. Hoover Hoover Dam was completed in 1931-1935.

Governor of Nevada

In November 1922 Scrugham was elected governor of his state. In his four-year tenure, which began on January 1, 1923, including a pension law were adopted and planned national parks. In Las Vegas, the first airport was opened. In addition Scrugham fought as governor on for the construction of the dam mentioned. He also let the roads of the state continue to expand to meet the increased volume of traffic needs. In 1926, the Governor applied unsuccessfully for reelection. Therefore, he had to give up his office on January 3, 1927.

Scrugham in Congress

After his governorship Scrugham went to the Nevada State Journal, where he worked as editor and publisher until 1927. Subsequently, he was Special Advisor to the Minister of the Interior for projects on the Colorado River. It concerned mostly the construction of the Hoover Dam. Between March 4, 1933 and December 7, 1942 Scrugham represented his state in the U.S. House of Representatives. On this day he resigned to take over the succession to the late Senator Key Pittman in the U.S. Senate. This mandate had been meantime exercised by Berkeley L. Bunker until the election of Scrugham. The term of office in the Senate would have extended to January 3, 1947. However, Senator Scrugham already died on 23 June 1945 in the Naval Hospital in San Diego. He was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Reno. His seat in the Senate took over Edward P. Carville.