Claude Kitchin

Claude Kitchin
House Majority Leader
In office 1915–1919
Preceded by	Oscar W. Underwood
Succeeded by	Frank W. Mondell
House Minority Leader
In office 1921–1923
Preceded by	Champ Clark
Succeeded by	Finis Garrett
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1901 – May 21, 1923
Preceded by	George H. White
Succeeded by	John H. Kerr
Personal details
Born	(1869-03-24)March 24, 1869 Scotland Neck, North Carolina
Died	Wilson, North Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Wake Forest College

Claude Kitchin (March 24, 1869 – May 21, 1923) was a U.S. Congressional Representative from North Carolina and floor leader of his party in the House during the 64th, 65th, and 67th Congresses.

He was born in Halifax County, North Carolina in 1869. His father was William H. Kitchin and William Walton Kitchin was his brother. First elected in 1900, after his party secured a constitutional amendment excluding blacks from the ballot boxes of the state, a campaign in which he served as a leading orator, he served in Congress as a member of the Democratic Party until his death. In Congress, he served on the House Ways and Means Committee, chairing the Committee from 1915 to 1919. From 1915 to 1919 he was House majority leader; from this position he opposed the Wilson administration's "Preparedness" crusade, seeking unsuccessfully to hold down the growth in size of the army and navy.

He was one of the representatives who voted against declaring war on Germany in April 1917; indeed, his example and speech against American entry probably swelled the number of dissenters to 50. He threw himself into the war effort thereafter but remained a critic of some of the administration's war policies, especially regarding taxation policies. He championed an "excess profits" tax that was steeply progressive over a policy of selling Liberty Bonds that shifted the financial burden of the war onto future generations. After giving an impassioned speech in 1920 he suffered a severe stroke, from which he never recovered.

Claude Kitchin.

External links

• Claude Kitchin at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• House Ways and Means Profile
• Congress Link

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by George H. White	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 2nd congressional district 1901–1923	Succeeded by John H. Kerr
Preceded by Oscar W. Underwood Alabama	House Majority Leader 1915–1919	Succeeded by Frank W. Mondell Connecticut