Othman Ali Abbott (September 19, 1842 – June 24, 1935) was the first

lieutenant governor of Nebraska The lieutenant governor of Nebraska is the highest-ranking executive official in the State of Nebraska after the governor. According to the Nebraska State Constitution, in the event a governor dies, becomes permanently incapacitated, resigns, or ...

, United States, serving from 1877 to 1879 while

Silas Garber Silas Garber (September 21, 1833 – January 12, 1905) was the founder of Red Cloud, Nebraska and was also the third governor of Nebraska. Garber was born in Logan County, Ohio. He moved to Clayton County, Iowa when he was seventeen and star ...

was Governor.Buechler, A.F. & Barr, R.J. (eds.)
History of Hall County, Nebraska
p.565-67 (1920)

Biography

Abbott was born on September 19, 1842, in Hatley,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada to Abiel B. and Sarah (Young) Abbott. The family moved to

DeKalb County, Illinois DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 100,420. Its county seat is Sycamore. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago-Naperville- Elgin, IL- IN- WI Metropolitan Stat ...

, when he was about 8,Costin, Lela B
Two Sisters for Social Justice: A Biography of Grace and Edith Abbott
p. 3-5 (2003) () and Abbott attended high school in Belvidere. At the start of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

in 1861 he enlisted, and served until 1865 eventually attaining the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

.Davenport, Edward A. (ed.
History of the Ninth Regiment Illinois Cavalry Volunteers
p. 314 (1888) He began to study law while in the Army and after returning to Belvidere completed those studies and obtained admission to the bar in 1867. Soon after this, he moved to Grand Island, Nebraska. He became active in Nebraska politics, and was chosen to complete an unexpired term in the state senate in 1872. In 1876 he was elected as the first lieutenant governor for Nebraska, and served one two-year term in that position.(4 October 1876)
Notes of the campaign
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' (reporting Abbott's nomination as candidate for the Republicans)Morton, J. Sterling et al. (eds.
Illustrated history of Nebraska, Vol. 1
p.575-76 (1907) Abbott and his wife Elizabeth were married on February 9, 1873, and subsequently had four children; Othman A. Jr.,

Edith Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and var ...

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

, and Arthur G. Grace and Edith became well-known social workers.Herrick, John M. & Stuart, Paul H
Encyclopedia of social welfare history in North America
p. 1-4 (2005) () (Othman's wife, as well as Edith and Grace, have been inducted into the Women of Nebraska Hall of Fame.) Abbott continued to practice law and trade and live in Grand Island, where he died on June 24, 1935.,

Nebraska State Historical Society History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." I ...

(Retrieved January 11, 2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Othman, A. 1842 births 1935 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Nebraska Republican Party Nebraska state senators Emigrants from pre-Confederation Quebec to the United States People from Estrie People from DeKalb County, Illinois People from Grand Island, Nebraska People of Illinois in the American Civil War Union Army officers