Freeman Tulley Knowles (October 10, 1846 – June 1, 1910) was a veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, lawyer, journalist and social activist. From 1897 to 1899, he served one term in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

as a

Populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

Biography

Knowles was born in Harmony, Maine, and educated at the local schools and Bloomfield Academy in

Skowhegan Skowhegan () is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 8,620. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuously-held state fair in the United States. Skowh ...

Civil War

He enlisted for the

in 1862, joining the

16th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 16th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was particularly noted for its service during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Organization and Assignments The 16th Maine wa ...

. He served until the end of the war, took part in several battles including the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, and attained the rank of

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

Career

After the war Knowles moved to

Denison, Iowa Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River, and located in both Denison Township and East Boyer Township. The population was 8,373 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County. ...

, where he studied law and attained admission to the bar. He practiced in Denison from 1869 until 1886, when he moved to

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

to become publisher of the ''Ceresco Times''. Knowles moved to

Tilford, South Dakota Tilford is an unincorporated community located in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. Tilford is located at Exit 40 off I-90, approximately south of Sturgis, the county seat. Although Tilford is unincorporated, it has its own ZIP code ...

in 1888 to begin publication of the ''Meade County Times''. He subsequently moved to Deadwood to publish the ''Evening Independent''.

Congress

In addition to his activities in journalism, Knowles became active in the Populist Party. After running unsuccessfully for Seat A in 1894, in 1896 he was elected to Seat B, one of South Dakota's two at-large seats in the

. He served in the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

, March 4, 1897 to March 3, 1899, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1898.

Later career

Knowles later became involved with the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of Ameri ...

, and made unsuccessful runs for

Governor of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who t ...

in 1904 and 1906. In addition, he started a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

newspaper, ''The Lantern'', and his editorials and stories on topics including

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

labor rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influen ...

, and

labor unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

angered mine owners and other business leaders, which resulted in scrutiny by law enforcement agencies and other government officials. In 1908 he was charged with sending obscene material through the mails, and sentenced to a year in prison.

Death and burial

Knowles died in

Deadwood, South Dakota Deadwood (Lakota: ''Owáyasuta''; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had it ...

on June 1, 1910. He was buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood.

References

External links

* 1846 births 1910 deaths People from Harmony, Maine People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota South Dakota Populists People from Denison, Iowa People from Deadwood, South Dakota Union Army soldiers Iowa lawyers 19th-century American journalists American male journalists Burials in South Dakota Socialist Party of America politicians from South Dakota 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota {{SouthDakota-politician-stub