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Permanent LinkRepresentative William Henry Norris View All Years
WILLIAM H. NORRIS was born in Stoneham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, February 3, 1857, and died at Manchester, Iowa, August 20, 1922. He was brought by his parents in their removal to Linn County, Iowa, in 1861, where they located on a farm. He attended public school, taught country school and attended Cornell College at intervals, took a course in a business college in Davenport, and in 1882 was graduated from the Law Department of the State University of Iowa. The same year he commenced the practice of law at Manchester. The next year he formed a partnership with A. S. Blair. In 1888 George W. Dunham joined the firm, which then became Blair, Dunham & Norris. In 1894 when Mr. Blair went on the district bench the firm became Dunham, Norris & Stiles, which continued until 1912 when Mr. Dunham went on the bench. Mr. Norris was a delegate to the Republican National Convention of 1884. In 1891 he was elected representative and served in the Twenty-fourth General Assembly, taking high rank for a one-term member. He was chairman of the Appropriations Committee, a member of the Judiciary and other committees, and in the closing days of the session was chairman of the Sifting Committee. He introduced the Australian ballot bill, which passed the House, but a similar bill having passed the Senate, the latter was finally substituted and became the law. In later years he gave his attention principally to banking, was president of the Security State Bank of Manchester, and was active in the management of banks in several near by towns. He was very prominent in the Masonic order and had been active in other fraternal organizations.