Jo Byrns Jr.
| Joseph Wellington Byrns Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 5th district |
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In office January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1941 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Merrill Atkinson |
| Succeeded by | Percy Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 15, 1903 Davidson County, Tennessee |
| Died |
March 8, 1973 (aged 69) Daytona Beach |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Cornelia Park Byrns Lillie (Warmack) Adams Byrns |
| Alma mater | Vanderbilt University |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | captain |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Cornelia Park Byrns
Joseph Wellington Byrns Jr. (August 15, 1903 – March 8, 1973) was an American attorney and one-term Member of Congress from Tennessee.
Byrns was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, the son of former House Speaker Jo Byrns and Julia Woodard. He completed his schooling at the Emerson Institute in Washington, D.C. in 1923 while his father was serving in Congress. In 1928, he graduated from the Vanderbilt University Law School and was admitted to the bar the same year. Byrns was first married to Cornelia Park in 1929, but the marriage ended in divorce. It is said that Cornelia liked being Mrs. Joseph W. Byrns Jr., and for the rest of her life refused to acknowledge the divorce. Byrns later enjoyed a happy marriage to Mrs. Lillie (Warmack) Adams of Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
From 1930 to 1938, Byrns was a member of the reserve component of the former Army Air Corps, where he became a captain.
In 1938, Byrns won the Democratic nomination for his father's old House seat and was elected to that office in November of that year. He served that one term, from January 3, 1939 to January 3, 1941. and won the Democratic nomination for a second one in 1940. His vote for an amendment that would have postponed the operation of the Selective Service Act by 60 days helped to inspire opposition from an independent candidate named Percy Priest, who was a member of the editorial staff of the Nashville Tennessean. Priest defeated Byrns by a 50%-43% margin (24,565 votes to 20,933 votes, with 3,459 votes going to the Republican nominee). After his defeat, he resumed the practice of law.
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