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William Alfred Peffer was the first Populist senator elected to U.S. Congress. He was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 1831. As a young man he traveled across the country, living in California, Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois. After the outbreak of Civil War, Peffer enlisted in the 83rd Illinois Infantry, entering as a private and working his way up to the rank of second lieutenant. He read law while still in the military, and after his discharge in 1865 he was admitted to the bar and began practicing law in Clarksville, Tennessee. Five years later he moved to Fredonia, Kansas, where he established another practice and edited the Fredonia Journal. Peffer served as a state senator from 1874 to 1876, and during his tenure he relocated to Coffeyville, Kansas, where he assumed editorial control of the Coffeyville Journal. Then, in 1881, he launched the Populist publication Kansas Farmer, one of his best-known contributions to this agrarian reform movement. Peffer was instrumental in the creation of the People's (Populist) Party, serving as a Populist U.S. Senator from 1891 to 1897 and running again (unsuccessfully) for re-election in 1896. Two years later, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for Governor of Kansas, losing the election to Republican William Stanley. Peffer died in 1912 in Grenola, Kansas, at the age of 81.
Creator: Leonard, J. H.
Date: Between 1891 and 1897
Because of Peffer's pivotal role in the development of Populism this source could be grouped with a number of documents selected for this standard. In particular, this photograph would work well with the political cartoons from Judge and Puck that depict Peffer, exaggerating his long beard and making him easy for students to pick out.
KS:7th:4.2:Populism (2005)
Item Number: 200076
Call Number: B Peffer, William A. *2
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 200076
Business and Industry - Occupations/Professions - Authors
Business and Industry - Occupations/Professions - Lawyers
Collections - Photograph
Curriculum - 7th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1880s to 1920s (Benchmark 4) - Populism (Indicator 2) - Rise of the third-party system
Date - 1890s
Government and Politics - Federal Government - Congress - Senate - Peffer, William Alfred
Government and Politics - Political Parties - Populist
Government and Politics - Reform and Protest - Populism
Government and Politics - State Government - Legislature - Senate
Military - Service - Army - Infantry
Military - Wars - Civil War
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Photograph
People - Notable Kansans - Peffer, William Alfred, 1831-1912
Places - Cities and towns - Coffeyville
Places - Cities and towns - Fredonia
Places - Counties - Montgomery
Places - Counties - Wilson
Places - Other States - California - San Francisco
Places - Other States - Illinois
Places - Other States - Indiana
Places - Other States - Missouri
Thematic Time Period - Age of Reform, 1880 - 1917 - Populism, 1890 - 1900
Type of Material - Photographs
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/200076