Peter Percival Elder
Encyclopedia
Peter Percival Elder was an American politician, businessman, and newspaperman.
Born to a farming family in northern Maine, Elder was educated at schools in Farmington and Readfield
, Maine and then became a teacher. An abolitionist
, Elder moved to Kansas in 1857 to aid the Free-State cause, settling in Franklin County
, which he later helped organize, serving on the first county board of commissioners.
In 1859 he was elected clerk of the territorial house of representatives. In 1860 he was elected to the state senate under the Wyandotte Constitution
. In 1861 he was appointed agent for the Osage
and Seneca Indian tribes at Fort Scott
, and he helped keep those tribes friendly during the Civil War
, even raising Osage recruits for the Union army.
Elder resigned his position in 1865 and took up residence in the new town of Ottawa, building the first large house there. In 1868 he was elected to the state senate to fill a vacancy. In 1870 he served as chairman of the Kansas Republican central committee, and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
. From 1875 to 1877 and in 1883 he served in the Kansas House of Representatives
; 1877 he was elected Speaker. In 1890 he was again elected to the house of representatives, this time on the "Alliance
" ticket, and was again Speaker.
Elder pursued a various of businesses in Ottawa. He was the president of a railroad which built tracks from Ottawa to Olathe
. He operated a banking business and was later president of the First National Bank of Ottawa. He resigned from the bank in 1873 to devote more time to his large interests in farming and stock raising. In 1896 he founded the Ottawa Times newspaper and was its publisher and editor for some years.
Elder married Catherine Felker (1824–1912) in 1845; they had two children, Aldamar (1854–1951) and Olena (1846–1910). Aldamar was a prominent local businessman and was himself elected to the Kansas House of Representatives, as a Democrat, in 1910.
Born to a farming family in northern Maine, Elder was educated at schools in Farmington and Readfield
Readfield, Maine
Readfield is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,360 at the 2000 census. Readfield is home to the Kents Hill School, a preparatory school, Maranacook Community Schools, public schools for the district, a few summer camps, and the annual Readfield Heritage Days. The...
, Maine and then became a teacher. An abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, Elder moved to Kansas in 1857 to aid the Free-State cause, settling in Franklin County
Franklin County, Kansas
Franklin County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 25,992. Its county seat and most populous city is Ottawa...
, which he later helped organize, serving on the first county board of commissioners.
In 1859 he was elected clerk of the territorial house of representatives. In 1860 he was elected to the state senate under the Wyandotte Constitution
Wyandotte Constitution
The present Constitution of the State of Kansas was originally known as the Wyandotte Constitution to distinguish it from three proposed constitutions that preceded it...
. In 1861 he was appointed agent for the Osage
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
and Seneca Indian tribes at Fort Scott
Fort Scott National Historic Site
Fort Scott National Historic Site is a historical area under the control of the United States National Park Service in Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. Named after Mexican-American War General Winfield Scott, during the middle of the 19th century it served as a military base for army action...
, and he helped keep those tribes friendly during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, even raising Osage recruits for the Union army.
Elder resigned his position in 1865 and took up residence in the new town of Ottawa, building the first large house there. In 1868 he was elected to the state senate to fill a vacancy. In 1870 he served as chairman of the Kansas Republican central committee, and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
The Lieutenant Governor of Kansas is the lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Kansas. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term...
. From 1875 to 1877 and in 1883 he served in the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
; 1877 he was elected Speaker. In 1890 he was again elected to the house of representatives, this time on the "Alliance
Farmers' Alliance
The Farmers Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement amongst U.S. farmers that flourished in the 1880s. One of the goals of the organization was to end the adverse effects of the crop-lien system on farmers after the American Civil War...
" ticket, and was again Speaker.
Elder pursued a various of businesses in Ottawa. He was the president of a railroad which built tracks from Ottawa to Olathe
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
. He operated a banking business and was later president of the First National Bank of Ottawa. He resigned from the bank in 1873 to devote more time to his large interests in farming and stock raising. In 1896 he founded the Ottawa Times newspaper and was its publisher and editor for some years.
Elder married Catherine Felker (1824–1912) in 1845; they had two children, Aldamar (1854–1951) and Olena (1846–1910). Aldamar was a prominent local businessman and was himself elected to the Kansas House of Representatives, as a Democrat, in 1910.