Lee Mantle

Lee Mantle (December 13, 1851 – November 18, 1934) was an English-born American businessman and politician from Montana. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as a United States Senator from 1895 to 1899.

Mantle was born in Birmingham, England on December 13, 1851. His father died before Mantle was born, and his mother converted to Mormonism and immigrated to the United States with her children. The family settled in Salt Lake City in 1864. Upon observing that Mormons were practicing polygamy, Mantle's mother decided she had been deceived by the church missionaries who had recruited her, and the Mantles renounced the LDS Church.

Mantle attended a village school and moved to Idaho Territory in 1870, where he was a telegraph operator and stage agent for Western Union. He moved to Butte, Montana in 1877 and became agent of the Wells-Fargo Express Co. Mantle was one of the organizers of Butte as a city, and in 1880 served on its first board of aldermen. In 1881, he established the Daily Inter Mountain, the first Republican newspaper in Western Montana. He was elected to the Territorial house of representatives in 1882, 1886, and 1888, and served as speaker in 1889. He was mayor of Butte from 1892 to 1893.

In 1893, Mantle was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy for the term beginning on commencing March 4. He was not seated because the Senate determined that the governor did not have the power to make an appointment while the legislature was in session. He was later elected by the legislature, and he served from January 16, 1895, to March 3, 1899. In 1896, Mantle joined the Silver Republican Party and served as its chairman in Montana. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate nomination in 1899, and returned to the Republican Party in 1900.

Mantle was publisher of the Inter Mountain until 1901 and became wealthy through investments and ownership stakes in real estate, mines, insurance, and other ventures. In 1921, he moved to California. A bachelor until 1922, at age 70 he married a 25-year-old woman he had known since she was a child. They were married until his death, and were the parents of a son. Mantle died Los Angeles, California on November 18, 1934. He was interred at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Butte.

Early life Theophilus Washington Mantle, usually known as Lee Mantle, was born in Birmingham, England on December 13, 1851, a son of Joseph Mantle and Mary Susan (Patrick) Mantle. His father died before he was born, and support of the family fell to Mantle's mother. After deciding that the Mormon missionaries who had recruited her had not been truthful with respect to the church's practice of polygamy, the Mantles renounced their affiliation.

Lee Mantle attended local schools and was "placed out" to work for his room and board beginning at age 10. In 1886, Mantle was elected to a second term in the Territorial House.

Mantle was also an advocate of the Free silver movement, which many Montana miners favored in the belief that it would make their holdings more valuable.

Later life After leaving the Senate, Mantle resumed his business interests. At age 70, he made national headlines when he married Etta Daly (1897–1993), a 25-year-old he had known since she was a child.