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Albert McDonald Cole

Politician. Republican. Born: October 13, 1901, Moberly, Missouri. Died: June 5, 1994, Washington, D.C. Served in U.S. House of Representatives, 1st District: January 3, 1945, to January 3, 1953.

The son of a Baptist minister, Albert Cole was born October 13, 1901, at Moberly, Missouri, but moved to Topeka in 1909 with his parents, Reverend Walter I. and Mary B. Cole and attended the capital city's grade schools. He went to high school in Sabetha, attended Washburn College in Topeka, and graduated with a degree in law at the University of Chicago in 1925. Admitted to the bar in 1926, Cole established a practice in Holton, Kansas, served as county attorney for Jackson County (1927-1931), was a member and president of the Holton School Board (1931-1943), and won a term in the state senate (1941-1945). In his first race for Congress in 1944, Cole successfully challenged incumbent Bill Lambertson for the GOP nomination and won the general election by a 2 to 1 margin. Congressman Cole was reelected three times (served, January 3, 1945-January 3, 1953), but his decision to support construction of the Tuttle Creek Dam made him vulnerable for the first time in 1952, and he lost to Democrat Howard S. Miller. From March 1953 to January 1959, Cole stayed in Washington as administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency. He accepted a position as vice president of Reynolds Aluminum Service Corporation, 1959-1961, and as president of Reynolds Metals Development Corp., 1961-1967. The former congressman practiced law in Washington, D.C., from 1967 to 1990, and was a resident of Washington, D.C., until his death there on June 5, 1994. (For more on Congressman Cole, see a biography.)

Entry: Cole, Albert McDonald

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: June 2011

Date Modified: January 2013

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.