Jefferson P. Kidder
Encyclopedia
Jefferson Parish Kidder was an American
lawyer and jurist. He served as the non-voting delegate from the Dakota Territory
to the United States House of Representatives
. Kidder was born in Braintree
, Orange County, Vermont
, and studied law at Montpelier
. He was admitted to the bar in 1839 and practiced at Braintree and West Randolph. His son Lyman Kidder was a US Cavalry 2nd lieutenant serving in the 2nd Cavalry under George Armstrong Custer
, and was killed in action
in what would be dubbed the Kidder massacre
. Jefferson Kidder was also the grandfather to noted lawman
and Arizona Ranger
Jeff Kidder
.
, the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, and a delegate to the 1856 Democratic National Convention
. Kidder moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he joined the Republican Party
, and was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
.
In 1865 he moved to Vermillion
, Dakota
, when Abraham Lincoln
appointed him an associate justice of the territorial Supreme Court. In 1875 he resigned, having been elected the territory's delegate to the U.S. Congress. He served from March 4, 1875 - March 4, 1879. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1878
, then was reappointed a justice of the territorial Supreme Court, where he served until his death in St. Paul.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and jurist. He served as the non-voting delegate from the Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Kidder was born in Braintree
Braintree, Vermont
-External links:* *...
, Orange County, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, and studied law at Montpelier
Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier is a city in the U.S. state of Vermont that serves as the state capital and the shire town of Washington County. As the capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the site of the Vermont State House, seat of the legislative branch of Vermont government. The population was 7,855 at the 2010...
. He was admitted to the bar in 1839 and practiced at Braintree and West Randolph. His son Lyman Kidder was a US Cavalry 2nd lieutenant serving in the 2nd Cavalry under George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
, and was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in what would be dubbed the Kidder massacre
Kidder Massacre
The Kidder Massacre of 29 June 1867 refers to a Sioux and Northern Cheyenne war party's killing of United States Second Lieutenant Lyman Kidder, along with an Indian scout and ten enlisted men in Sherman County, Kansas, near Goodland, Kansas.-Background:...
. Jefferson Kidder was also the grandfather to noted lawman
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
and Arizona Ranger
Arizona Rangers
The Arizona Rangers is an Arizona law enforcement agency modeled on the Texas Rangers. The Arizona Rangers were created by the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1901, disbanded in 1909, and subsequently reformed in 1957. They were created to deal with the infestations of outlaws in the sparsely...
Jeff Kidder
Jeff Kidder
Jeff Kidder was a little known police officer in the closing days of the American Old West. He is profiled in the book "Deadly Dozen", written by author Robert K...
.
Politics
He was a member of the Vermont Constitutional Convention in 1843, and served as State’s attorney, as a member of the Vermont SenateVermont Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-member districts, three three-member districts, and one...
, the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, and a delegate to the 1856 Democratic National Convention
1856 Democratic National Convention
The 1856 Democratic National Convention, held at Smith & Nixon's Hall in Cincinnati was the first national party nominating convention to be held outside the original thirteen states. Called to order at Noon on Monday June 2 by National Committee chair Robert McLane, Samuel Medary was made the...
. Kidder moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he joined the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
.
In 1865 he moved to Vermillion
Vermillion, South Dakota
Vermillion is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the tenth largest city in the state. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 10,571. Vermillion lies atop a bluff near the Missouri River.The area has been home to...
, Dakota
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
, when 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...
appointed him an associate justice of the territorial Supreme Court. In 1875 he resigned, having been elected the territory's delegate to the U.S. Congress. He served from March 4, 1875 - March 4, 1879. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1878
United States House elections, 1878
The U.S. House election, 1878 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1878 which occurred in the middle of President Rutherford B...
, then was reappointed a justice of the territorial Supreme Court, where he served until his death in St. Paul.