Walter Halben Butler (February 13, 1852 – April 24, 1931) was a lawyer, teacher, newspaper publisher, and one-term Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district, then located in northeastern Iowa.

Born in Springboro, Pennsylvania on February 13, 1852,^[1] Butler moved to Minnesota in 1868 with his parents, who settled in Mankato, in Blue Earth County.^[2] He attended public and private schools, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1875.^[2] He was a wrestler and sprinter there, and is credited as the first to run the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds.^[3]

After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1875 and commenced practice in Princeton, Wisconsin.^[2] He moved to Iowa in 1876 and taught school at La Porte City until 1878, and at Manchester until 1880.^[2]

He moved to West Union, Iowa, in 1883 and became owner and publisher of the Fayette County Union.^[2] From 1885 to 1889, he served as superintendent of the Railway Mail Service's tenth division, at St. Paul, Minnesota.^[2] He returned to West Union, and resumed his former newspaper pursuits.^[2]

In 1890, Butler was nominated as a Democrat to run against incumbent Republican U.S. House Representative Joseph Henry Sweney from the 4th congressional district.^[2] After defeating Sweney in the general election as part of a Democratic landslide, he served in the Fifty-second Congress.^[2] In 1892 he was defeated in his first re-election bid, by former Republican Congressman Thomas Updegraff.^[2] Butler served in Congress from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1893.^[2]

After leaving Congress, he returned to northeastern Iowa for five years.^[2] He moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1897 and to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1907.^[2] He engaged in the real estate and loan business and, later in banking.^[2] He died in Kansas City on April 24, 1931.^[2][3] He was interred at Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City.^[2]