Congressman John E. Raker

Cover of the published memorial addresses.

Among those interred in the Susanville Cemetery is U.S. Congressman John E. Raker. A native of Illinois he came to California with his parents in 1873 and they settled at Milford, Lassen County. In the early 1880s he studied law and was admitted in the bar in 1885.  In 1889, he married Iva Spencer, daughter of Ephraim and Lucy Spencer of Susanville. From that union, another one was formed, the law firm of Spencer & Raker.

The Rakers made their home in Alturas. Raker was later elected Modoc County District Attorney, and subsequently Superior Court Judge. In the fall of 1910 he decided to run for California’s First Congressional District. Raker ran against a popular incumbent W.F. Englebright. Raker campaigned on the belief that Congress took care of special interest and ignored the general public. Whatever, the case maybe he won by 140 votes. He continued to represent the district for seven more terms until his untimely death in 1926.

In future we will examine the many aspects of Raker’s career.

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3 thoughts on “Congressman John E. Raker”

  1. Hello,

    I am writing a paper for school on John E. Raker. I appreciate the information provided and I was wondering if you could please tell me where it came from so that I could get some more information on him. Due to COVID-19 my research has been very limited so anything would be greatly appreciated!

    Best Regards,
    Audrianna Rozzo

  2. James O. Souther’s “Legends into History” talks about Raker’s role in the Lookout Lynching trial.

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