Walter H. Butler

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Walter Halben Butler

| image = Walter H. Butler (Iowa Congressman).jpg

| caption = Louisville Courier-Journal, December 31, 1894

| state = Iowa

| district = 4th

| term_start = 1891

| term_end = 1893

| predecessor = Joseph H. Sweney

| successor = Thomas Updegraff

| birth_date = {{birth date|1852|2|13}}

| birth_place = Springboro, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1931|4|24|1852|2|13}}

| death_place = Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.

| resting_place = Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.

| party = Democratic

}}

Walter Halben Butler (February 13, 1852 – April 24, 1931) was a lawyer, teacher, newspaper publisher, and one-term Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district, then located in northeastern Iowa.

Biography

Born in Springboro, Pennsylvania on February 13, 1852,{{sfn|History of Iowa|page=35}} Butler moved to Minnesota in 1868 with his parents, who settled in Mankato, in Blue Earth County.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} He attended public and private schools, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1875.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} He was a wrestler and sprinter there, and is credited as the first to run the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds.{{cite news|title=First 10-Second Man and Legislator Dies|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18036231/walter_halben_butler_18521931/|newspaper=Jefferson City Post-Tribune|date=April 24, 1931|page=1|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = March 6, 2018}} {{Open access}}

After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1875 and commenced practice in Princeton, Wisconsin.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} He moved to Iowa in 1876 and taught school at La Porte City until 1878, and at Manchester until 1880.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}}

He moved to West Union, Iowa, in 1883 and became owner and publisher of the Fayette County Union.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} From 1885 to 1889, he served as superintendent of the Railway Mail Service's tenth division, at St. Paul, Minnesota.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} He returned to West Union, and resumed his former newspaper pursuits.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}}

In 1890, Butler was nominated as a Democrat to run against incumbent Republican U.S. House Representative Joseph Henry Sweney from the 4th congressional district.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} After defeating Sweney in the general election as part of a Democratic landslide, he served in the Fifty-second Congress.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} In 1892 he was defeated in his first re-election bid, by former Republican Congressman Thomas Updegraff.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} Butler served in Congress from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1893.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}}

After leaving Congress, he returned to northeastern Iowa for five years.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} He moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1897 and to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1907.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} He engaged in the real estate and loan business and, later in banking.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} He died in Kansas City on April 24, 1931.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}} He was interred at Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City.{{sfn|Iowa Biographical Dictionary|page=120}}

References

Sources

=Books=

{{cite book |last=Gue |first=Benjamin F. |date=1903 |title=History of Iowa |volume=IV, Iowa Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2FM0AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA35 |location=New York, NY |publisher=The century History Company |ref={{sfnRef|History of Iowa}}}}
{{cite book |last=Onofrio |first=Jan |date=2000 |title=Iowa Biographical Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RdjsvD_4crIC&pg=PA120 |location=St. Clair Shores, MI |publisher=Somerset Publishers, Inc. |isbn=978-0-403-09304-5 |ref={{sfnRef|Iowa Biographical Dictionary}}}}