Peder Ekern (January 23, 1837 – June 25, 1899) was an American businessman and elected official. Peder Ekern was born near the village of Biri at

Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The ...

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. Th ...

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. The son of Henrik Ekern, he was the eldest of a family of six. He emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 1868 with his wife and children. They settled first in

Vernon County, Wisconsin Vernon County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,714. Its county seat is Viroqua. History Vernon County was renamed from Bad Ax County on March 22, 1862. Bad Ax County had been created ...

and then in Pigeon Falls,

Trempealeau County, Wisconsin Trempealeau County (, ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,760. Its county seat is Whitehall. Many people of Hispanic, Polish, Norwegian and German descent live in this area. History Patche ...

. Ekern was a merchant who also operated a flour mill, creamery and farm. In 1875, Peder Ekern bought a general store and its stock of merchandise from Andrew Olson and Hans Johnson. In 1880, Ekern bought the Pigeon Falls Grist Mill from Cyrus Hubbard Hine (1825-1884). In 1885, he erected a creamery which he operated until 1892. In 1898, Ekern incorporated his various businesses interests under the name "P. Ekern Company". Following his death, management of the enterprise passed to his son-in-law. Peder Ekern served as chairman of the town board of

Pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

and as a member of the county board. In 1881, Ekern served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms ...

as a representative from the Republican Party. Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge (1917) ''History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin'' (H.C. Cooper & Company: Chicago, Illinois and Winona, Minnesota) Pigeon Falls, pg. 877-882
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