Charles Sumner Eastman (January 23, 1864 – August 26, 1939) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...

. Eastman was a member of the

La Follette family The La Follette family is a prominent family in the United States, especially in Wisconsin. Many of the family members have pursued political office. Members * Robert M. La Follette, Sr. (1855–1925), District Attorney of Dane County, Wisconsi ...

, a prominent political family in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Early life and education

Born in

Primrose, Wisconsin The Town of Primrose is located in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of 2018, the population was 731. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.8 square miles (92.8 km), all of it lan ...

, Eastman was educated in the

Dane County Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital. Dane County is the ...

public schools and at the

Northwestern Business College Northwestern College (NC), formerly Northwestern Business College, is a for-profit institution of higher education located in Bridgeview, Illinois. The school offers an associate in applied science degree programs and certificate programs in onl ...

Career

In 1882, he moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

and settled in Plankinton, Dakota Territory. In 1888, he was admitted to the Dakota Territory bar and practiced law in what is now

Hot Springs, South Dakota Hot Springs (Lakota: ''mni kȟáta''; "hot water") is a city in and county seat of Fall River County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,395. In addition, neighboring Oglala Lakota County contracts the ...

and was senior member of ''Eastman & Dudley Law Firm.'' He served as county judge of

Fall River County, South Dakota Fall River County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 6,973. Its county seat is Hot Springs, South Dakota, Hot Springs. The county was founded in 1883. It ...

from 1887 to 1889 and then was deputy sheriff and sheriff of Fall River County from 1892 to 1897. He served as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in the

from 1907 to 1908.

Personal life

His uncle was

Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his l ...

, who served as a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Philip La Follette Philip Fox La Follette (May 8, 1897August 18, 1965) was an American politician. He was the List of Governors of Wisconsin, 27th and List of Governors of Wisconsin, 29th Governor of Wisconsin, as well as one of the founders of the Wisconsin Progre ...

Robert M. La Follette Jr. Robert Marion "Young Bob" La Follette Jr. (February 6, 1895 – February 24, 1953) was an American politician serving as a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin from 1925 to 1947. A member of the La Follette family, he was a son of U.S. Representative, U.S ...

, and

Fola La Follette Flora Dodge La Follette (September 10, 1882 – February 17, 1970), known as Fola La Follette, was an American actress and teacher turned women's suffrage and labor activist and editor/author from Madison, Wisconsin. At the time of her death i ...

were Eastman's first cousins. Eastman died in

References

External links

* 1864 births 1939 deaths People from Primrose, Wisconsin People from Hot Springs, South Dakota La Follette family Madison Business College alumni South Dakota lawyers South Dakota state court judges Democratic Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives South Dakota sheriffs People from Aurora County, South Dakota {{SouthDakota-politician-stub