Walter Halben Butler | |
---|---|
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 4th district | |
In office 1891–1893 | |
Preceded by | Joseph H. Sweney |
Succeeded by | Thomas Updegraff |
Personal details | |
Born | Springboro, Pennsylvania, U.S. | February 13, 1852
Died | April 24, 1931 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | (aged 79)
Resting place |
Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Walter Halben Butler (February 13, 1852 – April 24, 1931) was a lawyer, teacher, newspaper publisher, and one-term Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district, then located in northeastern Iowa.
Born in Springboro, Pennsylvania on February 13, 1852, [1] Butler moved to Minnesota in 1868 with his parents, who settled in Mankato, in Blue Earth County. [2] He attended public and private schools, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1875. [2] He was a wrestler and sprinter there, and is credited as the first to run the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds. [3]
After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1875 and commenced practice in Princeton, Wisconsin. [2] He moved to Iowa in 1876 and taught school at La Porte City until 1878, and at Manchester until 1880. [2]
He moved to West Union, Iowa, in 1883 and became owner and publisher of the Fayette County Union. [2] From 1885 to 1889, he served as superintendent of the Railway Mail Service's tenth division, at St. Paul, Minnesota. [2] He returned to West Union, and resumed his former newspaper pursuits. [2]
In 1890, Butler was nominated as a Democrat to run against incumbent Republican U.S. House Representative Joseph Henry Sweney from the 4th congressional district. [2] After defeating Sweney in the general election as part of a Democratic landslide, he served in the Fifty-second Congress. [2] In 1892 he was defeated in his first re-election bid, by former Republican Congressman Thomas Updegraff. [2] Butler served in Congress from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1893. [2]
After leaving Congress, he returned to northeastern Iowa for five years. [2] He moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1897 and to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1907. [2] He engaged in the real estate and loan business and, later in banking. [2] He died in Kansas City on April 24, 1931. [2] [3] He was interred at Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City. [2]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress