William Riley Dunham (February 1, 1856 – February 4, 1921), "the man known by name by more men, women and children than any other one man in Tipton County," according to a 1912 issue of the ''Kempton Courier'', was a member of the Indiana General Assembly, representing

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

and Tipton counties from 1913 to 1915.Indiana State Legislator Manual 1913, Indiana General Assembly Biography

Biography

William Riley Dunham was born on February 1, 1856, was born to Samuel Goodnight Dunham and Eliza Matilda Reese. He attended Valparaiso Normal School, then worked as a farmer and stockraiser in Kempton. There he also served as Township Assessor, Township Trustee, and Deputy County Treasurer. He was elected to the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in 1912, and served one term. He died of "traveling sickness" on February 4, 1921.

Legacy

The farm house that Dunham built in Tipton County, Indiana in the 1880s, The Dunham House, still stands today. The original of land upon which the house was built was purchased by his grandfather, Jacob Dunham, as a land grant in 1849 and remained in the Dunham family until 1969.Deed Land Grant; U.S. Department of the Interior; General Land Office, Record Number 108; Page 110 As local legend recalls, William Riley was an acquaintance of President Grover Cleveland, who may have spent the night in the home. He even named one of his sons Grover Cleveland Dunham, eventually a physician, who would later inherent the property from his father.Life Estate Affidavit ; Tipton County, Indiana Deed Record Book 30; Page: 233, Tipton County Recorders Office The Dunham file that the Heritage Society maintains mysteriously contains an obscure newspaper article giving details of a secret medical procedure that President Cleveland underwent while in office. The Dunham family, and the Goodnight, Kearney, and Stroup families that they married into, served the public in the region in politics, medicine, education, and agriculture. Then candidate Barack Obama, a descendant of Dunham's brother, visited the house with his wife and daughters in May 2008. A historical marker now graces the property.

References

External links

* Obama family People from Tipton County, Indiana Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives 1856 births 1921 deaths Valparaiso University alumni {{Indiana-politician-stub