Joseph Verdi Graff was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

.

Born in Terre Haute, Indiana

Terre Haute, Indiana

Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...

, Graff was graduated from the Terre Haute High School, and attended Wabash College

Wabash College

Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...

, Crawfordsville, Indiana

Crawfordsville, Indiana

Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...

, one year.
He moved to Delavan, Illinois

Delavan, Illinois

Delavan is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,825 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Government:...

, in 1873 and engaged in mercantile pursuits.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 in 1879 and commenced practice in Delavan, Illinois

Delavan, Illinois

Delavan is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,825 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Government:...

.
He moved to Pekin, Illinois

Pekin, Illinois

Pekin is a the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is also the largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extends...

, and continued the practice of law.

Graff was elected as an inspector of the Pekin public schools in 1891 and served as president of the board of education.
He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1892.

Graff was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Fifty-fourth

54th United States Congress

- House of Representatives :-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Adlai E. Stevenson * President pro tempore: William P. Frye - Majority leadership :* Republican Conference Chairman: John Sherman- Minority leadership :...

 and to the seven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1895-March 3, 1911).
He served as chairman of the Committee on Claims (Fifty-sixth

56th United States Congress

-House of Representatives:- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Garret Hobart , until November 21, 1899 , vacant thereafter.* President pro tempore: William P. Frye * Democratic Caucus Chairman: James K. Jones...

 through Fifty-eighth

58th United States Congress

- House of Representatives :* Republican : 209 * Democratic : 176* Silver Republican : 1TOTAL members: 386-Senate:* President: Vacant* President pro tempore: William P. Frye -Members:...

 Congresses).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1910 to the Sixty-second

62nd United States Congress

- House of Representatives :* Democratic : 230 * Republican : 162* Socialist : 1* Independent : 1TOTAL members: 394-Senate:* President: James S...

 Congress.
He continued the practice of law in Peoria, Illinois

Peoria, Illinois

Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...

, where he had moved in 1899.
He also engaged in banking.
He died in Peoria, Illinois

Peoria, Illinois

Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...

, November 10, 1921.
He was interred in Glendale Cemetery, Washington

Washington, Illinois

Washington is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,841 at the 2000 census. There are currently 13,167 people living in Washington, according to a 2004 special census. Washington is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, Tazewell County, Illinois

Tazewell County, Illinois

Tazewell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 135,394, which is an increase of 5.4% from 128,485 in 2000. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. The majority of the population live in the suburbs and bedroom communities...

.