Oscar Sherman Gifford

	This biography appears on pages 1010-1011 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	OSCAR SHERMAN GIFFORD, superintendent of the Hiawatha Insane 
Asylum, at Canton, South Dakota, was born October 20, 1842, at 
Watertown, New York. While yet young he accompanied his. parents upon 
their removal to Rock county, Wisconsin, but subsequently lived with his 
maternal grandfather, David Resseguie, in the Adirondack mountains in 
New York. In 1853 he removed with his parents to Boone county, Illinois, 
and in October, 1871, he settled in Lincoln county, Dakota, where he has 
since resided.  

	Mr. Gifford received a common school education, which was 
supplemented by attendance at the Beloit (Wisconsin) Academy. During the 
war of the Rebellion the subject evinced his patriotism by entering the 
service of his country, serving one and a half years in the engineer 
corps and one year in the Elgin Battery, Illinois Light Artillery. After 
his discharge from military service, Mr. Gifford entered upon the study 
of law and in 1871 he was admitted to the bar. In 1874 he was elected 
county judge of Lincoln county, but declined to serve, and in June of 
the following year he formed a law partnership with Mark W. Bailey, 
since which time he has continuously been actively engaged in the 
practice of his profession.  

	Mr. Gifford has several times been engaged in public service and has 
always acquitted himself creditably. He was a member of the 
constitutional convention which convened at Sioux Falls in September, 
1883, and had been mayor of the city of Canton during 1881 and 1883. In 
November, 1884, he was elected a delegate to congress from Dakota 
territory, being re-elected a delegate in November, 1886, and in 1889 he 
was elected a member of congress from South Dakota, serving in the 
forty-ninth, fiftieth and fifty-first congresses as a Republican. While 
a member of that body Mr. Gifford served as a member of the committees 
on agriculture, Indian affairs and public buildings, which committees 
had charge of the more important matters in which the people of Dakota 
were interested. It was largely through the subject's efforts that the 
Crow, Sisseton, Sioux and Wahpeton Indian reservations were opened for 
settlement and Indian industrial schools were established at Pierre and 
Flandreau and a large number of day schools opened in the Indian 
country. The question concerning the division of Dakota and the 
admission of North Dakota and South Dakota as states was the most 
important measure before congress while Mr. Gifford was a member thereof 
and it was largely through his efforts, aided by the sentiments of his 
constituents, that Dakota was divided and two states formed from the 
immense territory. The measures known as the "omnibus bill," by which 
North and South Dakota, Montana and Washington became states, was 
approved by the President and became a law February 22, 1889, and, as 
before stated, at the first election thereafter, in October, 1889, Mr. 
Gifford was elected a representative from this state. Mr. Gifford 
reported to the house and had full charge of the measure for the   
construction of a public building in Sioux Falls. In November, 1901, Mr. 
Gifford received the   appointment as superintendent of the Hiawatha 
Asylum, at Canton, a United States Indian insane asylum. He entered upon 
the discharge of his duties with an intelligent appreciation of its   
responsibilities and has discharged the same to the full satisfaction of 
every one.  

	In May, 1874, the subject was united in marriage with Miss Phoebe 
M. Fuller. Fraternally, Mr. Gifford has long been actively and 
prominently identified with the time-honored order of Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons. He was initiated, passed and raised as a Master Mason 
in 1877, and in 1879 he was elected worshipful master of Silver Star 
Lodge at Canton. He was   elected grand treasurer of the grand lodge of 
Dakota in 1881, was elected grand master of the   grand lodge in June, 
1882, and was re-elected to that position in June, 1883. In politics he 
has always been an earnest and active Republican.