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 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

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

during the 1870s.

Biography

Born in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

, Wigginton moved to

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

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

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. He studied law and 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 started his practice. 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 popu ...

, 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the 44th Congress (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877). After apparently losing re-election in 1876 to

Romualdo Pacheco José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco (October 31, 1831January 23, 1899) was a Californio statesman and diplomat. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he is best known as the only Hispanics and Latinos in California, Hispanic person to serve ...

, Wigginton successfully contested Pacheco's election to the 45th Congress and was seated in his place, serving out the term (February 7, 1878 – March 4, 1879). Wigginton did not seek re-nomination. 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

1888 Events January * January 3 – The great telescope (with an objective lens of diameter) at Lick Observatory in California is first used. * January 12 – The Schoolhouse Blizzard hits Dakota Territory and the states of Montana, M ...

Death

He died in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

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

Electoral history

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 members of the United States House of Representatives