Walter F. Lineberger

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Walter F. Lineberger

|image = WalterFLineberger.jpg

|caption = Walter F. Lineberger

|alt = Walter F. Lineberger

|district = 9th

|state = California

| predecessor1 = Charles F. Van de Water

| successor1 = William E. Evans

| term_start = April 11, 1921

| term_end = March 3, 1927

|birth_date = {{birth date |1883|07|20}}

|birth_place = Whiteville, Tennessee, U.S.

|death_date = {{death date and age |1943|10|09|1883|07|20}}

|death_place = Santa Barbara, California, U.S.

|occupation = Businessman

}}

Walter Franklin Lineberger (July 20, 1883 – October 9, 1943) was an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from California for three terms from 1921 to 1927.

Early life and career

Born near Whiteville, Tennessee, Lineberger attended the local public schools, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York. He engaged in mining and agriculture in Mexico. In 1911, he moved to Long Beach, California, where he worked as a farmer and then as a banker. He served as president of the Guarantee Bond & Mortgage Co., Inc. He joined the Engineer Officers' Reserve Corps of United States Army in June 1917 and served with the 116th, 1st, 107th and 115th Engineer Battalions until he was discharged in March 1919 at the rank of major.[https://books.google.com/books?id=rhdFAQAAMAAJ Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers], volume XLVII, number 1, January 1921, (New York: American Society of Civil Engineers, January 1921), page 96 (Roll of Honor). He served in France during World War I from December 1917 until March 1919 and received the Croix de guerre.

Congress

Lineberger was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative-elect Charles F. Van de Water in California's Ninth Congressional District. He won a special election on February 15, 1921, by a vote of 32,442 to 21,056 for Prohibition candidate Charles H. Randall, whom Van de Water had defeated for re-election three months earlier. Lineberger had 58.5% of the vote to Randall's 38.0%.[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=103760 Our Campaigns website page on the Special election of February 15, 1921]. Accessed October 11, 2010.

Re-elected to the Sixty-eighth and Sixty-ninth Congresses, Lineberger served in the House of Representatives from April 11, 1921, to March 3, 1927. He won reelection with 59.1% of the vote in 1922 and with 63.9% in 1924.[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetailhtml?CandidateID=51804 Our Campaigns website page on Walter Lineberger]. Accessed October 11, 2010. Lineberger did not seek renomination to the House in 1926, but was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination as United States Senator.

Death

He died on October 9, 1943, in Santa Barbara, California, and was interred in Santa Barbara Cemetery.

Electoral history

Republican Walter F. Lineberger won the special election to replace fellow Republican Charles F. Van de Water, who won the election but died before the 67th Congress convened. Data for this special election is not available.[http://www.joincalifornia.com/election/1921-02-15 1921 special election results]

{{Election box begin no change | title= United States House of Representatives elections, 1922[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1922election.pdf 1922 election results]}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Walter F. Lineberger (Incumbent)

|votes = 66,265

|percentage = 59.1

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Prohibition Party (United States)

|candidate = Charles Hiram Randall

|votes = 45,794

|percentage = 40.9

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 112,059

|percentage = 100.0

}}

{{Election box turnout no change|

|percentage =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link without swing

|winner = Republican Party (United States)

}}

{{Election box begin no change | title= United States House of Representatives elections, 1924[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1924election.pdf 1924 election results]}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Walter F. Lineberger (Incumbent)

|votes = 119,993

|percentage = 63.9

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Prohibition Party (United States)

|candidate = Charles Hiram Randall

|votes = 67,735

|percentage = 36.1

}}