Butch Felker

Who was Butch Felker?

Harry L. "Butch" Felker III was a Kansas politician and former Mayor of Topeka, Kansas who served two full terms and one portion of a term, resigning in 2003 due to political pressure as a result of a scandal.

Felker lived in Kansas his whole life, having attended Topeka public schools and then Washburn University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1967. He subsequently attended Washburn School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1972. Following college, he first entered in the public life as the elected parks and Recreation commissioner of Topeka, a position he held from 1975 to 1985. He subsequently ran for mayor in 1989 and served for two terms before resigning due to health problems in 1997. In 2001, he ran for mayor again and served until 2003 before resigning amid a scandal. After leaving office, he ran the nonprofit Heartland Park Foundation. His son, Joseph, began a career in professional writing outside of Indianapolis in the summer of 2006.