Oliver S. Pendar Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1192-1193 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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	OLIVER S. PENDAR, the virtual founder of the town of Salem, McCook 
county, which he named in honor of his native place, and one of the 
popular and well-known citizens of Sioux Falls, where he holds the 
responsible office of clerk of both the United States circuit and 
district courts, was born in the historic old city of Salem, 
Massachusetts, on the 29th of September, 1857, and comes of staunch old 
colonial stock. He secured his early education in the public schools and 
was graduated in the Salem high school, where he was reared to manhood. 
In 1877, at the age of twenty years, he started for the west, believing 
that better opportunities were here afforded for advancement through 
personal effort. He was located in the city of Minneapolis for one year, 
at the expiration of which, in 1878, he cast in his lot with the 
pioneers of what is now the state of South Dakota, taking up his 
residence in McCook county, where he took up a timber and a pre-emption 
claim, in due time perfecting his title to the property, to whose 
improvement he gave his attention. In 1879 a postoffice was established 
at the point now occupied by the flourishing little city of Salem and 
the subject was appointed the first postmaster, while he gave the name 
of Salem to the same in grateful memory of his home town, while the 
title was retained by the village which eventually grew up on the site. 
In connection with his official duties as postmaster he established a 
general store, in 1879, and continued to conduct the same until 1886, 
having been the first merchant of Salem and having built up an excellent 
trade. In the year last mentioned he turned his attention to the real-
estate and loan business, in which line he successfully conducted 
operations until 1890, when he was appointed clerk of the United States 
district court and removed to the city of Sioux Falls, having received 
this appointment on the 30th of January, at the hands of Judge Edgerton, 
who was then presiding on the bench of the district court for the 
district comprising the state. On the 17th of the following June, Mr. 
Pendar received from Judge Caldwell the appointment of clerk of the 
United States circuit court for the same district, which office he still 
holds. The district clerkship he retained until October, 1891, when he 
retired from the same, but on the 26th of December, 1896, Judge Carland 
reappointed him to the office and he has since been in tenure of both, 
giving a service which has been satisfactory to all concerned. As has 
been said of him in another published article he is "a genial good 
fellow, well liked by everybody, and is a competent official." In 
politics he has ever been an uncompromising Republican, and up to 1888 
he took an active part in the political affairs of the territory, having 
served as a delegate to several territorial and state conventions. He is 
a Knight Templar Mason and is also identified with the auxiliary 
organization, the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic 
Shrine. 

	In 1883 Mr. Pendar was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Flint, 
who was born and reared in his native town of Salem, Massachusetts, the 
date of the marriage having been November 1st of the year mentioned. She 
died in July of the following year (1884.)