William J. Scherle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa | |
| In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | John R. Hansen |
| Succeeded by | Tom Harkin |
| Constituency | 7th district(1967–1973) 5th district(1973–1975) |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives | |
| In office 1960–1966 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 14, 1923 Little Falls, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 27, 2003(2003-08-27) (aged 80) Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
William Joseph Scherle (March 14, 1923 – August 27, 2003) was an American politician who served as aU.S. Representative from SouthwesternIowa from 1967 to 1975. He was a member of theRepublican Party.
Born inLittle Falls, New York,[1] Scherle graduated from St. Mary's Academy inNew York, New York. He served in theUnited States Navy andCoast Guard from 1942 to 1946,[2] then attendedSouthern Methodist University ofDallas, Texas from 1945 to 1947.[1]
After briefly serving in 1947 as an assistant division manager with George D. Barnard Co. of Dallas, in 1948 he moved to southwesternIowa, where he became a grain and livestock farmer. He also served in theUnited States Naval Reserve from 1947 to 1954. He rose to the rank Boatswain's Mate Chief Petty Officer.
Scherle served as chair of theMills County Republican Central Committee from 1956 to 1964. In 1960 he was elected as a Republican to theIowa House of Representatives, where he served until 1966.
In 1966, Scherle was elected to representIowa's 7th congressional district in theU.S. House of Representatives, unseating incumbent DemocratJohn R. Hansen.[2] He was re-elected to that seat in 1968 and 1970. When reapportionment resulted in the loss of one congressional district in Iowa (his own), he ran and won election toIowa's 5th congressional district in 1972, defeating then-unknown DemocratTom Harkin.
After making a very public and national campaign against theNational Endowment for the Arts, and in particular its funding of the single-word poem "lighght" byAram Saroyan, Scherle found himself campaigned against by many of Saroyan's supporters includingGeorge Plimpton.[3]
In 1974, he ran for re-election but was defeated byTom Harkin.[1] After losing his re-election bid, Scherle served as Deputy Administrator for theUnited States Department of Agriculture from 1975 to 1977.[1] He later served as president of a consulting firm inWashington, D.C. from 1977 to 1987.
Scherle died inCouncil Bluffs, Iowa, fromprostate cancer[1] and was interred inArlington National Cemetery.[4]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 7th congressional district January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973 | District abolished |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 5th congressional district January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
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