William Laury Greene (October 3, 1849 – March 11, 1899) was an American Populist Party politician. He served in 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

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

from 1897 until his death.

Early life and career

Greene was born in Pike County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and raised on a farm in

Dubois County Dubois County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 43,637. The county seat is Jasper. Dubois County is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Dubois County was formed on Decem ...

. He worked on the family farm while attending school, and graduated from Ireland Academy. He taught school while studying law, and attained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1876. Greene practiced in

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...

until 1883, when he moved to

Kearney, Nebraska Kearney is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 in the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birt ...

, where he continued to practice law. Greene was active in the Baptist Church, and pastored congregations and delivered sermons at churches in Indiana.

Political career

Greene was an adherent of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, but was not politically active for most of his life. He was a founder of the Populist or People's Party in Nebraska during the agrarian reform and free silver movements of the late 1880s, and gained a reputation as an effective orator on behalf of Populist causes and candidates. In 1893, Greene was a candidate 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 ...

. He lost the Fusion nomination (Populists and Democrats) to William V. Allen, who went on to win the seat. In 1895, Greene was elected

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of Nebraska's 12th judicial district, and he served until 1897. In 1896, Greene was elected to the

as a Populist, and he served until from March 1897 his death.

Death and burial

After Congress adjourned in March 1899, Greene traveled to

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

to observe the legislative election for U.S. Senator. On March 10, he traveled from Lincoln to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

on business. On March 11, Greene and several friends traveled from his Omaha hotel to the train station by carriage, and upon arrival at the station, his friends observed that he was lying down on the back seat. They could not revive him, so they carried him into the train station and summoned medical aid. A doctor soon arrived, who determined that Greene had died, and the cause of death was heart failure. Greene's funeral took place at First Baptist Church in Kearney. He was interred in Kearney Cemetery.

Family

In 1872, Greene married Emma Dowell of

Shoals, Indiana Shoals is a town in Center and Halbert townships and the county seat of Martin County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 756 at the 2010 census. The Shoals community is best known for the Jug Rock, the only free-standing table ro ...

. They were the parents of seven children.

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# # * * 1849 births 1899 deaths 19th-century American politicians Indiana lawyers Nebraska lawyers Nebraska Populists Nebraska state court judges People from Dubois County, Indiana People from Kearney, Nebraska People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska Politicians from Bloomington, Indiana 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska {{Nebraska-politician-stub