Litton made his fortune raising cattle at the Litton Charolais Cattle Ranch in Chillicothe, Missouri. This ranch was maintained as a beautiful showplace where Litton entertained both the well connected and constituents. Litton made a point to bring school children and low level local leaders to his home. Before he began his political career, he was active in promoting youth involvement in leadership in agriculture and rural communities. His family (including his parents, Mildred and Charlie Litton) was very prominent in the Charolais cattle business.
Green bumper stickers (like those used in his prior Congressional campaigns) circulated in the state saying "Litton for President."[3]Jimmy Carter was to say that he thought Litton would be president one day.[4]
In 1976, after only two terms in the House of Representatives, Litton entered into what amounted to a three-way Democratic Party primary race for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Senator Stuart Symington. The other major contestants were Symington's son James W. Symington and former Missouri Governor Warren Hearnes. Final election results showed Congressman Litton winning with 45.39%, former Governor Warren Hearnes second at 26.38%, and Congressman James Symington finishing third with 25.16% of the statewide vote.[5] Seven other candidates including Kansas City, Missouri MayorCharles Wheeler split the remaining 4 percent of the vote.[6]
Death
Litton won the primary but died on August 3, 1976,[7] along with his entire family (wife Sharon and their two children, Linda and Scott), pilot Paul Rupp Jr., and the pilot's son, Paul Rupp III, as they departed the airport for a victory party in Kansas City. Their plane, a Beechcraft Model 58 Baron, crashed on take-off from the Chillicothe airport shortly after 9 p.m. on election night. The investigation into the crash determined the twin-engine plane broke a crankshaft in the left engine. The plane was about 100 to 150 feet (30 to 46 m) above the runway 14, which was the airport's only hard surfaced runway, when the engine failed. The plane veered to the left and crashed rapidly into a soybean field, where it exploded on impact, burning all victims beyond recognition. The NTSB reported that the pilot did not retract the wheels when the engine cut off and that this contributed to the sudden loss of control. The report said the plane had been airborne for only 19 seconds before striking the ground. The plane was owned by Rupp Automotive, which was the car parts store owned by Rupp.[8][9]
jerry, litton, jerry, litton, 1937, august, 1976, american, politician, from, missouri, served, member, united, states, house, representatives, representing, missouri, congressional, district, from, 1973, until, death, 1976, member, democratic, party, united, . Jerry Lon Litton May 12 1937 August 3 1976 was an American politician from Missouri who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Missouri s 6th congressional district from 1973 until his death in 1976 A member of the Democratic Party he ran for United States Senate in 1976 Litton won the Democratic primary however he died in a plane crash while heading to his victory party Jerry LittonOfficial portrait c 1973Member of the U S House of Representatives from Missouri s 6th districtIn office January 3 1973 August 3 1976Preceded byWilliam Raleigh Hull Jr Succeeded byTom ColemanPersonal detailsBornJerry Lon Litton 1937 05 12 May 12 1937Lock Springs Missouri U S DiedAugust 3 1976 1976 08 03 aged 39 Chillicothe Missouri U S Cause of deathAirplane crashResting placeResthaven Memorial GardensPolitical partyDemocraticSpouseSharon Litton m 1959 wbr Children2ParentsCharley Litton father Mildred Litton mother Alma materUniversity of Missouri Columbia BS OccupationPoliticianSignature Contents 1 Early life 2 U S Representative 3 1976 U S Senate election 4 Death 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditLitton was born near Lock Springs Daviess County Missouri in a house without electricity He was national secretary of the Future Farmers of America 1956 1957 He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1961 with a B S in Journalism Litton was president of the University of Missouri Young Democrats and chair of the National Youth for Symington during Stuart Symington s unsuccessful 1960 run for U S President He served as President of the Theta chapter of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity 1 Litton made his fortune raising cattle at the Litton Charolais Cattle Ranch in Chillicothe Missouri This ranch was maintained as a beautiful showplace where Litton entertained