William Augustus Ayres (April 19, 1867 – February 17, 1952) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

and a Federal Trade Commissioner.

Early life and career

William A. Ayres was born in

Elizabethtown, Illinois Elizabethtown is a village in and the county seat of Hardin County, Illinois, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 299 at the 2010 census, down from 348 at the 2000 census. It is the least-populous county seat in the state. ...

. He moved with his parents to

Sedgwick County, Kansas Sedgwick County ( county code: SG) is located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 523,824, making it the second-most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat is Wichita, the most populous city in the stat ...

, in 1881. He attended the common schools and

Garfield University Friends University is a private nondenominational Christian university in Wichita, Kansas. It was founded in 1898. The main building was originally built in 1886 for Garfield University but was donated in 1898 to the Religious Society of Friend ...

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1893 and commenced practice in

. He was clerk of the Court of Appeals of Kansas from 1897 to 1901, and prosecuting attorney of

, from 1906 to 1910.

Political career

Ayres was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-fourth, Sixty-fifth, and Sixty-sixth Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

to the Sixty-seventh Congress. He was elected to the Sixty-eighth and to the five succeeding Congresses and served until his resignation effective August 22, 1934, having been appointed a member of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...

on June 30, 1934, in which capacity he served until his death in Washington, D.C., in 1952. He is buried in the Old Mission Cemetery in Wichita, Kansas.

References

The Political Graveyard
* 1867 births 1952 deaths People from Elizabethtown, Illinois Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel Truman administration personnel Federal Trade Commission personnel Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas Kansas lawyers 20th-century American politicians {{Kansas-politician-stub