William Martin Croll (April 9, 1866 – October 21, 1929) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. William M. Croll was born in

Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania Upper Macungie Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The population of Upper Macungie Township was 26,377 as of the 2020 U.S. census, making it the fourth-fastest growing municipality of any category in Pennsylvania in terms of ...

. He attended Keystone State Normal School in

Kutztown, Pennsylvania Kutztown (Pennsylvania German: ''Kutzeschteddel'') is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located southwest of Allentown and northeast of Reading. As of the 2010 census, the borough had a population of 5,012. Kutztown ...

, and graduated from the

Eastman Business College The Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It operated from 1859 until it closed in 1931. At the height of its success, the school was one of the largest commercial colleges in the United St ...

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

. He taught school, and moved to

Maxatawny, Pennsylvania Maxatawny is an unincorporated community located on U.S. Route 222 in Maxatawny Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, five miles east of Kutztown. It is in the Lehigh watershed and Schaefer Run flows through it to the Little Lehi ...

, in 1889 and engaged in the general merchandise business. He moved to Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1897 and engaged in the retail clothing business and in banking. He was treasurer of

Berks County, Pennsylvania Berks County ( Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware Ri ...

, from 1909 to 1912. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, from 1913 to 1918, he served as naval officer at the port of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1912 and 1920. Croll was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-eighth Congress, but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1924. He resumed mercantile pursuits, died in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

, and was interred in Laureldale Cemetery in

Laureldale, Pennsylvania Laureldale is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,911 at the 2010 census. Geography Laureldale is at (40.389293, -75.914150). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all ...

References

The Political Graveyard
1866 births 1929 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Kutztown University of Pennsylvania alumni People from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania United States Navy personnel of World War I {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub