The following sketch is excerpted from Dictionary of Missouri Biography , published in 1999 by the University of Missouri Press.

August 3, 1976 . . . Congressman Jerry Litton Dies In Plane Crash

In his four years in the United States House of Representatives, Jerry L. Litton accomplished as much as many congressmen do in their extended careers. A successful cattle rancher, he advocated the rights of farmers and all hardworking citizens. Often referred to as a "breath of fresh air in Washington," Litton impressed his colleagues with his honesty and his political incorruptibility. House majority leader Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neal claimed that in his twenty-two years in Congress he had never been more impressed by a freshman congressman than by Jerry Litton.

Litton was born in a farmhouse without plumbing or electricity near Lock Springs, Missouri, on May 12, 1937. During his youth, an accident crippled his father, forcing his mother to support the family by selling milk from the family's eleven cows. The economic struggles of Litton's family apparently did not detract from his success in the classroom. While a student at Chillicothe High School, Litton served as president of both the National Honor Society and the Chillicothe chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA). In 1956-57 the FFA elected him as national secretary.

Litton graduated from the University of Missouri in 1961 with a BS in agricultural journalism and a minor in economics. While in college he served as president of the University of Missouri Young Democrats and chair of the National Youth for Symington for President. After graduation he returned to Chillicothe and joined his parents in a highly successful cattle-breeding business. The Littons' Charolais cattle set new records for weight, progeny, and beef quality. The family's state-of-the-art breeding techniques attracted buyers from all over the world and made the Littons millionaires.

In 1972 the voters of Missouri's Sixth District elected Litton to replace W.R. Hull in the United States House of Representatives. Taking office on January 3, 1973, Litton quickly earned the respect of his colleagues. As a freshman congressman from a rural district, he received a coveted appointment to the Agriculture Committee. He also served as chair of the Forestry Subcommittee during the Ninety-Fourth Congress. Not surprisingly, Litton focused much of his energy on the interests of farmers.

The Congressional Club in his district sponsored a monthly television program, Dialogue with Litton , that aired statewide. Open to the public, these meetings offered voters a chance to ask questions and state their concerns about political issues. For each show Litton invited a guest, including such prominent political figures as Vice President Gerald Ford and Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter.

Rather than running for reelection to the House in 1976, Litton decided to seek the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Stuart Symington. He handily defeated the incumbent's son, James Symington, and former governor Warren Hearnes in the Democratic primary on August 3, 1976. The same evening, Litton, his wife, Sharon, and their two children, Linda and Scott, along with pilot, Paul Rupp Jr., and the pilot's son, Paul Rupp III, died in a plane crash just after takeoff from Chillicothe Airport en route to a victory celebration in Kansas City.

For primary source material on Jerry Litton see: