Leonidas C. Houk

Leonidas Campbell Houk was a lawyer who served in the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee. Between 1878 and 1891, Houk was elected to seven consecutive terms in the House, during which time he helped solidify the Republican congressional dominance in East Tennessee that remains to the present day. Houk fought for the Union Army during the Civil War, and rose to the rank of colonel within a few months. Largely self-trained as a lawyer, Houk served as a state circuit court judge from 1866 to 1869.