John L. Pyle | |
---|---|
Attorney General of South Dakota | |
In office January 3, 1899 – February 22, 1902 | |
Governor |
Andrew E. Lee Charles N. Herreid |
Preceded by | Melvin Grigsby |
Succeeded by | Adolphus W. Burtt |
Personal details | |
Born | Coal Run, Ohio, U.S. | May 5, 1860
Died | February 22, 1902 Huron, South Dakota, U.S. | (aged 41)
Resting place | Riverside Cemetery, Huron, South Dakota |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Mamie Shields Pyle (m. 1886-1902, his death) |
Children | 4 (including Gladys Pyle) |
Profession | Attorney |
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).
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]
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]
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]
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]