Joseph Horace Shull

Joseph Horace Shull (August 17, 1848 – August 9, 1944) was an American lawyer, physician, and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania’s 26th congressional district from 1903 to 1905. A member of the Democratic Party, he contributed to the legislative process during one term in office and also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 22nd district from 1886 to 1891. His congressional service occurred during a significant period in American history, and as a member of the House of Representatives he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents.

Shull was born at Martins Creek, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, on August 17, 1848, to Elias and Margaret Eakin Shull. He was educated in the public schools and then attended Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, a prominent preparatory institution. Seeking further academic training, he took a special course at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, which provided him with a foundation for his later professional studies. He subsequently moved to New York City, where he pursued medical education at the University of New York and Bellevue Hospital Medical College, graduating from the latter in 1873.

Before fully entering the professions of medicine and law, Shull taught in the public schools of Pennsylvania for four years, reflecting an early commitment to public service and education. After completing his medical training, he practiced medicine while also undertaking the study of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1879 and commenced the practice of law in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. His dual qualifications as both physician and attorney were unusual for the period and positioned him as a prominent professional figure in his community.

In addition to his legal and medical work, Shull became active in local civic and political affairs. He was the first president of the Monroe County Bar Association, underscoring his leadership within the legal community. From 1881 to 1886 he served as editor of the Monroe Democrat, a local newspaper, through which he helped shape public opinion and Democratic Party discourse in the region. His growing influence and visibility in Monroe County and surrounding areas led to his election to the Pennsylvania State Senate, where he represented the 22nd district from 1886 to 1891.

Shull’s state legislative experience paved the way for his entry into national politics. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-eighth Congress and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1903, to March 3, 1905, representing Pennsylvania’s 26th congressional district. During his single term in Congress, he took part in the legislative deliberations of the early twentieth century, a time marked by industrial expansion and emerging Progressive Era reforms. In 1904 he was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination, which brought his congressional career to a close after one term.

After leaving Congress, Shull resumed the practice of both law and medicine in Stroudsburg. He also expanded his activities into the business sector, serving as president of the Delaware Valley Railroad Company, a role that linked him to the region’s transportation and economic development. During the First World War he returned to medical service as a contract surgeon, contributing his professional skills to the national war effort despite his advanced age at the time.

In his later years, Shull remained professionally active and maintained a connection to the legal profession. On May 22, 1944, at the age of 95, he and his son, Judge Samuel Shull, were admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court. Although neither argued a case before the Court, he is believed to have been the oldest person ever admitted to that bar, a distinction that capped a long and varied career in law and public service. Joseph Horace Shull died in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on August 9, 1944, just days before his ninety-sixth birthday, and was remembered as a figure who combined medical, legal, journalistic, and legislative work over the course of nearly a century.