William Henry Stafford (October 12, 1869 – April 22, 1957) was a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. Stafford received his bachelors degrees from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

and practiced law in Milwaukee. Stafford was elected as a Republican to 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 ...

as the representative of

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering most of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs. It presently covers all of Washington and Jefferson countie ...

serving in the 58th, 59th, 60th and 61st Congresses from March 4, 1903, to March 3, 1911. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910, but the eventual nominee lost the general election to

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

Victor L. Berger Victor Luitpold Berger (February 28, 1860August 7, 1929) was an Austrian–American socialist politician and journalist who was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party of America and its successor, the Socialist Party of America. Born in ...

. For the next decade, Stafford and Berger alternated as representatives for this Milwaukee-based district. Stafford was elected once again to the House of Representatives in 1912 and served in the 63rd, 64th and 65th Congresses from March 4, 1913, to March 3, 1919. On April 5, 1917, he voted against declaring war on Germany. Berger defeated him in the 1918 election, but Congress refused to seat him because he had been convicted for violating the

Espionage Act The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law enacted on June 15, 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code (War ...

. Berger won the ensuing special election, but Congress again refused to seat him. After the seat remained vacant throughout the

66th Congress The 66th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919, to Ma ...

, Stafford was once again elected to the

67th Congress The 67th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 192 ...

serving from March 4, 1921, to March 3, 1923. He lost to Berger in 1923 after Berger's conviction had been overturned by the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

. He was eventually reelected to the House of Representatives in 1928 to the

71st Congress The 71st United States Congress was a meeting of the United States Congress, legislature of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. f ...

and would be reelected to the

72nd Congress The 72nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931 ...

as well serving from March 4, 1929, to March 3, 1933. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1932 and for the Republican nomination for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from Wisconsin in 1938. He died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.William Henry Stafford, Wisconsin Historical Society
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References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, William H. Politicians from Milwaukee Harvard Law School alumni Wisconsin lawyers 1869 births 1957 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Harvard College alumni