Ferdinand Brucker (January 8, 1858 – March 3, 1904) was an American lawyer and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. He served one term in the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

from 1897 to 1899.

Early life and education

Brucker was born in

Bridgeport, Michigan Bridgeport is an unincorporated community in Bridgeport Charter Township, Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also a census-designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes. The population was 7,849 at the 2000 census. Bridgeport ...

, where he attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary ...

s. He was a member of the State militia 1878-1881. He graduated from the law department of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

at Ann Arbor in 1881, was admitted to the bar the same year, and commenced practice in

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

Political career

He was an alderman of

East Saginaw East Saginaw is a defunct city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. History Much of the area that later became East Saginaw was granted by treaty to James Reilly, the Métis son of fur trader Stephen V. R. Reilly and his Chippewa wife ...

, 1882–1884, a judge of the probate court of

Saginaw County Saginaw County, officially the County of Saginaw, is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 190,124. The county seat is Saginaw. The county was created by September 10, 1822, and was fully orga ...

, 1888–1896, and a delegate to the

1896 Democratic National Convention The 1896 Democratic National Convention, held at the Chicago Coliseum from July 7 to July 11, was the scene of William Jennings Bryan's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate for the 1896 U.S. presidential election. At age 36, B ...

. Brucker was elected 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 ...

from

Michigan's 8th congressional district Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan, including almost all of the state capital, Lansing. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of all of Clinton, Ingham, and ...

to the

55th Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

, serving from March 4, 1897 to March 3, 1899. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1898, losing to Joseph W. Fordney.

Death

After leaving Congress, Ferdinand Brucker resumed the practice of law. He died in Saginaw, and is interred in Oak Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport. His son, Wilber M. Brucker, later served as Governor of Michigan from 1931 to 1932.

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brucker, Ferdinand 1858 births 1904 deaths Burials in Michigan Michigan lawyers Politicians from Saginaw, Michigan Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan University of Michigan Law School alumni People from Bridgeport, Michigan 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians