John A. Pickler Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1616-1618 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
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	Photos of Maj. John A. Pickler and Mrs. Alice M. A. Pickler are 
	bound between pages 1616 and 1617.


	MAJOR JOHN A. PICKLER is a native of Washington county, Indiana, 
where he was born on the 24th of January, 1844, being a son of George 
and Emily (Martin) Pickler, the former of whom was born in Indiana and 
the latter in Kentucky, while both families early settled in the Hoosier 
state, in the pioneer epoch. The father of the subject was for many 
years engaged in agricultural pursuits, finally removing to Davis 
county, Iowa, where he engaged in merchandising, as did he later in 
Kirkville, Missouri, where both he and his wife passed the closing years 
of their earnest and useful lives. Major Pickler passed his boyhood days 
on the old Indiana homestead and secured his preliminary educational 
discipline in the district schools after which he completed a course of 
study in the high school at Bloomfield, Iowa, where his parents had 
taken up their abode. He was later matriculated in the Iowa State 
University, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1870, 
with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. Shortly afterwards he entered 
the law department of the cclebrated University of Michigan, at Ann 
Arbor, where he completed the prescribed course and was graduated in 
1872, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Laws. After thus fortifying 
himself for the work of his exacting profession he engaged in the 
practice of law in Kirksville, Missouri, whence, in 1875, he removed to 
Muscatine, Iowa, where he entered into a professional alliance as a 
member of the law firm of Hoffman, Pickler & Brown which held high 
prestige at the bar of the Hawkeye state, and he continued to be thus 
associated until coming to South Dakota, in 1882, since which year he 
has retained his home in Faulk county. He possesses one of the largest 
and best selected libraries in the state. 

	Prompted by intrinsic loyalty and patriotism. Major Pickler early 
offered his services in defense of the Union when "grim-visaged war 
reared its horrid front." In 1862 he enlisted in Company D, Third Iowa 
Volunteer Cavalry in which he became a non-commissioned officer. During 
his period of service with this command he was granted a furlough of 
thirty days in order that he might attend, in Philadelphia, a military 
training school for applicants for command in colored troops. He was 
later examined in the city of St. Louis, and passed for captaincy, and 
there rejoining his regiment to await developments. He continued in 
active service with the Third Iowa Cavalry until 1864, when he 
veteranized and rejoined the same company and regiment, being promoted 
to second lieutenant, first lieutenant and finally captain of Company D, 
in the meanwhile having declined to be mustered in as captain in the One 
Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment of the United States Colored 
Infantry. Upon being mustered out of the Third Cavalry he was made major 
of the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Regiment of United States Colored 
Infantry, at the age of twenty-one years, and commanded this regiment 
for several months at Atlanta, Georgia. This regiment was mustered out 
in January, 1866, and Major Pickler then received his honorable 
discharge. He participated in a number of the notable engagements of the 
great internecine conflict and made an enviable record as a faithful and 
valiant soldier and able commanding officer. He retains a deep interest 
in his old comrades in arms and is an honored member of the Grand Army 
of the Republic. 

	In September, 1882, Major Pickler came from Iowa by railroad to 
Mitchell, South Dakota. and thence by stage to Huron, at which point he 
joined a party of gentlemen who were going to the center of Faulk county 
to locate a town, which they hoped to make the county seat. The party 
proceeded by rail to Miller, Hand county, where the subject and others 
of the company procured lumber for claim shanties, the material being 
loaded with other lumber belonging to others of the party and designed 
for the construction of a hotel in the new town. In the procession that 
finally proceeded northward over the untrampled prairies there were 
thirteen wagons each being well loaded. For eight miles out of Miller 
they followed a somewhat beaten track, but thereafter proceeded across 
the prairies without a trail placing lath on various high points as they 
traveled, in order that they might find their way back by the same 
route. On sunfall of the second day they arrived on the present site of 
Faulkton, locating that town on the south back of the Nixon river. The 
next day Major Pickler settled upon a pre-emption claim adjoining the 
town, and his pleasant home is located on this property, a considerable 
portion of which is now platted into town lots. He was active in 
assisting in the organization and development of Faulk county, being one 
of the pioneers of this part of the state, and one of the most prominent 
members of the bar of this section. 

	In politics he has ever given an uncompromising allegiance to the 
Republican party and has long been known as one of its leaders in the 
state. He served as state's attorney of Adair county, Missouri, and 
while engaged in practice in Iowa was a Garfield elector from the second 
district of that state. He served as a member of the legislature of 
Iowa, and in 1885 was elected to the territorial legislature of South 
Dakota. By his old colonel of the Third Iowa Cavalry, General John W. 
Noble, secretary of the interior under President Harrison, he was 
appointed an inspector in the public-land service, in which capacity he 
served until his election to congress in 1889. Upon the admission of 
South Dakota to the Union Major Pickler was elected at large as one of 
the first members of congress from the state, the fifty-first congress. 
He was reelected at large to the fifty-second, fifty-third and fifty-
fourth congresses, and thus was a representative of his state in the 
lower house of the federal legislature for four successive congresses, 
within which he accomplished much for the furtherance of the best 
interests of South Dakota. He served as a member of the committees of 
public land, Indian affairs, invalid pensions, irrigation of arid lands, 
alcoholic-liquor traffic and that of claims. He was chairman of the 
committee on invalid pensions in the fifty-fourth congress. He was not a 
candidate for re-election to the fifty-fifth congress, but was a 
candidate for nomination for the United States senate. He received the 
Republican legislative caucus nomination and the unanimous vote of the 
caucus for more than thirty days, but the Republicans were lacking five 
votes of a majority and as it was deemed improbable that a Republican 
could be elected, the representatives of the party, with one exception, 
voted for Hon. James H. Kyle to succeed himself as senator, and he was 
duly elected. The senate succeeding President McKinley's first election 
was known to be very equally divided between the Republicans and the 
opposition, and the national Republican committee was very desirous, and 
so expressed itself to Major Pickler, that in case it became apparent 
that a Republican could not be elected, the Republican strength in South 
Dakota be thrown to a man who would, if necessary, vote for the tariff 
and financial policies of the Republican party. In accordance with this 
expressed desire of the national leaders, and after protracted support 
by the caucus, Major Pickler advised the change of vote from himself to 
Senator Kyle, who could be relied upon to support the measures desired. 
The Major is identified with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the 
Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He and his 
wife are prominent and valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church 
in their home city. 

	On the 16th of November, 1870, was solemnized the marriage of 
Major Pickler to Miss A1ice M. Alt, who was born in Johnson county, 
Iowa, in 1848, being a daughter of Joseph A. Alt, one of the sterling 
pioneers of that state. They have four children, Lulu A., Madge E., 
A1fred A. and Dale Alice.