both the well connected and constituents Litton made a point to bring school children and low level local leaders to his home Before he began his political career he was active in promoting youth involvement in leadership in agriculture and rural communities His family including his parents Mildred and Charlie Litton was very prominent in the Charolais cattle business U S Representative EditLitton was elected to the U S House as a Democrat in 1972 He was considered a rising star in the Democratic Party and his television show Dialogue with Litton was broadcast statewide Among the guests were Jimmy Carter former Vice President Hubert Humphrey Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz Congressman Tip O Neill and House Speaker Carl Albert 2 Green bumper stickers like those used in his prior Congressional campaigns circulated in the state saying Litton for President 3 Jimmy Carter was to say that he thought Litton would be president one day 4 1976 U S Senate election EditMain article 1976 United States Senate election in Missouri In 1976 after only two terms in the House of Representatives Litton entered into what amounted to a three way Democratic Party primary race for the U S Senate seat of retiring Senator Stuart Symington The other major contestants were Symington s son James W Symington and former Missouri Governor Warren Hearnes Final election results showed Congressman Litton winning with 45 39 former Governor Warren Hearnes second at 26 38 and Congressman James Symington finishing third with 25 16 of the statewide vote 5 Seven other candidates including Kansas City Missouri Mayor Charles Wheeler split the remaining 4 percent of the vote 6 Death EditLitton won the primary but died on August 3 1976 7 along with his entire family wife Sharon and their two children Linda and Scott pilot Paul Rupp Jr and the pilot s son Paul Rupp III as they departed the airport for a victory party in Kansas City Their plane a Beechcraft Model 58 Baron crashed on take off from the Chillicothe airport shortly after 9 p m on election night The investigation into the crash determined the twin engine plane broke a crankshaft in the left engine The plane was about 100 to 150 feet 30 to 46 m above the runway 14 which was the airport s only hard surfaced runway when the engine failed The plane veered to the left and crashed rapidly into a soybean field where it exploded on impact burning all victims beyond recognition The NTSB reported that the pilot did not retract the wheels when the engine cut off and that this contributed to the sudden loss of control The report said the plane had been airborne for only 19 seconds before striking the ground The plane was owned by Rupp Automotive which was the car parts store owned by Rupp 8 9 The State Democratic Committee held a vote on a new nominee on August 21 and Hearnes defeated Missouri State Treasurer Jim Spainhower garnering 63 3 of the vote Hearnes lost the general election to Missouri Attorney General John Danforth who garnered 56 93 of the vote 10 A museum of Litton memorabilia was made in the Jerry L Litton Visitor Center near the dam at Smithville Lake in Smithville Missouri 11 See also EditList of United States Congress members who died in office 1950 99 References Edit Mizzouag com SHSMO Columbia Jerry L Litton Papers 1960 1976 C3730 INVENTORY The World According to Leigh Ann Little History of the Litton Agri Science Learning Center Archived 2007 10 08 at the Wayback Machine 1976 Senatorial Democratic Primary Election Results Missouri Uselectionatlas org April 20 2007 Retrieved March 16 2010 MO US Senate D Primary Race Aug 03 1976 Our Campaigns Retrieved March 16 2010 Rep Litton dies in plane crash as he wins voting Engine failure during takeoff killed Litton planecrashinfo com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents 1970s MO US Senate Race Nov 02 1976 Our Campaigns Retrieved March 16 2010 Jerry L Litton Visitor Center archived from the original October 2002 External links EditDeath of Missouri Winner Roils Democratic Politics More on Congressman Litton Congressional biography Jerry Litton at Find a Grave Litton Center Smithville MOU S House of RepresentativesPreceded byWilliam Raleigh Hull Jr Member of the U S House of Representativesfrom Missouri s 6th congressional district1973 1976 Succeeded byTom ColemanParty political officesPreceded byStuart Symington Democratic nominee for U S Senator from Missouri Class 1 1976 Succeeded byWarren E Hearnes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jerry Litton amp oldid 1147017336, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
