William Henry Sproul
Politician. Republican. Born: October 14, 1867, Livingston, Tennessee. Died: December 27, 1932, Kansas City, Missouri. Served in U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District: March 4, 1923, to March 3, 1931.
William H. Sproul was born on a farm near Livingston, Overton County, Tennessee, on October 14, 1867. He attended the public schools and Alpine Academy in Overton County before removing to Kansas in 1883 with his parents, who settled in Cherokee County. Sproul worked on a farm and in the mines, attended high school at Columbus and the Kansas Normal College at Fort Scott, and taught school at Columbus from 1888 to 1892. He graduated from the Kansas University Law School in 1894, was admitted to the bar that same year, and started a practice in Sedan, Chautauqua County, Kansas, where he served as county attorney (1897-1901) and mayor (1921-1923). Sproul also engaged in farming and stock raising and had an interest in the oil and gas business. In 1922 Sprould won election to the U.S. Congress and was subsequently reelected three times, serving as representative of the Third Congressional District from March 4, 1923, to March 3, 1931. Congressman Sproul chose not to seek his party's nomination for a fifth term, but instead unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for a seat in the U.S. Senate. In 1931 he resumed his former business pursuits but died in a Kansas City, Missouri, hospital on December 27, 1932.
Entry: Sproul, William Henry
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: June 2011
Date Modified: May 2012
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
