Daniel Evan Button | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's29th district | |
| In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Leo W. O'Brien |
| Succeeded by | Samuel S. Stratton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1917-11-01)November 1, 1917 Dunkirk, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 7, 2009(2009-03-07) (aged 91) Delmar, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Albany Rural Cemetery,Menands, New York |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Pool[1] Rena Posner[2] |
| Children | 5[2] |
| Alma mater | University of Delaware Columbia University |
| Profession | Journalist |
Daniel Evan Button (November 1, 1917 – March 7, 2009) was aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromNew York from 1967 to 1971.
A native ofDunkirk, New York, Button graduated fromWilmington High School in Delaware in 1933 and theUniversity of Delaware in 1938. He received a master's degree fromColumbia University in 1939. Button worked as a journalist and university public relations representative in Delaware and New York.
In 1966, Button was elected to Congress, and he won reelection in 1968. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1970, after which he resumed his journalism career and authored several books.
Daniel E. Button was born inDunkirk, New York on 1 November 1917.[3] He graduated from Delaware'sWilmington High School in 1933.[3] In 1938, he received hisA.B. degree from theUniversity of Delaware. In 1939, he received hisM.A. fromColumbia University.[3] He wrote for theWilmington Morning News and theAssociated Press from 1943 until 1947, when he turned to public relations at the University of Delaware.[3] After this, he was assistant to the president of theState University of New York from 1952 until 1958.[3] He was executive editor of theAlbany Times-Union from 1960 until 1966.[3]
Button was elected to Congress in 1966 as a Republican in a heavily Democratic district centered aroundAlbany andSchenectady and served from January 3, 1967, until January 3, 1971.[3] Button first ran for the seat vacated by DemocratLeo W. O'Brien in 1966 and was reelected to a second term in 1968.[4] However, a mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 1970 elections made his district even more heavily Democratic and drew the home of Democratic congressman and former Schenectady mayorSamuel S. Stratton into Button's district.[4] By 1970, he had become an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War.[5] However, this was not enough to overcome the heavy partisan lean of his new district, and he was routed in the general election.[4]
He was president of theArthritis Foundation from 1971 to 1975 and editor of the national consumer magazineScience Digest from 1976 to 1980.[3][5] He wrote a 1965 study ofJohn V. Lindsay,Lindsay: A Man for Tomorrow, and also publishedTake City Hall about Albany politics (2003).[2] Button also authored a biography of Albany mayorThomas Michael Whalen III, and wrote editorial's forDelmar'sThe Spotlight newspaper.[6] From 1994 to 2003 he was executive assistant to the president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York State.[6]
In retirement, Button was a resident of Delmar.[3] He died at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York on March 7, 2009.[5] Button was buried atAlbany Rural Cemetery inMenands, New York, Section 118, Plot 1051.[7]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 29th congressional district 1967–1971 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
