William Dayton Boies (January 3, 1857 – May 31, 1932) was a lawyer, trial-court judge and five-term Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Iowa's 11th congressional district in northwestern Iowa. Born on a farm in

Boone County, Illinois Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,448. Its county seat is Belvidere. Boone County is included in the Rockford, Illinois metropolitan area. History Unlike most of Ill ...

, Boies attended country schools and the public schools of

Belvidere, Illinois Belvidere is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Illinois, United States. It is settled on the Kishwaukee River in far northern Illinois. Known as the 'City of Murals', Belvidere is home to several public art installations througho ...

. He moved with his parents to

Buchanan County, Iowa Buchanan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,565. Its county seat is Independence. The county was created in 1837 and was named in honor of Senator James Buchanan, the 15th Presi ...

, in 1873 and settled near the town of Quasqueton. He was graduated in law from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. History The law school was founded in 1865 by George Grover Wright and Chester C. Cole as an independent la ...

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

in 1880. 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 ...

in 1881 and commenced practice in Sanborn, in

O'Brien County, Iowa O'Brien County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 14,182. The county seat is Primghar, Iowa, Primghar. History By the time Iowa attained statehood (December 28 ...

. He moved to nearby

Sheldon, Iowa Sheldon is a city in O'Brien County, Iowa, O'Brien and Sioux County, Iowa, Sioux counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 5,512 at the time of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census; it is the largest city ...

, in 1887, where he continued the practice of law. Boies was an unsuccessful candidate for election as judge of the district court in 1890. He served as member of the school board of the independent school district of Sheldon from 1900 to 1912. He was appointed judge of the district court of the fourth judicial district of Iowa on January 1, 1913. On a division of this district, he became judge of the twenty-first judicial district, and in 1914 was elected for a term of four years. On March 31, 1918, Boies resigned as judge to become a candidate for the Republican nomination to represent Iowa's 11th congressional district in the U.S. House. The incumbent,

George Cromwell Scott George Cromwell Scott (August 8, 1864 – October 6, 1948) was a United States representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district for just over four years, and was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the No ...

, had chosen not to seek re-election. Boies won the Republican nomination (defeating two opponents), and then the seat (defeating former Congressman Thomas J. Steele),"Iowa Politicians Playing the Game," Sumner Gazette, 1919-12-18, at p. 15. becoming a member of the Sixty-sixth Congress. Boies was re-elected to Congress four times, and never defeated. He was one of the managers appointed by the House in 1926 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against George W. English, judge of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois (in case citations, E.D. Ill.) is a former federal district court for the state of Illinois. The court was established on March 3, 1905, by 33 Stat. 992. The Northern and Sou ...

. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1928. In all, he served from March 4, 1919 to March 3, 1929. He died in

on May 31, 1932. He was interred in Eastlawn Cemetery.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boies, William Dayton 1857 births Iowa state court judges School board members in Iowa 1932 deaths University of Iowa College of Law alumni People from Boone County, Illinois People from Sheldon, Iowa Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa People from Sanborn, Iowa 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives