John Dalzell

John Dalzell (April 19, 1845 – October 2, 1927) was an American attorney and Republican politician who represented his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1887 to 1913. During the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, Dalzell acted as an envoy between Roosevelt and Congress, bridging an otherwise combative relationship. He was a constant critic of machine politics, challenging both Matthew Quay and Joseph Gurney Cannon within his party. Biography John Dalzell was born in New York City. He moved with his parents, Samuel Dalzell and Mary McDonnell Dalzell to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1847. He attended the common schools and the Western University of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. He graduated from Yale College, where he was a member of Scroll and Key, with the class of 1865. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1867 and commenced practice in Pittsburgh. Dalzell was elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth Congress in 1886 and to the twelve succeeding Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Pacific Railroads during the Fifty-first Congress, and the United States House Committee on Rules during the Sixty-first Congress. Dalzell was also a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means from 1891 to 1913.