US Congressman. A Democrat, he represented Tennessee's 7th District in the Sixty-ninth and three succeeding Congresses, serving from 1925 until his death in office. Eslick attended Bethel College in Russellville, Kentucky, was admitted to the bar in 1893, and set up law practice in his hometown of Pulaski, Tennessee. He was also a banker, farmer, and Government appeal agent for Giles County prior to his election to Congress. On June 14, 1932, Eslick participated in a House debate on the Patman Bonus Bill, which would have authorized immediate payment of cash benefits to World War I veterans. Although he was not known for robust health or oratory skills, he took the floor and voiced his support for the bill with an impassioned speech, often shouting down interruptions from his colleagues. At the words "We hear nothing but dollars here. I want to go from the sordid side..." he collapsed and died from a heart attack. He was the first Representative to die while addressing Congress since Thomas Tyler Bouldin in 1834. (The House passed the Bonus Bill but it was defeated in the Senate). His widow Willa Eslick was elected to complete his term, which made her Tenessee's first Congresswoman. Eslick's dramatic demise is noted on his tombstone along with the legend, "He who falls in a just cause - never dies".
US Congressman. A Democrat, he represented Tennessee's 7th District in the Sixty-ninth and three succeeding Congresses, serving from 1925 until his death in office. Eslick attended Bethel College in Russellville, Kentucky, was admitted to the bar in 1893, and set up law practice in his hometown of Pulaski, Tennessee. He was also a banker, farmer, and Government appeal agent for Giles County prior to his election to Congress. On June 14, 1932, Eslick participated in a House debate on the Patman Bonus Bill, which would have authorized immediate payment of cash benefits to World War I veterans. Although he was not known for robust health or oratory skills, he took the floor and voiced his support for the bill with an impassioned speech, often shouting down interruptions from his colleagues. At the words "We hear nothing but dollars here. I want to go from the sordid side..." he collapsed and died from a heart attack. He was the first Representative to die while addressing Congress since Thomas Tyler Bouldin in 1834. (The House passed the Bonus Bill but it was defeated in the Senate). His widow Willa Eslick was elected to complete his term, which made her Tenessee's first Congresswoman. Eslick's dramatic demise is noted on his tombstone along with the legend, "He who falls in a just cause - never dies".
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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