Horace M. Towner
Horace Mann Towner | |
|---|---|
Hiram Kinsman Evans | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 23, 1855 LLB ) |
Horace Mann Towner (October 23, 1855 – November 23, 1937) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa's 8th congressional district and appointed the governor of Puerto Rico. In an era in which the federal government's role in health and education was small, he was an early leader of efforts to expand that role.
Early life and education
Towner was born in
Career
Towner was admitted to the bar in 1877, and initially practiced law in Prescott, Iowa, in Adams County. In 1880, he was elected county superintendent of schools at Corning, Iowa, in which capacity he served until 1884. He resumed the practice of law in Corning. In 1887 he married Harriet Elizabeth Cole, at Corning. They had three children, Leta, Horace, and Constance.
In 1890, he was elected as a judge of the third judicial district of Iowa. He also served as a lecturer on constitutional law at the University of Iowa from 1902 to 1911.
He was also a pianist and a composer, who set to music "Iowa, Beautiful Land", once Iowa's official song.[1]
U.S. Congress
In 1910 Towner ran successfully as a Republican to succeed retiring Democrat
He was the co-author (with Texas Senator
Towner was also the co-sponsor of the Towner-Sterling bill, which would have created a cabinet-level department of education.
Governor of Puerto Rico
During his congressional tenure, Towner served as chairman of the
Personal life
Towner resumed the practice of law in Corning until his death on November 23, 1937. He was interred in Walnut Grove Cemetery.
He is the namesake of Horace Mann Towner Primary Schools in Comerío, Puerto Rico and Cataño, Puerto Rico
References
- ^ "H.M. Towner Died Tuesday", Adams County Free Press, 1937-11-25 at p. 1.
- ^ Edward Schlesinger, "The Sheppard-Towner Era: A Prototype Case Study in State-Federal Relationships", 57 American Journal of Public Health 1034 (1967).
- ^ "A New Department", Time, March 10, 1923.
- ^ a b "Chronology of U.S. Governor (1898-1946)". Archived 2010-06-16 at the Wayback Machine Puerto Rico Encyclopedia (accessed 2009-01-25).
