William Abner Stanfill (January 16, 1892June 12, 1971) was briefly a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Stanfill attended

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

and received a law degree from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

in 1912. He practiced law in

Barbourville, Kentucky Barbourville is a home rule-class city in Knox County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2010 census, down from 3,589 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city was formally established by ...

and

Hazard, Kentucky Hazard is a home rule-class city in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,263 at the 2020 Census. History Local landowner Elijah Combs Sr. laid out the town in 1824 as the planned seat of the n ...

. He served on the board of regents of Morehead State Teachers College (now

Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ...

) 1927 – 1931. United States Senator Happy Chandler, a Democrat, resigned his Senate seat to become

Commissioner of Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

on November 1, 1945. Republican

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

Simeon S. Willis appointed Stanfill, a Republican, to the vacant Senate seat on November 19, 1945. Stanfill did not run for election to the seat. He served from November 19, 1945, to November 5, 1946, when his successor,

John Sherman Cooper John Sherman Cooper (August 23, 1901 – February 21, 1991) was an American politician, jurist, and diplomat from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He served three non-consecutive, partial terms in the United States Senate before being elect ...

who had won the seat by election, assumed the Senate seat. Stanfill then resumed the practice of law and later retired to Lexington, Kentucky.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanfill, William A. 1892 births 1971 deaths People from Barbourville, Kentucky Politicians from Lexington, Kentucky People from Hazard, Kentucky Republican Party United States senators from Kentucky Kentucky Republicans Union College (Kentucky) alumni 20th-century American politicians