Biography

Born in Langenfeld

Langenfeld, Rhineland

Langenfeld is a town in North-Rhine-Westphalia in the district of Mettmann. The suburban city is located between Düsseldorf and Cologne...

, Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

, Krekel emigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1832. He attended St. Charles College

St. Charles College (Missouri)

St. Charles College was a school in Saint Charles, Missouri, established by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1837. John F. Fielding served as the first president until his death in 1842....

, and read law to enter the bar in 1844. He was a surveyor

Surveying

See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...

 in St. Charles County, Missouri. He was a Justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 there from 1841 to 1843, and was in private practice beginning in 1844. He was a county and city attorney of St. Charles City and St. Charles County from 1846 to 1850, and was an editor of the St. Charles Democrat from 1850-1864. He was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives

Missouri House of Representatives

The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...

 in 1852.

Krekel served in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 throughout the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 as colonel of a regiment of Missouri volunteers. He was president of the state constitutional convention in 1865. On March 6, 1865, Krekel, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, was nominated by President Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri

United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri

The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri is the federal judicial district encompassing 66 counties in the western half of the State of Missouri...

 vacated by R.W. Wells. Krekel was confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on March 9, 1865, and received his commission the same day. He served on the court until his retirement on June 9, 1888.

He was a lecturer in the University of Missouri School of Law

University of Missouri School of Law

University of Missouri School of Law is the law school of the University of Missouri, a state university in the U.S. State of Missouri. It is located on the university's main campus in Columbia, forty minutes from the Missouri State Capitol and Supreme Court in Jefferson City...

 in Columbia, Missouri

Columbia, Missouri

Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...

, from 1872 to 1875. He died in St. Charles, Missouri.

Sources