| Wesley Lloyd | |
| State: | Washington |
| District: | 6th |
| Term Start: | March 4, 1933 |
| Term End: | January 10, 1936 |
| Predecessor: | Constituency established |
| Successor: | John M. Coffee |
| Birth Date: | 24 July 1883 |
| Birth Place: | Osage County, Kansas, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Tacoma Cemetery, Tacoma, Washington |
| Spouse: | Iva Reedy (m. 1910) |
| Children: | 3 |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Education: | Kansas City Law School |
| Profession: | Journalist Attorney |
| Allegiance: | United States State of Washington |
| Branch: | Washington National Guard |
| Branch Label: | Service |
| Serviceyears: | April 16, 1918 – April 8, 1920 |
| Rank: | Corporal |
| Unit: | Company F, 3rd Washington Infantry Regiment |
Wesley Lloyd (July 24, 1883 – January 10, 1936) was an American attorney and politician from Tacoma, Washington. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as a U.S. Representative from 1933 to 1936.
Lloyd was born in Arvonia, Osage County, Kansas, on July 24, 1883, the son of John Q. Lloyd and Mary Anne (Roberts) Lloyd.[1] He graduated from the schools of Osage County, then attended Baker University, Baldwin, Kansas, and Washburn College.[1]
Lloyd became a newspaper reporter and worked for papers in Kansas City, Missouri, Topeka, Kansas, and Butte, Montana.[1] While working as a reporter, Lloyd attended courses at the Kansas City Law School.[1] He received his LL.B. degree in 1906, was admitted to the bar, and moved to Tacoma, Washington, where he worked as a reporter while establishing a law practice.[1]
In 1908, he began the fulltime practice of law, and was the unsuccessful Democratic, nominee for prosecuting attorney of Pierce County.[2] In 1910, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Washington House of Representatives.[3] During World War I, Lloyd joined Company F, 3rd Infantry Regiment, a unit of the Washington National Guard.[1] He served from 1918 to 1920, and attained the rank of corporal.[1] [4] In 1920, he was again the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for county prosecutor.[5] In 1924, Lloyd was an unsuccessful candidate for judge of the Washington Superior Court.[6]
In 1931, Lloyd was appointed a special assistant prosecuting attorney for Thurston County, a role in which he served without pay.[7] He also continued to serve as one of the leaders of the Democratic Party in Pierce County, including president of the county's Men's Democratic Club.[8]
In 1932 Lloyd was elected to the United States House of Representatives.[1] He was reelected in 1934, and served in the 73rd and 74th Congresses (March 4, 1933 until his death).[1] During his congressional service, Lloyd served on the Judiciary Committee and was appointed to a leadership role as regional whip for Washington, Oregon, and California.[9]
Serving in Congress during the economic downturn of the Great Depression, on May 9, 1933, Lloyd proposed an unsuccessful constitutional amendment that would have placed a maximum limit on individual net worth.[10] Lloyd died in Washington, D.C. on January 10, 1936.[1] He was interred at Tacoma Cemetery in Tacoma.[11]
In 1910, Lloyd married Iva Reedy of Spokane, Washington.[12] They were the parents of three children.[12]
Lloyd was a hunter and fisherman, and carried out several lengthy excursions to remote areas of western Washington.[12] He was active in civic organizations, and was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.[12] Lloyd was also active in Freemasonry, and belonged to the Shriners and Order of the Eastern Star, in addition to receiving the 32nd degree of the Scottish Rite.[12]