Peter Dinwiddie Wigginton (September 6, 1839 – July 7, 1890) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

during the 1870s.

Biography

Born in Springfield, Illinois, Wigginton moved to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

with his parents in 1843. He completed preparatory studies and attended the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1859 and practiced. He was editor of the Dodgeville (Wisconsin) Advocate. He moved to

Snelling, California Snelling (formerly Snelling's Ranch) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Merced County, California, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Merced River north of Merced, at an elevation of . The popula ...

, in 1862, and continued the practice of law. He served as district attorney of Merced County 1864–1868.

Congress

Wigginton was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Forty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877). He successfully contested the election of

Romualdo Pacheco José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco (October 31, 1831January 23, 1899) was a Californio statesman and diplomat. A Republican, he is best known as the only Hispanic person to serve as Governor of California since the American Conquest of California, ...

to the Forty-fifth Congress (February 7, 1878 – March 4, 1879). He settled in San Francisco in 1880 and resumed the practice of law. In 1886, Wigginton founded the American Party, a nativist third party. He would go on to be nominated by the party as its candidate for Vice President in the

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

in place of James R. Geer.

Death

He died in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, July 7, 1890. He was interred in Mountain View Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wigginton, Peter Dinwiddie 1839 births 1890 deaths University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California California Know Nothings 1888 United States vice-presidential candidates 19th-century American politicians