William Amos Poynter was a Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 best known as the tenth Governor of Nebraska

Governor of Nebraska

The Governor of Nebraska holds the "supreme executive power" of the State of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Nebraska Constitution. The current Governor is Dave Heineman, a Republican, who assumed office on January 20, 2005 upon the resignation of Mike Johanns . He won a full...

 from 1899 to 1901, running under a fusion

Electoral fusion

Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...

 ticket between the Populist

Populist Party (United States)

The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...

 and the Democratic Party. He had previously also been elected to the former Nebraska State House of Representatives in 1885 and the State Senate in 1891.

Early life

Born at Eureka, Illinois

Eureka, Illinois

Eureka is a city in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,295 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Woodford County. The city was founded in the year 1855. Eureka is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 on May 29, 1848, Poynter completed his college studies at Eureka College

Eureka College

Eureka College is a liberal arts college in Eureka, Illinois related by covenant to the Christian Church and founded in 1855. It has a strong focus on the mutual development of intellect and character. Stated core values are learning, service and leadership...

, graduating in 1867. He married Maria McCorkle in 1869, and the couple had two children: Josephine and Charles. Poynter worked as a merchant in Eureka, Illinois, for several years until relocating his family to Albion, Nebraska

Albion, Nebraska

Albion is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,797 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Albion is located at ....

 in 1879.

Political career

Poynter became active in politics shortly after his move to Nebraska. He helped organize the Farmers' Alliance

Farmers' Alliance

The Farmers Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement amongst U.S. farmers that flourished in the 1880s. One of the goals of the organization was to end the adverse effects of the crop-lien system on farmers after the American Civil War...

 and was elected to the Nebraska State Legislature in 1884. Poynter was nominated again in 1892, but he was defeated by Republican George D. Meiklejohn. He served as a member of the State Legislature for nearly two decades before being elected governor in 1898. Poynter served only one term as Governor, being defeated in 1900 by Charles H. Dietrich.

Death

William A. Poynter died suddenly on April 5, 1909, while visiting then Governor Ashton C. Shallenberger

Ashton C. Shallenberger

Ashton Cokayne Shallenberger was a Nebraska Democratic politician best known for being the 15th Governor of Nebraska from 1909 to 1911. He was first elected to the 57th United States Congress but failed to be reelected in 1902. He was elected governor from 1909–1911 and then was unsuccessful in...

.

External links

• Find-A-Grave