Andrew Jackson Poppleton (July 24, 1830 – September 9, 1896) was a lawyer and politician in pioneer

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. Serving in a variety of roles over his lifetime, his name is present throughout many of the important events of early Omaha history.

Background

Born in

Troy, Michigan Troy is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. Its population was 87,294 at the 2020 U.S. census, making Troy the most populous city in the county and the 13th most-populous municipality in the state. Troy is a northern suburb of Me ...

, Poppleton went to Romeo Academy. He then went to the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. In 1851, Poppleton graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

. He was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1852. In 1854, Poppleton moved to Omaha,

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

. Poppleton practiced law in Omaha and was involved with the Democratic Party.

Career

Poppleton served in many political roles in pioneer Omaha. One of the founders of the Omaha Claim Club, Poppleton was also heavily involved in the enforcement of its rules over the city. When the club went to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, it was Poppleton who mounted the defense. They lost. Poppleton was a member of the

Nebraska Territorial Legislature The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855 until 1865 in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory. Major issues Slavery In 1854 the Kansas–Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Missouri Compromise b ...

in 1854–55 and 1857–58. In a fluke in 1857, Poppleton served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the

. After that, he was the second mayor of young Omaha, serving for six months from March 2, 1858, until September 14, 1858, when he resigned from office. Poppleton was afterwards an influential

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

businessman and lawyer in Omaha. Poppleton worked for many years as the general attorney for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

. The most important case he ever argued was the 1879 trial of ''

Standing Bear v. Crook Standing Bear (c. 1829–1908) (Ponca official orthography: Maⁿchú-Naⁿzhíⁿ/Macunajin;U.S. Indian Census Rolls, 1885 Ponca Indians of Dakota other spellings: Ma-chú-nu-zhe, Ma-chú-na-zhe or Mantcunanjin pronounced ) was a Ponca chief a ...

'', held at

Fort Omaha Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, ...

. Standing Bear, a

Ponca The Ponca ( Páⁿka iyé: Páⁿka or Ppáⁿkka pronounced ) are a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca ...

chief, successfully argued in U.S. District Court that Native Americans are "persons within the meaning of the law" and have the rights of citizenship. Nebraska Historical Society.

Personal life

Poppleton died in 1896 and was interred at the Prospect Hill Cemetery in

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the ...

. Poppleton Avenue in Omaha is named in his honor; the Poppleton Block in

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline ...

is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

References

External links

* 1830 births 1896 deaths People from Troy, Michigan Union College (New York) alumni University of Michigan alumni Michigan lawyers Nebraska lawyers Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska Nebraska Democrats Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature Mayors of Omaha, Nebraska Burials at Prospect Hill Cemetery (North Omaha, Nebraska) 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American lawyers {{Nebraska-mayor-stub

Background

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links