Earl W. Vincent

Who was Earl W. Vincent?

Earl W. Vincent was a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 9th congressional district, for less than one year. On June 4, 1928, he won the special election held to succeed William R. Green following his appointment to the federal bench, and served out the end of the term to which Green was elected in 1926.

Born in Washington County, Iowa, near Keota, Vincent attended rural schools. He was graduated from Keota High School in 1904, from Monmouth College in Illinois in 1909, and from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1912. He was admitted to the bar in 1912 and commenced practice in Guthrie Center, Iowa. He served as prosecuting attorney of Guthrie County from 1919 to 1922.

In 1923, Vincent was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives, where he served two two-year terms, the last ending in 1927.

In early 1928, Republican Congressman William R. Green resigned his congressional seat in the ninth district when he was appointed as a federal judge. To fill what was left of Green's term, a special election was scheduled. After 194 ballots, a convention of ninth district Republicans selected Vincent as their nominee in April 1928. In the June 4, 1928 special election, Vincent defeated Democrat William J. Burke, and served in the remainder of the Seventieth Congress. Vincent also tried, and failed, to win his party's nomination for the next full term, but was defeated by Charles Swanson in a July 11, 1928 nominating convention. Vincent was ahead of the balloting until the close, when after 246 ballots, Swanson pulled ahead by the required number of votes. In all, Vincent served in Congress from June 1928, to March 3, 1929.