Jacob Tschetter Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1669-1670 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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	JACOB TSCHETTER hails from far-away Russia, in the southern part 
of which country his birth occurred on October 27, 1857. His parents 
were Joseph and Mary (Wipf) Tschetter, both natives of Russia, the 
father for a number of years a farmer of considerable means and a man of 
much more than ordinary influence and social standing. In 1875 he 
immigrated to the United States and settled at Elkhart, Indiana, but 
after living there until the spring of the following year, removed his 
family to South Dakota, locating in Hutchinson county, where he took up 
a homestead and pre-empted a claim, both of which he at once proceeded 
to improve. He was an industrious man, developed a good farm and spent 
the remainder of his life on the same, dying in the year 1884. His wife, 
who is still living, resides on the home place in Hutchinson county. 

	Jacob Tschetter spent his childhood and youth in the land of his 
nativity, and at the age of eighteen accompanied the family to the 
United States, receiving his first knowledge of the English language and 
of American manners and customs at Elkhart, Indiana. He attended school 
there a part of one year, and in 1876 removed with his parents to South 
Dakota, where he assisted his father in improving the farm, remaining at 
home until 1877, in the fall of which year he entered the marriage 
relation with Miss Anna Mendel, a native of Russia, and purchasing land 
near the family homestead engaged in the pursuit of agriculture. Meeting 
with encouraging success as a farmer, he subsequently purchased other 
lands, until in due time he found himself the owner of five hundred and 
twenty acres, the greater part of which he reduced to cultivation and 
otherwise improved and upon which he continued to live and prosper until 
1884. In that year he abandoned agriculture and, moving to the town of 
Bridgewater, engaged in merchandising, in connection with which he also 
did a thriving business for some time buying and shipping cattle. Mr. 
Tschetter embarked in the latter line of trade with a partner in whom he 
reposed great confidence, but the latter, becoming financially 
embarrassed, so involved the entire business that at the end of two 
years the firm was obliged to close its doors and go to the wall. During 
the two years following this disaster the subject was variously 
employed, working for some time in a machine shop until elected city 
marshal, the duties of which position he discharged in an eminently 
satisfactory manner for several years. At the expiration of his official 
term he was appointed deputy sheriff of McCook county, and after leaving 
that office served as deputy United States marshal for six years, during 
which time he became widely known as a faithful and efficient public 
servant. In the course of his business career, especially in that part 
immediately following his financial reverses, Mr. Tschetter became 
involved in a number of law suits, growing out of the collecting of 
outstanding accounts, several of which he carried to the circuit court, 
thence to the supreme court, where verdicts were rendered in his favor. 
Considering his limited experience in litigation in this country and his 
indifferent knowledge of the English language, having attended school no 
more than six weeks in America, his success in pushing his cases to 
final issue and winning verdicts was little less than remarkable, as 
nearly everybody acquainted with the matter predicted his certain 
defeat. Realizing the justice of his cause, however, he refused to abide 
by the adverse decisions of lower courts and, appealing from the same to 
higher tribunals, obtained the victory to which in law as well as equity 
he was so clearly entitled. 

	For some years past Mr. Tschetter has been dealing in real estate, 
and his reputation as a clear-headed, far-seeing man has won him a large 
and lucrative patronage. He has made a number of important sales in 
different parts of the state, one of which, including the transfer of 
farm property in Beadle county, amounting to ninety-six thousand 
dollars, being the largest landed deal effected in South Dakota during 
the year 1902. 

	Mr. and Mrs. Tschetter are the parents of six children, namely: 
Jacob, a clothing merchant at Bridgewater; Joseph, a teacher in the 
public schools; Susan and Anna are also engaged in educational work 
while David and Mary are still at home. Susan, the older daughter, was 
the first young lady of Russian parentage to teach in the schools of 
Hutchinson county, and one of the first of her nationality to engage in 
educational work in the state. She and her sister Anna are fine 
vocalists and leading members of the choir of the Mennonite church, to 
which the family belong. Joseph is also an accomplished musician; he 
organized the Lutheran College Band of Sioux Falls, was a member of the 
First Regimental Band for some years, and at this time is leader and 
instructor of the Goodrich Band, one of the finest organizations of the 
kind in South Dakota. 

	In politics Mr. Tschetter was a Democrat until 1896, since which 
time he has become an ardent supporter of the Republican party, his 
change of views being caused by the free silver fallacy, which he could 
in no wise endorse, having always been an advocate of a sound and stable 
currency based upon the gold standard. For a number of years prior to 
1896 he served on the Democratic state central committee, and since 
abandoning his former position he has been equally as active in his 
efforts to advance the interests of the party with which he is now 
identified, being one of the Republican leaders in McCook county, and an 
influential factor in district and state as well as in local politics. 
Fraternally he is a Mason, belonging to Sioux Falls Lodge, No. 262, and 
he is also an active worker in the Ancient Order of United Workmen and 
the Modern Woodmen of America, holding important official positions in 
both. Religiously he was born and reared in the Mennonite faith. and is 
still a loyal member of the church of that time, as are also his wife 
and the other members of the family, being among the leaders and liberal 
supporters of the congregation worshiping in Bridgewater. Mr. Tschetter 
is a man of strong intellectuality, great personal force, and occupies a 
conspicuous position among the representative citizens of McCook county.