Martin V. Redding Biography


	This biography appears on pages 654-656 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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	MARTIN V. REDDING, who is representing Brown county in the state 
legislature, is a natives of Luxembourg, Germany, where he was born on 
the 12th of December, 1843, being a son of Anton and Mary Redding, who 
emigrated to America when he was a lad of ten years, settling in 
Dubuque county, Iowa, in which state they passed the remainder of their 
lives, the father devoting his attention to agricultural pursuits. Our 
subject had received the rudiments of his education in the national schools 
of his fatherland, and after the removal to Iowa continued his studies in 
the public schools as opportunity afforded. He was but eighteen years of 
age at the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion, but his loyalty to the 
Union was forthwith manifested in no uncertain way, since in October, 
1861, he enlisted in Company F, Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, 
having been at the time a resident of the state mentioned. With this 
regiment he served until the close of the war, representing a period of 
but a fortnight less than four years, since he was mustered out in 
September, 1865, receiving his honorable discharge at Mobile, Alabama. 
His command was in the Mississippi valley from St. Louis to Texas, and 
later was on duty at Mobile, when it proceeded to Fort Blakely, and 
later was under General Curtis in Missouri and Arkansas. At Vicksburg, 
on the 22d of May, 1863, while participating in the charge, Mr. Redding 
was wounded in the right leg, and the injury was so severe as to render 
it necessary for him to remain in the field hospital for three weeks 
and for six weeks in the hospital at Memphis, when he was sent to the 
general hospital in St. Louis, where he remained six months, at the 
expiration of which he rejoined his command, in New Orleans. At the 
expiration of his first term of enlistment he veteranized and was 
granted a thirty days' furlough, which he passed at his home in 
Wisconsin. All the members of his regiment re-enlisted with the 
exception of about thirty, who were captured while with Banks on the 
Red river expedition. Mr. Redding participated in all of the notable 
engagements in which his regiment took part and his record was that of 
a gallant and faithful soldier of the republic. He has ever kept in 
touch with the members of his regiment, which is rapidly being 
decimated by the one invincible foe of humanity, death, and to all of 
the men who served so faithfully during the great conflict his sympathy 
and interest are accorded and are shown in his affiliation with that 
noble organization, the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a member of 
General Rowley Post, No. 112, at Frederick, and is commander of the 
same at the time of this writing, being one of the most prominent and 
popular members of the organization.  

	After the close of the war Mr. Redding took up his residence in 
Verona, Wisconsin, where he was engaged in farming until 1882, when he 
came to Brown county, South Dakota, and took up a homestead claim of 
one hundred and sixty acres on section 3, township 127, seven miles 
west of the present village of Frederick. Here he has ever since 
continued to reside, having aided materially in the development and 
progress of this section of the state and being one of only four in the 
locality who came here as early as 1882. He gives his attention to 
diversified farming and stock growing and is now the owner of a well 
improved landed estate of three hundred and twenty acres. Mr. Redding 
was connected in a prominent way with the organization of Allison 
township, which was named in honor of James P. Allison, who was a 
ranchman on Elm river, where he took up his residence in 1879. Our 
subject has served in various township offices and has been for 
fourteen years a member of the school board of his district. In 1900 he 
was elected to represent his county in the state legislature and was 
chosen as his own successor in I 902, serving during the seventh and 
eighth general assemblies and being an active and valued member of the 
legislative body. He served as a member of the committees on military 
highways and bridges, penal institutions, and state militia, having 
been chairman of the last named. He is a staunch advocate of 
maintaining a well organized and equipped state militia, for the 
conservation of home interests and for the support of the national 
government when demanded, and through his efforts in the legislature 
the state militia of South Dakota was placed on a firm basis. an 
appropriation of seventy thousand dollars being secured from the state 
for its proper maintenance. He is an able speaker and on the floor of 
the house his voice was heard in the effective championship of those 
measures which met his approval, and he was one of the leaders in 
securing the establishing of the Northern Normal and Industrial School, 
in Aberdeen, and is called the "father" of the circulating library 
bill, which passed the legislature of 1900 after being twice defeated. 
He has ever given a staunch allegiance to the Republican party, and has 
been an active worker in its cause and prominent in its councils, 
having been frequently a delegate to the various county, state and 
congressional conventions. He and his family are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, and he is identified with Frederick Lodge, 
No. 51, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in Frederick, having passed 
the official chairs in the same and having also represented it in the 
grand lodge of the state.  

At Verona, Wisconsin on the 12th of October, 1880, Mr. Redding 
was united in marriage to Miss Helen A. Root, who was born in 
Tonawanda, New York, whence her parents removed to Wisconsin when she 
was six years of age. The three children of this union all remain at 
the parental home, - Carolyn Genevieve, Sarah Nathalie and James 
Nathaniel, and both daughters are successful and popular teachers in 
the public schools of Brown county, while the family occupies a 
prominent position in the best social life of the community.