William A. Ashbrook

William Albert Ashbrook was an American businessman and newspaper publisher. He died on January 1, 1940.

He was born near Johnstown, Licking County, Ohio, and attended the local public schools. He studied business in Lansing (Michigan) later.

In 1884 he founded a newspaper, The Johnstown Independent. He also engaged in banking. He was Johnstown’s postmaster from 1893-1897.

He entered politics as a Democrat and won a seat to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1904. In 1906 he was elected to the U.S. House, where he served until he was defeated in the 1920 elections. He returned home to resume his newspaper publishing and bank career in Johnstown. He married Marie Swank in 1928 and they had a son named John M. Ashbrook. He was elected to Congress in 1934 and served until his death.

John, his son, would succeed him as a Republican in the congressional seat that he held from 1961 to 1982.

“Memorial Services held in the House of Representatives of the United States, together with remarks presented in eulogy of William Albert Ashbrook late a Representative from Ohio frontispiece 1941”