Walter Halben Butler (February 13, 1852 – April 24, 1931) was a lawyer, teacher, newspaper publisher, and one-term

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from Iowa's 4th congressional district, then located in northeastern Iowa.

Biography

Born in

Springboro, Pennsylvania Springboro is a borough in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States, located 35 miles southwest of Erie. The population was 377 at the 2020 census, down from 477 at the 2010 census. History Incorporated as a borough in the spring of 1866, the ...

on February 13, 1852, Butler moved to Minnesota in 1868 with his parents, who settled in

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...

, in

Blue Earth County Blue Earth County is a county in the State of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 69,112. Its county seat is Mankato. The county is named for the Blue Earth River and for the deposits of blue-green clay once evident along the ...

. He attended public and private schools, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1875. He was a wrestler and sprinter there, and is credited as the first to run the

100-yard dash 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

in 10 seconds. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1875 and commenced practice in Princeton, Wisconsin. He moved to Iowa in 1876 and taught school at La Porte City until 1878, and at Manchester until 1880. He moved to

West Union, Iowa West Union is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,490 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Fayette County. History Originally called Knob Prairie, the community was founded by William Wells ...

, in 1883 and became owner and publisher of the ''Fayette County Union''. From 1885 to 1889, he served as superintendent of the Railway Mail Service's tenth division, at

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

. He returned to West Union, and resumed his former newspaper pursuits. In 1890, Butler was nominated as a Democrat to run against incumbent Republican U.S. House Representative

Joseph Henry Sweney Joseph Henry Sweney (October 2, 1845 – November 11, 1918) was a one-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district in northeastern Iowa. Born in Warren County, Pennsylvania, Sweney attended the public schools of Pe ...

from the 4th congressional district. After defeating Sweney in the general election as part of a Democratic landslide, he served in the Fifty-second Congress. In 1892 he was defeated in his first re-election bid, by former Republican Congressman Thomas Updegraff. Butler served in Congress from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1893. After leaving Congress, he returned to northeastern Iowa for five years. He moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1897 and to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, in 1907. He engaged in the real estate and loan business and, later in banking. He died in Kansas City on April 24, 1931. He was interred at

Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery is a cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. History The Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery was established in 1888. George Kessler served as the landscape architect when the cemetery was established. The cemetery is approxi ...

in Kansas City.

References

Sources

Books

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Walter Halben 1852 births 1931 deaths People from Springboro, Pennsylvania University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri Politicians from Des Moines, Iowa People from West Union, Iowa Politicians from Mankato, Minnesota Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri