William J. Scherle

Who was William J. Scherle?

William Joseph Scherle was a four-term Republican U.S. Representative from southwestern Iowa.

Born in Little Falls, New York, Scherle graduated from St. Mary's Academy in New York, New York. He served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946, then attended Southern Methodist University of Dallas, Texas from 1945 to 1947.

After briefly serving in 1947 as an assistant division manager with George D. Barnard Co. of Dallas, in 1948 he moved to southwestern Iowa, where he became a grain and livestock farmer. He was also a member of the United States Naval Reserve from 1947 to 1954.

Scherle served as chair of the Mills County Republican Central Committee from 1956 to 1964. In 1960 he was elected as a Republican to the Iowa House of Representatives, where he served until 1966.

In 1966, Scherle was elected to represent Iowa's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, unseating one-term Democrat John R. Hansen. He was re-elected to that seat in 1968 and 1970. When reapportionment resulted in the loss of one congressional district in Iowa, he ran and won election to Iowa's 5th congressional district in 1972, defeating then-unknown Democrat Tom Harkin.