Laura Chenoweth Butz (July 11, 1860 – September 1, 1939) was an American educator. After moving from the Midwest to

Shoshone County, Idaho Shoshone County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,169. The county seat is Wallace and the largest city is Kellogg. The county was established in 1864, named for the Native American Shoshon ...

in 1899, she became involved in local schools in a region dominated by silver mining. She served as the Superintendent of Wardner-Kellogg City Schools in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

for eight years, 1915-1923. She also served as assistant to the Idaho State Superintendent Research Secretary in the Department of Education in

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

Early life and marriage

Laura Ann Chenoweth was born in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The populations was 29,204 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Danville micropolitan area. History The area that is now Danville was on ...

, on July 11, 1860, the daughter of Thomas N. Chenoweth (died 1903) and his wife. In 1879, at the age of 19, she married Robert Allen Butz (1851–1923). They had four children together: sons C. W. Butz, J. C. Butz, Harry L. Butz, and a daughter, who later married D. M. Rees. The Butz family lived in Kansas for nearly 20 years.

Career

In 1899 Laura Chenoweth Butz moved with her family to Idaho. They first settled in Shoshone County. Beginning in 1900, Butz began to serve in the Wardner-Kellogg schools. This continued until 1923, including the eight years she served as Superintendent of Wardner-Kellogg City Schools. Butz also served as assistant to the State Superintendent Research Secretary of the Department of Education in the capital,

. Active in educational work of the state, she became well-known as a lecturer with the

Parent–Teacher Association A parent–teacher association/organization (PTA/PTO), parent–teacher–friend association (PTFA), is a formal organization comprising parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a school. A parent–te ...

Personal life

In 1899 the Butz family moved from Kansas to Idaho. According to the

1900 United States census The 1900 United States census, conducted by the Census Office on June 1, 1900, determined the resident population of the United States to be 76,212,168, an increase of 21.01% from the 62,979,766 persons enumerated during the 1890 census. It w ...

, she and her family lived at Wardner 1-2, Osburn,

Shoshone, Idaho Shoshone ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Lincoln County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,653 at the 2020 census. In contrast to the Shoshone Native American tribe for which it is named, the city's name is correctly pron ...

. This area, including the city of Kellogg, was dominated by the silver mining industry. Her husband died by 1928. Butz was long a member of the Women's Federated Club and P.E.O. Sisterhood, which was founded in Iowa. She died on September 1, 1939. She is buried at Forest Cemetery,

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Coeur d'Alene ( ; ) is a city and the county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the most populous city in North Idaho and the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 54,628 at th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butz, Laura Chenoweth 1860 births 1939 deaths People from Danville, Illinois Educators from Illinois 19th-century American women educators 19th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators