Montana Historical Society

MANTLE, Lee, a Senator from Montana; born in Birmingham, England, December 13, 1851; immigrated to the United States with his mother and settled at Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1864; attended a village school; moved to Idaho Territory in 1870; telegraph operator and stage agent; moved to Butte, Mont., in 1877 and became agent of the Wells-Fargo Express Co.; established the Inter Mountain, a daily Republican newspaper, in 1881; served as alderman the same year; member, Territorial house of representatives 1882, 1884, 1888, and served as speaker in 1888; mayor of Butte 1892; many times chairman of local and State conventions; appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy in the term commencing March 4, 1893, caused by the failure of the legislature to elect, but was not seated; elected as a Republican to fill the vacancy and served from January 16, 1895, to March 3, 1899; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1899; organized and became chairman of the Silver Republican Party of Montana in 1896, but returned to the Republican Party in 1900; manager and part-time editor of the Inter Mountain until 1901; also engaged in the real estate and mining business; moved to Los Angeles, Calif., in 1921, and died there on November 18, 1934; interment in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Butte, Mont.