Turner Mastin Marquett (July 19, 1831 – December 22, 1894) was a

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

Republican politician best known for being the first House representative for the state.

Early life

Marquett (sometimes spelled "Marquette") was born near

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

, in 1831 and attended Springfield High School and

Wittenberg College Wittenberg University (officially Wittenberg College) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students drawn from 33 states and 9 foreign cou ...

. He graduated from

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

in 1855 and moved to

Plattsmouth, Nebraska Plattsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,620 at the 2020 census. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed the mouth of the Platte River, just north of what is now Main St ...

in 1856. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1859, and practiced in Plattsmouth.

Career

Marquett was a member of the Nebraska Territorial assembly from 1857 to 1859, and in the Territorial council in 1860 and 1861. He ran and won as Delegate from the

Territory of Nebraska The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Nebraska. The Nebraska ...

to the

Fortieth United States Congress The 40th 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, 1867, ...

, but, since Nebraska was accepted as a state in 1867, the election was voided. He ran for the at-large seat as a U.S. representative for the State of Nebraska, but, because of the exact date of admission, he was only able to serve as a representative for two days. He resumed his practice in Plattsmouth, moving to

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

in 1874. He was general attorney for the

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado ...

from 1869 until December 22, 1894, when he died in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. He was buried at

Wyuka Cemetery Wyuka Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1890, Lincoln's Bnai Jeshurun Congregation, a Reform congregation, began using a section of Wyuka. History Wyuka Cemetery was established in Lincoln, Nebraska, by an act of the ...

in Lincoln.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marquett, Turner Mastin 1831 births 1894 deaths Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature Nebraska lawyers People from Plattsmouth, Nebraska Politicians from Springfield, Ohio Wittenberg University alumni Ohio University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives