William E. Stanley

Who was William E. Stanley?

William Eugene Stanley was the 15th Governor of Kansas.

Born in Danville, Knox County, Ohio, Stanley was the son of a physician, reared on a farm, and educated in the common schools of Hardin County, Ohio. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University, but left before he graduated. He studied in Kenton and Dayton, Ohio and was admitted to the bar in Kenton, Ohio in 1868. He married Emma Lenora Hills and they had four children, Charles Albert, Harry W., Harriet Eugenia, and William Eugene.

Arriving in Jefferson County, Kansas, in 1870, Stanley opened his practice and taught school in Perry. He served as county attorney from 1871 to 1872. He resigned that position and moved to Wichita, Kansas. He began practicing law and continued to do so except when in office. He served as Sedgwick County Attorney from 1874 to 1880. Elected to the Kansas House of Representatives, he served from 1881 to 1883.

In 1898, Stanley won the Republican gubernatorial nomination and upon winning the election, he was sworn in on January 9, 1899. Reelected to a second term, he left office on January 12, 1903.