John Pusey Biography


	This biography appears on pages 875-876 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	JOHN PUSEY, one of the leading members of the bar of Hand county, 
and who has been called upon to serve in various offices of public 
trust, including that of county judge, while he was also a member of 
the state legislature for two terms and postmaster at Miller for four 
years, is a native of Champaign county, Illinois, having been born on 
the parental farmstead on the 5th of May, 1860, and being a son of 
William R. and Margaret (White) Pusey, of whose eight children he was 
the fourth in order of birth, while of the number five are living at 
the present time. Mr. Pusey was reared to the life of the farm. and his 
early educational training was secured in the district schools, after 
which he continued his studies in the high school in the city of 
Champaign. In the meantime he had taken up the study of law, in that 
city, having as preceptors the firm of Lothrop & Pusey, the junior 
member of the firm being his brother, who was one of the representative 
members of the bar of that county. After attending high school at 
Champaign he attended college at Westfield, Illinois. While pursuing 
his collegiate course he also devoted his attention to teaching in the 
public schools at such intervals as seemed expedient, and after leaving 
college he resumed the reading of law under his former preceptors. In 
June, 1882, Mr. Pusey came to South Dakota and located in the village 
of Miller, as one of the first practitioners of law in Hand county, the 
village of Miller, now the county seat, having been founded only the 
year previous. He was admitted to the bar of the territory of Dakota 
shortly after locating here, and has ever since been engaged in the 
practice of his profession, save for the intervals during which his 
time and attention have been demanded in connection with official 
duties. Mr. Pusey founded the first Democratic newspaper on the line of 
the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad between Huron and Pierre, in what 
is now South Dakota. This paper was known as the Miller Gazette and had 
its inception in 1883. He continued as editor and publisher of the 
Gazette until 1884, making the same a power in connection with 
political affairs in this section of the state, and in the year noted 
he disposed of the property, the publication of the paper being 
continued at the present time.  

	Mr. Pusey has been specially active in connection with public 
affairs and is one of the leaders of the Democratic party in the state, 
while it was his distinction to hold the position of chairman of the 
Democratic state central committee in 1900 and 1902. He is a man of 
positive character and marked executive ability, and in the capacity 
noted he marshaled his forces with consummate ability and 
discrimination. In 1892 he was elected to the bench of the county court 
and served thereon for a term of two years, at the expiration of which, 
under the administration of President Cleveland, he was appointed 
postmaster of Miller, serving until 1899, when he was elected to 
represent his district in the state legislature, serving during the 
general assembly of 1899 and making a most enviable record as a 
conscientious and able legislator and one signally true to the 
interests of his constituency. In this connection he gained prominence 
and marked popular commendation by reason of his able and 
uncompromising efforts in opposition to the bill introduced in the 
house to create a system of state dispensatories for the sale of 
intoxicating liquors, such as is in existence in South Carolina at the 
present time, and it was largely due to him that the bill met a 
decisive defeat, thus avoiding to the commonwealth the ignominy of 
legalized partnership in the liquor traffic. In 1900 Mr. Pusey was 
elected state's attorney of Hand county, in which office he served one 
term, since which time he has given his attention to the active work of 
his profession, retaining a large and representative clientage and 
having high prestige at the bar of his adopted state. Fraternally, he 
is identified with the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America, in 
which last mentioned he was delegate to the head camp in 1894 and state 
consul for the preceding three years.