Omer Madison Kem (November 13, 1855 – February 13, 1942) was an American Populist Party politician.

Early life

Omer Madison Kem was born in

Hagerstown, Indiana Hagerstown is a town in Jefferson Township, Wayne County, Indiana, Jefferson Township, Wayne County, Indiana, Wayne County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the United States Census 2010, 2010 census, the population was 1,787. History Hagers ...

on November 13, 1855.

Career

He moved to

Custer County, Nebraska Custer County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 10,545. Its county seat is Broken Bow. The county was formed in 1877 and named after General George Armstrong Custer, who was kille ...

in 1882 and to

Broken Bow, Nebraska Broken Bow is a city in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,559 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Custer County. History Broken Bow was platted in 1882. Its name, likely suggested by a settler who found a b ...

in 1890 where he farmed. He was deputy treasurer of Custer County from 1890 to 1891. He was elected as a Populist to 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 ...

from 1891 to 1897, serving first the 3rd district and then the 6th district when the number of representatives from Nebraska was increased following the

1890 Census The United States census of 1890 was taken beginning June 2, 1890, but most of the 1890 census materials were destroyed in 1921 when a building caught fire and in the subsequent disposal of the remaining damaged records. It determined the reside ...

. He did not run for reelection in 1896. Kem went to

Montrose, Colorado Montrose is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,291 at the 2020 census, within a total area of 18.5 square miles. The main ...

, to grow fruit and raise cattle. He got back into politics by being elected as a member of the

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distr ...

in 1907. He then moved to

Cottage Grove, Oregon Cottage Grove is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Its population was 10,643 at the 2020 census. It is the third largest city in Lane County. It is on Interstate 5, Oregon Route 99, and the main Willamette Valley line of the CORP railr ...

, in 1908, where he became interested in electric light and power enterprises. He worked and served as president of the Cottage Grove Electric Company until it was sold to Mountain States Power (now PacifiCorp) in 1922. He retired in 1922.

Personal life

Kem married Nancy Lenore Benson in 1874. She died in 1883. He married Alice Maria Lockheart in Nebraska in 1885. He had five daughters and three sons (Claude, Huxley, and Victor).

Death

Kem died in Cottage Grove on February 13, 1942. He was cremated and the ashes scattered.

References

* * * * 1855 births 1942 deaths People from Hagerstown, Indiana People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska Nebraska Populists People from Cottage Grove, Oregon People from Custer County, Nebraska Members of the Colorado House of Representatives People from Montrose, Colorado People from Broken Bow, Nebraska Members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska {{Nebraska-politician-stub