Governor of Pennsylvania
What position did James H. Duff take from 1947 to 1951?
James H . Duff James Henderson Jim Duff ( January 21 , 1883 – December 20 , 1969 ) was an American lawyer and politician . A member of the Republican Party , he served as United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1951 to 1957 . Previously he had served as the 34th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1947 to 1951 . Early life and education . James Duff was born in Mansfield ( now Carnegie ) , a suburb of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . The oldest of four children , he was the son of Rev . Joseph Miller and Margaret ( née Morgan ) Duff . His father was a Presbyterian minister for forty years , and his paternal grandfather was the first college-educated doctor in western Pennsylvania . Two of his great-grandfathers were members of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania between 1683 and 1717 . After graduating at the top of his class at Carnegie High School , Duff attended Princeton University in New Jersey , where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1904 . Originally he had intended to study medicine but , after winning two medals in public speaking at Princeton , decided to study law instead . He attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia until 1906 , when he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh Law School to be closer to home . In 1907 , he received his law degree and was admitted to the bar . He married Jean Kerr Taylor in 1909 ; the couple had only one child who died in infancy , but they raised a nephew after the boys father died . Early career . Duff practiced law in Pittsburgh for thirty-six years , establishing the law firm of Duff , Scott and Smith . He also served as solicitor of Carnegie , and was an elector for Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 presidential election . In addition to practicing law , Duff was engaged in the oil business for several years . He began by buying an oil drillers rig and taking a lease on some property about five miles from his home , where he struck oil . He subsequently engaged in ventures in other parts of western Pennsylvania as well as Mexico . He also served as president of the Criterion Oil Company and of the Westmoreland Natural Gas Company . He lost his fortune in the 1929 stock market crash , taking several years to recover financially . He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1932 , 1936 , and 1940 . Political career . Duff was appointed Attorney General of Pennsylvania by Governor Edward Martin in 1943 , serving in that position until 1947 . During his tenure , he worked to strengthen the states stream pollution law despite facing strong opposition from the coal industry . He also fought against the mining industry after promoting legislation to prevent the discharge of mine silt into the Schuylkill River . The Desilting Act and Clean Streams Act ( also known as the Brunner Act ) were passed in 1945 under Duffs tenure as Attorney General . In 1946 , John Bell , who had been elected Lieutenant Governor in 1942 and had ascended to the governorship following Martins resignation for the US senate , declined to be a candidate in the upcoming 1946 gubernatorial election . Duff subsequently won the Republican nomination , and was elected the 34th Governor of Pennsylvania in the general election . His campaign focused on the issues of conservation , public health , and education . He handily defeated his Democratic opponent , former President pro tempore of the State Senate John Rice , by more than 557,000 votes . Duff was elected to the United States Senate from Pennsylvania in 1950 , narrowly unseating Democratic Senator Francis J . Myers . After losing the 1956 election to Democrat Joe Clark in one of the closest elections in Pennsylvania history , Duff retired from politics , but remained in Washington , D.C . as a partner in the law firm of Davies , Richberg , Tydings , Landa & Duff . He died in Washington , D.C. , and was buried in Carnegie , Pennsylvania .