

Congressman John Raker Passes Away in Washington
Will be Buried in Susanville Sunday at Noon
February 5, 1926
Congressman John E. Raker, 63, of Alturas, Democratic representative from the Second Congressional District for the past 16 years, died in his apartment in Washington last Friday night.
Congressman Raker has been suffering for some time from stomach trouble and had never recovered from an operation performed some time ago although he had rallied sufficiently to be taken from the hospital to his apartment. His path of office was administered to him in his apartment by Speaker Longworth when the new Congress was convened in December.
Congressman Raker was the ranking California Congressman having been the first elected in 1910. He had been returned to office by his constituency seven times.
He was born on a farm near Knoxville, Illinois, February 22, 1863 and came to California when he was 10 years of age. He began the study of law in 1885 and in 1889 he married Iva Spencer, daughter of Judge E. V. Spencer of Susanville in whose office he had continued his law reading.
In the famous “Modoc lynching case” when Raker defended 21 men accused of murder, he achieved fame. Shortly after this he moved to Alturas and entered politics. He was elected district attorney and then elected to the bench of Modoc county in 1902. He was re-elected to this office in 1908 but resigned when he was elected to Congress.
He was a past grand master of the Independent Oder of Odd Fellows of the State of California and a member of Alturas Lodge F. & A. M. and also a member of the Royal Arch Masons of Adin.
The special car bearing the body from Washington will arrive in Susanville at 11:20 Sunday morning and will be met at the station by an escort composed of the fraternal organizations to which he belonged, the Odd Fellows and the Masons, and an escort of Legionnaires.
A special train bearing 200 people from Alturas will connect with the train at Wendel. The funeral services will be conducted immediately after at the Methodist Church by Rev. Elijah Hull Longbreak with the I. O. O. F. ritual at the grave.
Three Legionnaires from Thomas Tucker Post No. 204 of Susanville and three from McKea Post No. 80 of Westwood will act as pallbearers.
With the body is traveling a special escort of twelve congressmen from Washington who were designated by the speaker of the House for this purpose.
Interment will be in the Susanville Cemetery beside the graves of Mrs. Raker’s father and mother, Judge and Mrs. E. V. Spencer.