P. F. Wickhem Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1091-1092 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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	P. F. WICKHEM, one of the representative merchants of Alexandria, 
is a native of the state of Wisconsin, having been born on a farm in 
Dodge county, on the 15th of October, 1855. He is a son of John and 
Catherine (Joyce) Wickhem, of whose seven children six are living, 
namely: Michael, a resident of Waterloo, Wisconsin; P. F., the immediate 
subject of this sketch; James G., who is a prominent attorney of Beloit, 
Wisconsin, where he served four years as postmaster, being one of the 
leaders of the Democratic party in that section, Maria, who remains on 
the old homestead, with her brother Michael; Nellie E., who makes her 
home with the subject; and Margaret, principal in the public schools of 
Beloit, Wisconsin. The father was born in County Wexford, Ireland, about 
1825, and was there reared to manhood, having been left an orphan when a 
mere lad and having thus been early thrown upon his own resources. He 
there devoted his attention to farm work until 1842, when he emigrated 
to America, being variously employed, in different states of the Union, 
for the first four years of his residence here and finally taking up his 
permanent abode in Dodge county, Wisconsin, where he purchased a farm of 
eighty acres, becoming one of the prominent and prosperous farmers of 
the county and being the owner of a fine estate of three hundred and 
twenty acres at the time of his death, which occurred in 1892. He was a 
Democrat in politics and he and his wife were communicants of the 
Catholic church, the latter having entered into eternal rest in 1897.  

	The subject of his sketch was reared on the home farm and 
completed the course of studies in the graded schools of Waterloo, 
Wisconsin, being graduated in 1873. He then secured a clerkship in a 
general store in that town, where he remained until 1880, when he came 
to Alexandria, South Dakota, in charge of a stock of general merchandise 
owned by his employer, S. M. Wiener, and here he opened a branch store. 
Two years later he engaged in the same line of enterprise on his own 
responsibility, opening his store on the 1st of May, 1882, and he has 
ever since been identified with this enterprise, which has been 
developed into one of the most important of the sort in the county, 
controlling a large and representative trade. The business is now placed 
in charge of H. L. Burlew, who has been in the employ of the subject for 
the past twenty-two years. Mr. Wickhem withdrew from the active 
supervision of his store in order to devote his attention to his 
extensive cattle interests, having become identified with this important 
line of industry in 1900. He is now the proprietor of the Rose Hill and 
the Spring Valley stock farms. comprising twelve hundred acres of the 
best land in the county, and he has gained a high reputation throughout 
the state as a breeder of shorthorn cattle, which he raises upon a large 
scale, having done much to advance the stock interests of this section 
and having two of the finest stock farms to be found in the state. In 
politics Mr. Wickhem is an uncompromising Democrat, and has ever taken 
an active part in furthering the party cause. His is the distinction of 
having been chosen the first mayor of Alexandria after its 
incorporation, in 1885, and he served two terms as treasurer of the 
county, while further official honors came to him in 1890, when he was 
elected to represent his district in the state senate, serving with 
ability and discrimination during the sessions of 1890-91. In 1893-4 Mr. 
Wickhem held the position of internal revenue collector for the eastern 
district of South Dakota, then resigning the office in order to give his 
attention to his personal business interests. He has been an important 
factor in the ranks of the Democracy in the state, and was a delegate to 
the national convention of 1892, in Chicago, which nominated Cleveland 
for the presidency. He is president of the Retail Merchants Association 
of South Dakota, and was one of the organizers of the Retail Merchants' 
Fire Insurance Company, of whose directorate he is a member. He and his 
wife are communicants of St. Mary's church, Roman Catholic, and he is a 
member of its official board.  

	On the 1st of June, 1897, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. 
Wickhem to Miss Ella Hayes, of Rockford, Illinois, and they are the 
parents of one son, John Francis, who was born on the 27th of April, 
1891.