Theodore Weld Pepoon (August 29, 1836 – 1910) was a Republican Nebraska politician and publisher, living and working in Pawnee County and nearby areas. He is principally remembered for his work on reforming Nebraska's agricultural laws and for his stint in the 1880s as publisher of the ''

Falls City Journal The ''Falls City Journal'' is a newspaper serving Falls City, Nebraska and nearby communities. History The ''Journal'' began as the ''Nemaha Valley Journal'' in 1868. It replaced an earlier newspaper known as the ''Broadaxe''. It changed its na ...

''.

Early life and education

Pepoon was born in

Lake County, Ohio Lake County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 232,603. The county seat is Painesville. The county was established on March 6, 1840, from land given by Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties. Its name is der ...

on August 29, 1836. His fiercely abolitionist parents named him after

Theodore Weld Theodore Dwight Weld (November 23, 1803 – February 3, 1895) was one of the architects of the American abolitionist movement during its formative years from 1830 to 1844, playing a role as writer, editor, speaker, and organizer. He is best known ...

. He moved with his parents and siblings to

Jo Daviess County Jo Daviess County () is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 22,678. Its county seat is Galena. Jo Daviess County is part of the Tri-State Area and is located near D ...

in far northwestern Illinois in 1850. For a time he attended the

Mount Carroll Seminary The Mount Carroll Seminary was the name of Shimer College from 1853 to 1896. The Seminary was located in Mount Carroll, Illinois, in the United States. A pioneering institution in its time and place, the Mount Carroll Seminary served as a center ...

(known today as Shimer College), where his sister was serving as an instructor of mathematics. He later leveraged this "practical education" for work as a teacher and a railroad clerk. In 1860, Pepoon married another former student of the Mount Carroll Seminary, Susan Robinson. She was from nearby

Savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

, and was four years his junior. On March 29, 1865, Pepoon joined the 96th Illinois infantry, later transferring to Company K of the 21st infantry. He did not see action, and mustered out in January 1866. According to his account, he did not join the Union army earlier only because he had been unable to leave the family farm unattended, all four of his brothers having enlisted. In 1869, Pepoon and other members of his family moved to

Table Rock, Nebraska Table Rock is a village in Pawnee County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 236 at the 2020 census. History Table Rock was platted in 1855. It was named from a large rock formation nearby on the Nemaha River which has since been destr ...

, where he purchased a 250-acre homestead.

Career

In 1876, Pepoon was elected to the

Nebraska State Senate The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the small ...

, the state legislature then being

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

. Among the legislation that he successfully sponsored was an 1877 amendment to the state railroad law, requiring railroad companies to reimburse livestock owners for livestock struck by trains. Another required that livestock cars be cleaned to help "prevent the spread of hog cholera and kindred diseases." In 1881, Pepoon bought a half-interest in the ''

'', and moved to Falls City to work as the paper's editor and publisher. In this capacity, he strove to ensure that the paper reflected his own Radical Republican sensibilities. He remained connected with the paper until 1885. Pepoon and his wife moved to

Hardy, Arkansas Hardy is the 2nd oldest city in Sharp and Fulton counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 765 in 2020. Geography Hardy is located at (36.320553, -91.480645). The Spring River, which begins in Mammoth Spring, flows through H ...

in the late 1890s. When she died a few years later, Pepoon went to live with his daughters in Thayer, Missouri. He died there in October or November 1910.

Works cited

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pepoon, Theodore Weld Nebraska state senators Shimer College alumni 1836 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American politicians People from Lake County, Ohio People from Jo Daviess County, Illinois People from Pawnee County, Nebraska People from Falls City, Nebraska People of Illinois in the American Civil War