Elias Deemer (January 3, 1838 – March 29, 1918) was a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Biography

Elias Deemer was born near

Durham, Pennsylvania Durham is an unincorporated community in Durham Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

. He was engaged in the mercantile business in

Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Lycoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 114,188. Its county seat is Williamsport. The county is part of the North Central region of the commonwealth. Lycoming County compri ...

and in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1860. During the Civil War, he enlisted in July 1861 as a private in Company E, One Hundred and Fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served until the middle of May 1862, when he was discharged because of disabilities. He moved to

Milford, New Jersey Milford is a borough located in western Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,232, a decrease of one person (−0.1%) from the 2010 census count of 1,233, which ...

, in 1862 and engaged in business. In 1868 moved to

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,754. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...

, and engaged in the manufacture of

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

. He served as president of the common council from 1888 to 1890. He was president of the Williamsport National Bank from 1893 to 1918, and also interested in the publication of several newspapers at Williamsport. He was a delegate to the

1896 Republican National Convention The 1896 Republican National Convention was held in a temporary structure south of the St. Louis City Hall in St. Louis, Missouri, from June 16 to June 18, 1896. Former Governor William McKinley of Ohio was nominated for president on the first ...

. Deemer was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-seventh, Fifty-eighth, and Fifty-ninth Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1906, for election in 1908. He resumed lumber operations in Pennsylvania, and at Deemer, Mississippi, an unincorporated town he founded, and which was named for him. Deemer is just south of

Philadelphia, Mississippi Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,118 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Philadelphia is municipal corporation, i ...

Neshoba County Neshoba County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,087. Its county seat is Philadelphia. The county is known for the Neshoba County Fair and harness horse r ...

. He died at his home in

on March 29, 1918. Interment in Wildwood Cemetery.

Sources

The Political Graveyard
1838 births 1918 deaths People from Milford, New Jersey Politicians from Williamsport, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War American city founders Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American legislators 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub