Daniel Evan Button (November 1, 1917 – March 7, 2009) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

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. He died aged 91 at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. Button was born in

Dunkirk, New York Dunkirk is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. It was settled around 1805 and incorporated in 1880. The population was 12,743 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Dunkirk i ...

. He graduated from the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

in 1938 and received a master's degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1939. He wrote for the Wilmington,(Del.) Morning News and the

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from 1943 until 1947, when he turned to public relations at the University of Delaware. He had 5 children at this time. After this, he was assistant to the president of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

from 1952 until 1958. He was executive editor of the

Albany Times-Union The ''Times Union'' is an American daily newspaper, serving the Capital Region of New York. Although the newspaper focuses on Albany and its suburbs, it covers all parts of the four-county area, including the cities of Troy, Schenectady and Sa ...

from 1960 until 1966. He was elected to Congress in 1966 as a Republican in a traditionally heavily Democratic district centered around Albany and

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

and served from January 3, 1967, until January 3, 1971. Button first ran for the seat vacated by Democrat

Leo W. O'Brien Leo William O'Brien (September 21, 1900 – May 4, 1982) was an American journalist, radio and television commentator, and politician. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as a member of the United States House of Representatives from ...

in 1966 and was reelected to a second term in 1968.Ken Rudin
"Farewell To Button ... And Hello To Buttons!"
''National Public Radio'', 2009-03-20, retrieved 2013-03-10. However, a mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 1970 elections made his district even more heavily Democratic and drew the home of Democratic congressman and former Schenectady mayor Samuel Stratton into Button's district. By 1970, he had become an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. However, this was not enough to overcome the heavy partisan lean of his new district, and he was routed in the general election. He was president of the national Arthritis Foundation (1971–75) and was editor of the national consumer magazine Science Digest (1976–80). He wrote a legislative study of John V. Lindsay (Random House 1965) and also published "Take City Hall" about Albany politics (2003). From 1994 to 2003 he was executive assistant to the president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York State. He was a resident of

Delmar, New York Delmar is a hamlet in the Town of Bethlehem, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of the neighboring city of Albany. The community is bisected by NY Route 443 (Delaware Avenue), a major thoroughfare, main street, and route ...

when he died.

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Button, Daniel E 1917 births 2009 deaths Columbia University alumni People from Dunkirk, New York University of Delaware alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Bethlehem, New York 20th-century American legislators