William Arthur McKeighan (January 19, 1842 – December 15, 1895) was an American politician. McKeighan was born in

Millville, New Jersey Millville is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 28,400,Fulton County, Illinois Fulton County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 37,069. Its county seat is Lewistown, and the largest city is Canton. Fulton County comprises the Canton, IL Micropolitan Statistic ...

, in 1848. He enlisted in the

11th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry The 11th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was raised by orator Robert Green Ingersoll, who became its first colonel, and Basile D. Weeks. Service ...

, in September 1861, to fight in 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 ...

. When the war ended he was stationed on a farm near

Pontiac, Illinois Pontiac is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,931 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Livingston County. The town is also the setting of the 1984 movie '' Grandview, U.S.A.'' Geography Location ...

. He decided to take up farming. He moved to Nebraska in 1880 and continued farming near

Red Cloud, Nebraska Red Cloud is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 962 at the 2020 census. History The region of present-day Red Cloud was intermittently occupied and used as hunting grounds by the Pawne ...

. McKeighan started to take interest in creating the

Farmers' Alliance The Farmers' Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among American farmers that developed and flourished ca. 1875. The movement included several parallel but independent political organizations — the National Farmers' Alliance and ...

and was elected

Probate Judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

of Webster County from 1885 to 1887. He ran unsuccessfully for

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 ...

in the 1888 election. He ran and won the 2nd district seat in 1890. Following the results of the 1890 census being apportioned, McKeighan ran for the newly created

5th district District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...

in 1892 and won again. He ran and lost for reelection in 1894, and died in

Hastings, Nebraska Hastings is a city and the county seat of Adams County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 25,152 at the 2020 census. It is known as the town where Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in 1927, and celebrates that event with the Ko ...

, on December 15, 1895. He is interred in Red Cloud Cemetery,

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* 1842 births 1895 deaths People from Millville, New Jersey People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska People from Red Cloud, Nebraska 19th-century American politicians People from Fulton County, Illinois People from Pontiac, Illinois Nebraska Populists Members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska {{Nebraska-politician-stub