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Congressional Profile

Representative William Wirt Courtney

William Wirt Courtney served as a representative for Tennessee (1939-1949).

Profile Timeline

  • Born.
  • Entered office.
  • Left office.

William Wirt Courtney (born September 7, 1889) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee. Representing Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, he served as a federal legislator during a pivotal decade in mid-20th-century American politics. His tenure in Congress placed him among the historical members of the U.S. House who helped shape national policy in the years surrounding the Second World War and its aftermath.

Courtney entered Congress on January 3, 1939, beginning his service in the 76th Congress. He remained in office for five consecutive terms, serving through January 3, 1949. Over this ten-year period, he represented the interests of his Tennessee constituents in the House as a member of the Democratic Party. Although specific committee assignments and legislative initiatives are not listed in the available record, his decade-long tenure marks him as an established figure in Tennessee’s mid-century congressional delegation.

By the conclusion of his service on January 3, 1949, William Wirt Courtney had completed five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Identified in congressional records by the biographical guide ID C000810, he is remembered as a former representative whose career was closely tied to Tennessee’s 7th District and to the Democratic Party during a transformative era in American political history.