Henry Heitfeld (January 12, 1859October 21, 1938) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. 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 ...

, he served as a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

Early life

Born in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, Heitfeld attended public and private schools there. He moved to

Seneca, Kansas Seneca is a city in and the county seat of Nemaha County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,139. History Seneca was founded in 1857. It was named after Seneca County, Ohio. The first post office ...

, then Pomeroy,

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

, and finally to Lewiston,

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

, in 1883, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising. On November 25, 1884, he married Anna M. Jacobs (1861–1923), who was originally from

Jacobs Prairie, Minnesota Jacobs Prairie is an unincorporated community in Wakefield Township, Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located along Stearns County Road 2 at Glacier Road near Cold Spring and Rockville. History The community was hom ...

, southwest of St. Cloud.

Political life

Idaho gained statehood in 1890; Heitfeld was elected to the

state senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

and served from 1894 to 1897. He was elected as a Populist to 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 ...

in 1896, served a single term, and did not seek reelection in 1902. Heitfeld was a candidate for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1904 but was defeated by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Frank R. Gooding Frank Robert Gooding (September 16, 1859June 24, 1928) was a Republican United States Senator and the seventh governor of Idaho. The city of Gooding and Gooding County, both in southern Idaho, are named for him. Life and career Born in the co ...

. The following year Heitfeld became mayor of Lewiston, serving until 1909. From 1914 to 1922, Heitfeld was a registrar of the

United States General Land Office The General Land Office (GLO) was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department ...

at Lewiston. He engaged in fruit growing during this period. At age 71 in 1930, Heitfeld returned to politics as a member of the Nez Perce County Commission, eventually serving as its chair. He retired in 1938 and moved to

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

, shortly before his death. He was the last living U.S. senator to have served in the 19th century. Heitfeld's funeral was in Lewiston at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, and he was buried in Normal Hill Cemetery, next to his wife.

References

External links

* * 20th-century mayors of places in Idaho 1859 births 1938 deaths Politicians from St. Louis American people of German descent Catholics from Missouri People's Party United States senators from Idaho Idaho state senators Mayors of places in Idaho County commissioners in Idaho People from Lewiston, Idaho People from Seneca, Kansas {{Idaho-politician-stub