Evening star., 1941-07-08
Stephen Bo||es, IS,
House Member From
Wisconsin, Dies Here
Veteran Newspaper
Editor Succumbs
To Heart Ailment

Representative Stephen Bolles,
Republican, of Wisconsin, died sud-
denly of a heart attack today at
his home at 2931 Twenty-eighth
street NV. He was rs years old.
DR.. R. Massie Page, his physician,
said Mr.. Bolles had been suffering
from a heart ailment for several
months and had been ordered to
bed last Friday. His wife, the for
mer Marion Schaller of GAINESVILLE,
Wis. was at his side when death
| came at am.
| He was the 10th member OF the
Seventy-seventh Congress to die
since it convened in January.
House Takes Recess.
The House adjourned out Of re-
| spect for the Wisconsin member
after eight men who had been most
closely associated with him in his
legislative duties and as members
of the Wisconsin delegation had
eulogized him in the House.
/ Those who spoke were Repre-
sentatives Johns, Sauthoff, Thill.
Stevenson and Wasielewski, all of
Wisconsin; Chairman Randolph of
/ the House District Committee. OF
which Mr.. Bolles was a ranking Re-
publican member; Case of South
Dakota and Lesinski of Michigan.
The Speaker appointed the Off
cial committee representing the
House, to attend the funeral. 1t in
cludes Representatives Ghermann,
Hull, Johns and Sauthoff, all of
| Wisconsin.
Editor of the GAINESVILLE Daily Ga
zette since 1920, Representative
Bolles was one of the best-known
small-town newspapermen in the
| country.
| He was elected to Congress in
1888 as Representative of the first
district of Wisconsin, and was re-
elected to the Seventy-seventh Con-
/ gress last year. When he began his
/ service in Congress, Mr. Bolles sur
| priSed his colleagues by asking for
| place on the House District Commit
tee. and he had served as member
since that time. He also was
member of the Committee on Ex-
penGitures in the Executive Depart
ments and the Invalid Pensions
Committee.
He had taken an active part in
/ the investigation of the Police De-
partment.
One of Mr.. Bolles' last official acts
was to return to the District Com
mittee bill designed to modernize
the 36-year-old fire-prevention law
with a request that it be turned
over to Representative Harris, DEM
ocrat, of Arkansas.
Mr.. BolleS had been made chair
man of a special subcommittee to
! hold hearings on this proposed legis-
/ lation.
Urged Unified Police.
For several weeks Representative
Bolles had been working on the
draft of proposed bill to consoli-
date the metropolitan and park
police forces He had long been an
! advocate of such a unification.
Born in Springboro, Pa, the Wis
consin Representative served as re-
porter, correspondent and manag-
| ing editor of many newspapers. He
was, successfully, managing editor
of the Toledo (Ohio) Blade publish
er of the Erie CPaD Dispatch. man.
| aging editor of the Buffalo IN. "
Times, Sunday editor of the Buff
falo News, managing editor of the
Buffalo Enquirer, publisher of the
Rochester IN " Daily Times, and
! editor of the GAINESVILLE Gazette.
Mr.. Bolles was superintendent of
/ the press department of the Pam
American Exposition in 1901; chief
/ of the graphic arts exhibit at the
! Universal Exposition in st. Louis in
1903. and president of the inter-
national jury of awards for graphic
arts at the same exposition.
In 1907, he served as director OF
publicity of the jamestown Exposi-
/ ton.
/ During his newspaper career, Mr.
Bolles reported B national political
conventions and was alternate dele
gate to the Republican National
/ Convention in 1928
Mr.. Bolles was standing only 20
feet away from President Mckinley
when the Chief Executive was shot
by an assassin in Buffalo on Septem-
Der 6, 1901.
Mr.. Bolles held and honorary
doctors degree from Milton CWis)
College, of which he was a trustee
for seven years. He was also a
trustee of the GAINESVILLE Public
Library for 18 years. director of
the Red Cross for II years, chair
man of the Advisory Board of the
Salvation Army for three years,
president of the GAINESVILLE Chamber
of Commerce, member of the
Grange and of the Republican State
Committee of Wisconsin.
He also was a member of the
National Press Club, the American
Society of Newspaper Editors, the
Milwaukee Press Club and the Lotos
Club of New York City.
Mr.. Bolles is survived by three
sons by former marriage.
Another son, Stephen Whitford
Bolles, who was taken prisoner in
battle while serving with the U. S.
Marines in France during the World
War, died of war injuries several
years ago.