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WILLIAM A. PEFFER, who won a national reputation during the time he was in the United States senate, was born
on a farm in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, September 10, 1831. He drew his education from the public schools
of his native state and at the age of fifteen taught school in winter, working on a farm in the summer. In June,
1853, while yet a young man, he removed to Indiana, and opened up a farm in St. Joseph county. In 1859 he made
his way to Missouri and settled on a farm in Morgan county, but on account of the war and the unsettled state.
of the country, he moved to Illinois in February, 1862, and enlisted as a private in Company F, Eighty third Illinois
Infantry, the following August. He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant in March, 1863, and served successively
as quartermaster, adjutant, post adjutant, judge advocate of a military commission, and depot quartermaster in
the engineer department at Nashville. He was mustered. out of the service June 26, 1865. He had, during his leisure
hours while in the army, studied law, and in August, 1865, he cornmenced the practice of that profession at Clarksville,
Tennessee. He removed to Kansas in 1870 and practiced there until 1878, in the meantime establishing and conducting
two newspapers, the "Fredonia Journal" and "Coffeyville Journal."
Mr. Peffer was elected to the state senate in 1874 and was a prominent and influential member of several important
committees. He served as a presidential elector in 1880. The year following he became editor of the "Kansas
Farmer," which he made a prominent and useful paper. In 1890 Mr. Peffer was elected to the United States senate
as member of the People's party and took his seat March 4, 1891. After six years of service Senator Peffer was
succeeded in March, 1897, by William A. Harris.
FROM:
A Biographical Record
Of Schuyler County, New York
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company
New York and Chicago 1903.
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