Charles_Henry_Dietrich

Charles H. Dietrich

Charles H. Dietrich

American politician (1853–1924)

Charles Henry Dietrich (November 26, 1853 – April 10, 1924) was the 11th Governor of Nebraska. Dietrich began his career in mercantile pursuits and banking. After serving as governor, he was elected U.S. Senator from May 1, 1901 to March 3, 1905.

Quick Facts United States Senator from Nebraska, Preceded by ...

Personal life

He was born in Aurora, Illinois, and was of German ancestry.[1] His education was attained in the public schools of his native state and he quit at the age of twelve.[2]

Dietrich was married twice. His first wife, Elizabeth Slaker, died in 1887.[citation needed] After Elizabeth's death, he married Margretta Stewart in on October 27, 1909. Deitrich and Margretta lived in Hastings, Nebraska.[3][4]

Career

Dietrich was employed as a clerk in a hardware store in St. Joseph, Missouri. He moved to Chicago, Illinois and engaged in the hardware business. He moved to Deadwood, Dakota Territory (now South Dakota), in 1875 and engaged in mercantile pursuits, delivering goods on pack animals through the Black Hills. He then located and owned the 'Aurora' mine.

Dietrich settled in Hastings, Nebraska, in 1878 and engaged in mercantile pursuits and in banking. Dietrich founded the German National Bank at Hastings and served as the president of the bank from 1887 to 1905.[5] He became the president of the Hastings Board of Trade.[6]

Elected in 1900, Dietrich served as Governor of Nebraska from January 3, 1901, to May 1, 1901. He resigned his governorship to replace interim U.S. Senator William V. Allen, who had been appointed in 1899 after Monroe L. Hayward died in office.[7]

His tenure in the Senate lasted from May 1, 1901 to March 3, 1905. His Senate service was most notable as a pro-imperialist on the Lodge Committee that investigated war crimes during the Philippine–American War. He did not run for reelection in 1904.

Bribery charge

Before he assumed his Senate seat, Dietrich accepted money from Jacob Fisher in exchange for obtaining Fisher's appointment as a U.S. Postmaster. Dietrich and Fisher were charged with conspiracy to receive a bribe, accepting a bribe and profiting by the leasing of a building to the government. But before the trial could begin, Judge Vandeventer held that Dietrich could not be prosecuted because the alleged bribery occurred after he was elected, but before Dietrich had been sworn in on December 2, 1901. All the charges were dropped, and Dietrich continued to serve as a US Senator from Nebraska.[8][9][10][11]

Death

Dietrich retired in 1905 and died in Hastings, Nebraska.

References

  1. [1]
    "German ancestry Politicians in Nebraska". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  2. [2]
    Charles Henry Dietrich. The Encyclopedia of Nebraska. January 1999. ISBN 9780403098347. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  3. [3]
    "Dietrich Wedding in Philadelphia". The Hastings Tribune. October 29, 1909. p. 1. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  4. [4]
    Register of Alumnae and Former Students. Bryn Mawr College. 1922.
  5. [5]
    "Charles Henry Dietrich". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  6. [6]
    Gov. Charles Dietrich papers[usurped] at the Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved on July 9, 2009.
  7. [7]
    Charles Henry Dietrick. The Encyclopedia of Nebraska. January 1999. ISBN 9780403098347. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  8. [8]
    Senator Detrich's Trial Comes to Sudden Ending, San Francisco Call, Volume 95, Number 40, January 9, 1904.
  9. [9]
    Dietrich Wins in First Fight, The Chicago Daily Tribune: Tuesday, January 5, 1904, page 14.
  10. [10]
    Byrd, Robert C. (October 1993). Senate, 1789-1989, V. 4: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992. ISBN 9780160632563.
  11. [11]
    San Francisco Call, Volume 95, Number 40, January 9, 1904.
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