William Alexander Calderhead (September 26, 1844 – December 18, 1928) was a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

Biography

Born on a farm near New Lexington in

Perry County, Ohio Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,408. Its county seat is New Lexington. It was established on March 1, 1818, from parts of Fairfield, Washington and Muskingum counties. ...

, Calderhead received private schooling and also attended the common schools and Franklin College in

New Athens, Ohio New Athens () is a village in Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 320 at the 2010 census. History New Athens was platted in 1817. A post office has been in operation at New Athens since 1818. Geography New Athens is located ...

. During 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 ...

, he enlisted in August 1862 as a private in Company H, 126th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was transferred to Company D, Ninth Veteran Reserves, for disability incurred in service and discharged June 27, 1865. He moved to

Harvey County, Kansas Harvey County (county code HV) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 34,024. Its county seat and most populous city is Newton. History In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized ...

, in 1868 and engaged in agricultural pursuits near Newton. Four years later, he moved into Newton and taught school and studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1875. He moved to

Atchison Atchison may refer to: Places In the United States: *Atchison, California, a former settlement *Atchison, Kansas, a city *Atchison County, Kansas *Atchison County, Missouri People with the surname * Bob Atchison (born 1941), Canadian drag race ...

, and continued to study law. He also engaged in teaching. He settled in Marysville, in 1879 and commenced the practice of law. He served as prosecuting attorney of Marshall County 1889-1891. Calderhead was elected as a

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 ...

to the Fifty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress. Calderhead was elected to the Fifty-sixth and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1911). He served as chairman of the Committee of Expenditures in the Department of Justice ( Fifty-eighth and Fifty-ninth Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910. He resumed the practice of law in Marysville, Kansas, until 1920, when he retired from active business pursuits and moved to

Enid, Oklahoma Enid ( ) is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, a ...

, where he died on December 18, 1928. He was interred in Marysville Cemetery at Marysville. Calderhead was the father of

Iris Calderhead Iris Calderhead (January 3, 1889 – March 6, 1966) was an American suffragist and organizer in the National Woman's Party. She earned an A.B. in English from the University of Kansas in 1910 and completed a graduate degree at Bryn Mawr College ...

, a prominent suffragist.

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calderhead, William Alexander 1844 births 1928 deaths People from New Lexington, Ohio Union Army soldiers People from Harvey County, Kansas Oklahoma Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas People from Marysville, Kansas People from Atchison, Kansas Politicians from Enid, Oklahoma