John L. Pyle

John L. Pyle
From Volume II of 1904's History of South Dakota by Doane Robinson
Attorney General of South Dakota
In office
January 3, 1899 – February 22, 1902
GovernorAndrew E. Lee
Charles N. Herreid
Preceded byMelvin Grigsby
Succeeded byAdolphus W. Burtt
Personal details
Born(1860-05-05)May 5, 1860
Coal Run, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 22, 1902(1902-02-22) (aged 41)
Huron, South Dakota, U.S.
Resting placeRiverside Cemetery, Huron, South Dakota
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMamie Shields Pyle (m. 1886-1902, his death)
Children4 (including Gladys Pyle)
ProfessionAttorney

John L. Pyle (May 5, 1860 - February 22, 1902) was an attorney and politician from the state of South Dakota. A Republican, he was notable for his service as State's Attorney of Hand County (1886-1888) and state Attorney General (1899-1902).

Early life

John Levis Pyle was born in Coal Run, Ohio on May 5, 1860, the son of Mary (Dean) Pyle and Dr. Levis Pyle, a Union Army veteran of the American Civil War.[1] Pyle was raised in Coal Run until shortly after the war, when his family moved to Raritan, Illinois.[2] In 1882, the Levis Pyle family moved again, this time settling in Miller, Dakota Territory where he maintained a medical practice until shortly before his death in 1896.[2]

John Pyle was educated in Coal Run and Raritan.[2] He attended Westfield College in Westfield, Illinois for a year before traveling to Montana in 1879.[3] He resided in Glendale and Wickes, where he was employed as a laborer, furnaceman and foreman in the smelting works associated with the local silver mines.[3] When the smelter in Wickes was destroyed by fire, Pyle worked as a carpenter on the crew that rebuilt it, then decided to return to South Dakota to pursue studies in preparation for a career as an attorney.[3]

Pyle moved from Montana to a farm near Miller in 1882, and operated his farm and worked as a carpenter while studying law with attorney Manford E. Williams of Miller.[3] He attained admission to the bar in 1885, and practiced law in partnership with Williams.[3] A Republican, from 1886 to 1888, Pyle served as State's Attorney of Hand County.[2] In May 1888, he was elected to a term as a member of Miller's board of aldermen.[4]

In 1889, Pyle moved to Huron, South Dakota and became head of the legal department for the Dakota Farm Mortgage Company.[3] He continued to practice law in Huron until becoming state attorney general, and his caseload extended throughout the state and into North Dakota and Montana.[3] In 1895, Pyle was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.[3]

After moving to Huron, Pyle was instrumental in the relocation of Pierre University to Huron, where it was renamed as Huron College.[5] He was a major benefactor, served on the board of trustees, and all four of his children attended the school.[5] After he died, his seat on the board was filled by his wife.[5]

State attorney general

In 1898, Pyle was a candidate for Attorney General of South Dakota.[3] At that year's state Republican convention, which took place in August, Pyle defeated George Rice of Flandreau and James W. Fowler of Deadwood for the Republican nomination.[6] In the November general election, Pyle defeated Cornelius S. Palmer, the Fusion candidate of the Democratic Party, People's Party, and Silver Republican Party by a vote of 38,701 to 34,147.[7] He was reelected in 1900, defeating Abner E. Hitcocock, the Fusion nominee of the Democrats and People's Party by a vote of 53,900 to 40,059.[8]

Pyle served from January 1899 until his death.[2] He was the first South Dakota statewide official elected from Beadle County, and the first holder of a statewide elective position in South Dakota to die in office.[2]

Death and burial

In January 1902, Pyle became ill shortly after returning from a trip to Montana, and was diagnosed with typhoid fever.[9] His condition continued to worsen, and he died at his home in Huron on February 22, 1902.[10] Pyle was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Huron.[11]

Family

In 1886, Pyle married Mary Isabella "Mamie" Shields (1866-1949) of Miller.[1] They were the parents of four children -- John Shields (1887-1948), May (1888-1974), Nellie (1889-1961), and Gladys (1890-1989).[12]

Mamie Shields Pyle was a prominent activist in the cause of women's suffrage.[13] Gladys Pyle served in the South Dakota House of Representatives, as South Dakota's Secretary of State, and briefly as one of the state's U.S. Senators.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b History of South Dakota, p. 1672.
  2. ^ a b c d e f History of South Dakota, p. 1673.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Biographical Sketch, John L. Pyle", p. 6.
  4. ^ "Miller Election", p. 1.
  5. ^ a b c "Harlan Page Carson Envisioned Huron College In Early Eighties", p. 23.
  6. ^ "A State Convention", p. 7.
  7. ^ "Figures Unchanged", p. 1.
  8. ^ "Election Results", p. 1.
  9. ^ "John M. Pyle's Sickness", p. 6.
  10. ^ "John L. Pyle Died Today", p. 1.
  11. ^ "Att'y Gen. Pyle's Funeral", p. 7.
  12. ^ South Dakota Leaders, p. 222.
  13. ^ "Mrs. John L. Pyle, Huron, Dies", p. 3.
  14. ^ "Pioneer Lawmaker Gladys Pyle Dies", p. 1.

Sources

Books

  • Hoover, Herbert T.; Zimmerman, Larry J. (1989). South Dakota Leaders: From Pierre Chouteau, Jr. to Oscar Howe. Vermillion, SD: University of South Dakota Press. ISBN 978-0-929925-00-4.
  • Robinson, Doane (1904). History of South Dakota. Vol. II. Indianapolis, IN: B. F. Bowen & Co.

Newspapers

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.