Representative Otto A. Byington View All Years

O. A. BYINGTON

MR. PRESIDENT: Your committee appointed to prepare suitable resolutions commemorating the life, character, and public services of the late Honorable O. A. Byington, begs leave to submit the following:

Otto A. Byington was the son of pioneer parents, Mary and LeGrand Byington, who came from Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1849 to make their permanent home in Iowa City. He was the fourth child in a family of six. Attending the local schools, Mr. Byington became a student at the University of Iowa, from which he received his liberal arts degree in 1880 and his degree in law the following year. From that time on he practiced law in Iowa City.

On June 1, 1889, he was married to Fannie Bremner of Marshalltown, who preceded him in death in 1929. He is survived by two sons, Dr. L. B. Byington of San Francisco, Calif., and William O. Byington of Iowa City.

He was a member of the Masonic lodge, Kiwanis club, and served for many years as an elder of the First Presbyterian Church.

His political career began in 1886 when he was elected as County Superintendent of Schools of Johnson county. From 1903 to 1907, he served as Judge of the District Court for Iowa and Johnson counties, and throughout the years has been known as “Judge” Byington, despite his insistence that he was simply a lawyer and no longer a judge. In 1896, he was elected to the House of Representatives and served in that body during the Twenty-sixth General Assembly and the Twenty-sixth Extra Session, and from 1917 to 1921 as Senator during the Thirty­seventh and Thirty-eighth General Assemblies.

Mr. Byington came as near as anyone could to being everybody’s friend, and was respected and admired by those who knew him. His counsel and advice were sought by many in public life.

He always managed to keep in touch with his classmates of college days and liked to entertain them at commencement time. His liberal arts class held its 60th reunion at his home last June.

Mr. Byington had been subjected to a heart ailment for the last several years, and although he was apparently recovering satisfactorily from an operation last September, a recurrence of his coronary disturbance proved fatal and he passed away, January 7, 1941. Therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Forty-ninth General Assembly: In the passing of Senator Byington the state has lost a valuable citizen and a faithful public servant whose counsel will be missed.

Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be printed in the Journal of the Senate as a commemoration of his life, and that enrolled copies hereof be transmitted to the members of the family of the deceased.

LEROY S. MERCER,

ROSS R. MOWRY,

E. P. CORWIN,

Committee.

The resolution was unanimously adopted.