William Fletcher Sapp (November 20, 1824 – November 22, 1890) was a

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

and later a 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 8th congressional district Iowa's 8th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1963. The district was configured five times. Although the district encompassed four different areas of Iowa in its ninety-year existence, it was always predominantly rural, and elected a ...

. He was a nephew of William R. Sapp, who represented a U.S. House district in Ohio between 1853 and 1857. Born in

Danville, Ohio Danville is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,019 at the 2020 census. History Modern Danville had its start in 1923 by the merging of two neighboring villages called Buckeye City and Rosstown (Rossville). The o ...

, Sapp attended the public schools and Martinsburg Academy. After studying law, 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 1850 and commenced practice in

Mount Vernon, Ohio Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Kokosing River, northeast of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 16,956 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Th ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for prosecuting attorney of

Knox County, Ohio Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,721. Its county seat is Mount Vernon. The county is named for Henry Knox, an officer in the American Revolutionary War who was later the ...

in 1850, but was elected four years later (in 1854) and re-elected in 1856. Sapp moved to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, in 1860. He was appointed adjutant general of

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

in 1861 and also served as member of the Territorial legislative council. He entered the Union Army in 1862 as lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Nebraska Cavalry and served until mustered out. He then moved to

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

, and resumed the practice of law. He began serving as member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

in 1865. Following the conclusion of his legislative service, he was the United States Attorney for the District of Iowa from 1869 to 1873. In 1876, Sapp was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House seat for Iowa's 8th congressional district. After serving in the

45th United States Congress The 45th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1877, ...

, he was re-elected and then served in the

46th United States Congress The 46th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1879 ...

. He was a candidate for renomination in 1880 but was defeated by another former lieutenant colonel of a cavalry during the Civil War,

William Peters Hepburn William Peters Hepburn (November 4, 1833 – February 7, 1916) was an American Civil War officer and an eleven-term Republican congressman from Iowa's now-obsolete 8th congressional district, serving from 1881 to 1887, and from 1893 to 1909. ...

, after 346 ballots.John Ely Briggs,
William Peters Hepburn
" p. 103 (State Hist. Soc. of Iowa 1919). In all, he served in Congress from March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1881. After leaving Congress, Sapp resumed the practice of law in Iowa. He died in Council Bluffs, on November 22, 1890. He was interred in Mound View Cemetery in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sapp, William Fletcher 1824 births 1890 deaths People from Danville, Ohio Union army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly