William Randolph Carpenter (April 24, 1894 in

Marion, Kansas Marion is a city in, and the county seat of, Marion County, Kansas, United States. It was named in honor of Francis Marion, a brigadier general of the American Revolutionary War, known as the "Swamp Fox". As of the 2020 census, the population ...

– July 26, 1956 in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat ...

) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

and a U.S. Army

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

. He died in

, July 26, 1956 and was interred in Highland Cemetery,

Biography

Carpenter attended local public and high schools in Marion, Kansas. He graduated from the law department of the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1917, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

that same year and commenced his practice in

. He continued his family's agricultural pursuits by maintaining his farm.Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Official Internet website

World War I

He joined the U. S. Army National Guard in Marion in 1917 as a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

and helped organize Company M under the Third Regiment Infantry, Kansas National Guard. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

he was called to active duty and was transferred to Company M, One Hundred Thirty-ninth Infantry Regiment, Thirty-fifth Infantry Division which deployed to France in early 1918. He was promoted to first lieutenant during the Argonne offensive, and served until his discharge on May 8, 1919.

Marriage

He married Helen Frances Williams (born 20 November 1896 in Marion, Kansas - died January 1994 in Topeka, Kansas) daughter of Fred Reed & Frances Elizabeth (née Skidmore) Williams on 15 July 1920 in Marion, Kansas.Pedigree Resource File - Compact Disc #10 accessed 22 June 2009. http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp

Community service

* He served as member of the Marion Board of Education 1925–1933. * He served in the State house of representatives 1929–1933. * Carpenter was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1933–January 3, 1937). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1936 and he resumed the practice of law. * He was the United States attorney for the district of Kansas 1945–1948. * He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor in 1948. * He served as member of the United States Motor Carrier Claims Commission 1950–1952.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, William Randolph 1894 births 1956 deaths People from Marion, Kansas American Protestants Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives United States Army officers United States Attorneys for the District of Kansas University of Michigan Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas 20th-century American politicians