Samuel Addison Oliver (July 21, 1833 – July 7, 1912) was an

American pioneer American pioneers, also known as American settlers, were European American,Asian American, and African American settlers who migrated westward from the British Thirteen Colonies and later the United States of America to settle and develop areas ...

, lawyer, judge, and politician from western

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Life

He was born near

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington, Pe ...

, in 1834, and received a classical education at the common schools and West Alexandria Academy. He graduated from Washington College in

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington, also known as Little Washington to distinguish it from the District of Columbia, is a city in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

(now

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...

) in 1850.Benjamin F. Gue, " History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century," Vol. 4 (Addison Oliver)" pp. 204 (1902). He taught school for two years in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, returning to Pennsylvania to study

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

. He married Hannah Towne on January 1, 1854. He was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

, and moved to Iowa in 1857, taking up his residence at Onawa, in

Monona County Monona County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 8,751. The county seat is Onawa, Iowa, Onawa. History The area around present-day Onawa ...

, where he began practice law. He was county supervisor in 1861, and served as

provost marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French (Modern French ). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior c ...

during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Oliver was elected to the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

of the Tenth

Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repre ...

in 1863, to represent the district composed of the counties of Carroll, Crawford, Monona and Sac. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

in 1864. He became a prominent member of the Iowa House, and at the close of his term was elected to the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the Iowa, state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . Each Senat ...

for the Forty-fifth District, composed of fifteen counties in the northwestern part of the State, serving from 1865 to 1867. He was then chosen as circuit judge, and was twice re-elected, serving from 1868 to 1875. In 1874 he was elected as a Republican to represent Iowa's 9th congressional district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

. After serving in the

44th United States Congress The 44th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1875, ...

, he was re-elected in 1876 to a two-year second term, then served in the

45th United States Congress The 45th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1877, ...

. In all, he served in Congress from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1879. Oliver was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Onawa several times. He became one of the most extensive farmers in western Iowa after retiring from public life. Addison and Hannah Oliver had ten children, one of whom, Cyrus G. Oliver, became a member of the Iowa General Assembly."Obituary Notice of Addison Oliver," Onawa Democrat, Onawa, IA, Typescript copy from files of the US House Clerk He died in Onawa, and was interred in Onawa Cemetery.Biographical Directory of the US Congress His grandson,

Ralph A. Oliver Ralph A. Oliver (July 31, 1886 – October 13, 1968) was a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court from December 14, 1938, to October 1, 1962, appointed from Woodbury County, Iowa by Governor Kraschel following the death of Justice Parsons. Judicial c ...

, was a Chief Justice of the

Iowa Supreme Court The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. The Court is composed of a chief justice and six associate justices. The Court holds its regular sessions in Des Moines in the Iowa Judicial Branch Building located at 1111 ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Samuel Addison 1833 births 1912 deaths Republican Party Iowa state senators Washington & Jefferson College alumni Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Mayors of places in Iowa Iowa state court judges People of Iowa in the American Civil War Politicians from Washington County, Pennsylvania People from Monona County, Iowa County supervisors in Iowa Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 19th-century Iowa state court judges 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly