William Warner (June 11, 1840 – October 4, 1916) was an American lawyer and politician based in

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 ...

. He became

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Kansas City in 1871, serving a one year term. He later represented

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in both the

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

and the

U.S. 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 powe ...

Early life

Warner was born in Shullsburg, in

Lafayette County, Wisconsin Lafayette County, sometimes spelled La Fayette County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It was part of the Wisconsin Territory at the time of its founding. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,611. Its county seat i ...

. His parents died in his youth, and he was raised by his sister, Mary Ann Warner Webb and her husband, Daniel Webb III. He studied law at

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducati ...

and the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and admitted to the bar in 1861. He enlisted in 1862 as a 1st Lieutenant in the 33rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was mustered out at the close of the Civil War in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

with the rank of major. He married Sophia Frances Bullen on August 7, 1866. They had six children.

Political career

Warner then moved his practice to Kansas City, where he served as city attorney in 1867, circuit attorney in 1868, and as the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri in 1871. He was elected as a Republican to the 49th and 50th Congresses, serving from March 4, 1885 to March 4, 1889, but he was not a candidate for renomination in 1888. Warner was elected commander in chief of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

in 1888 for a one-year term. He was also a member of the Wisconsin Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

. Warner unsuccessfully ran as the Republican candidate for

Missouri Governor The governor of Missouri is the head of government of the U.S. state of Missouri and the commander-in-chief of the Missouri National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by t ...

in 1892, but served as the United States district attorney for the western district of Missouri in 1882-1884, 1898, and 1902–1905. In 1882, he was one of the original incorporators of the

Kansas City Club The Kansas City Club, founded in 1882 and located in the Library District of Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, was the oldest gentlemen's club in Missouri. The club began admitting women members in 1975. Along with the River Club on nearby ...

.Jerry T. Duggan, ''A History of the Kansas City Club: 1882-1982'' (The Kansas City Club: 1982) In 1905, Warner was elected as a Republican to 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 ...

, serving from March 18, 1905 to March 4, 1911 in the 60th and 61st Congresses, where he was chairman of the Senate Committee on Mississippi River and Its Tributaries, and served on the

Inland Waterways Commission The Inland Waterways Commission was created by Congress in March 1907, at the request of President Theodore Roosevelt, to investigate the transportation crisis that recently had affected nation's ability to move its produce and industrial producti ...

.Donald J. Pisani,
Water Planning in the Progressive Era: The Inland Waterways Commission Reconsidered
', Journal of Policy History 18.4 (2006) pp.389-418 He was not a candidate for reelection.

Later life

Warner resumed the practice of law and was appointed as a civilian member of the Board of Ordnance and Fortifications and a member of the Board of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. His widow, Sophia, received a pension until her death in 1923.

Notes

External links

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Bio & Photo
''National Magazine'', October 1905 {{DEFAULTSORT:Warner, William 1840 births 1916 deaths People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Mayors of Kansas City, Missouri People from Shullsburg, Wisconsin Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Kansas City, Missouri) Lawrence University alumni Republican Party United States senators from Missouri University of Michigan Law School alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri Grand Army of the Republic Commanders-in-Chief 19th-century American politicians