William Flavius Lester Hadley

William Flavius Lester Hadley (June 15, 1847 – April 25, 1901) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois and a member of the Republican Party who served one term in the United States Congress from 1895 to 1897. Born near Collinsville, Madison County, Illinois, he spent his early years in a rural setting and attended the common schools of the area, receiving a basic education typical of mid-19th-century Illinois.

Hadley pursued higher education at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, one of the oldest colleges in the state, from which he was graduated in June 1867. Seeking professional training in the law, he then enrolled in the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, a leading institution for legal education in the post–Civil War era, and completed his studies there in 1871. That same year he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Edwardsville, Illinois, the county seat of Madison County, where he established himself as an attorney.

Hadley’s legal career in Edwardsville provided the foundation for his entry into public life and Republican politics. Active in local and state affairs, he gained recognition within the Republican Party and built a reputation as a capable lawyer and community figure. His growing prominence led to his election to the Illinois State Senate, where he served as a member in 1886. As a state senator, he participated in legislative deliberations during a period of industrial expansion and political realignment in Illinois. His standing within the party was further underscored when he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1888, taking part in the national nominating process and contributing to the broader direction of Republican politics at the close of the nineteenth century.

Hadley advanced to national office when he was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Frederick Remann. He took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on December 2, 1895, and served until March 3, 1897. During this single term in Congress, he represented an Illinois district at a time marked by debates over tariffs, currency, and economic policy in the aftermath of the Panic of 1893. As a member of the House of Representatives, William Flavius Lester Hadley participated in the legislative process and the democratic governance of the nation, representing the interests of his Illinois constituents within the federal government.

In 1896, Hadley stood for reelection to the Fifty-fifth Congress but was unsuccessful, bringing his brief congressional career to a close in March 1897. After leaving Congress, he returned to Illinois and resumed private pursuits. In addition to his legal work, he engaged in banking, reflecting the broader trend of professional men of his era diversifying into financial and commercial activities as the American economy continued to develop at the turn of the century.

In his later years, Hadley spent time in California, a destination that was increasingly common for Midwesterners seeking health or new opportunities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He died in Riverside, California, on April 25, 1901. His remains were returned to Illinois, and he was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Edwardsville, Illinois, closing a life that had been closely tied to the legal, political, and civic life of his home state.