Echoes of November: The life and times of Senator R.F. Pettigrew of South Dakota [Paperback]

Wayne Fanebust (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

Comphrehensive biography of U. S. Sen. R. F. Pettigrew of South Dakota. Pettigrew lived from 1848 to 1926. Born in Ludlow, VT, and raised in Evansville, WI, he came to Dakota Territory in 1869 as a young man. He poured his immense energies and talents into the economic and political affairs of Dakota. He was a surveyor, lawyer legislator, railroad promoter, entrepreneur and town builder.

Pettigrew was a leader in the movement to create the state of South Dakota. He served in the U. S. Senate from 1889 to 1901. In a move that shocked America, he abandoned the Republican party in 1896 in favor of Populism, and thereafter became one of the most influential and controversial members of Congress, leading the fight in favor of "free silver." Pettigrew also fought against imperialism and opposed the war in the Philippines. He was one of a handful of lawmakers who created the National Forest system.

This book explores every aspect of his life beginning with his experiences on the wild Dakota frontier, to his legendary political battles in Washington, D. C.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wayne Fanebust has written an entertaining, thoroughly researched, absolutely first-rate account of Richard Pettigrew's life."

"Readers should not miss this opportunity to treat themselves to one of the finest biographies that has come along in many years." -- South Dakota Magazine, May/June 1998

"Wayne Fanebust of Sioux Falls provides another meticulously researched pieces of local history." -- Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, Nov. 30. 1997 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

I am a South Dakota native. I served in the U. S. Marine and lived in Los Angeles in the 1960's, where I performed as a guitar player, singer and song writer.

I graduated from UCLA with a degree in history in 1973, and in 1979, graduated from Western State University College of Law in San Diego.

My first book, "Where the Sioux River Bends," was published in 1985, by the Minnehaha County Historical Society in Sioux Falls, SD. My other books, "Tales of Dakota Territory," Vol I (1994) and Vol II (1999), were published by Mariah Press in Sioux Falls.

I am currently a corporate lawyer in Sioux Falls. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Wayne Fanebust; 1st edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575790726
• ISBN-13: 978-1575790725
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,367,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Relive the Gilded Age, May 30, 2004

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This review is from: Echoes of November: The life and times of Senator R.F. Pettigrew of South Dakota (Paperback)

In the history of South Dakota, Pettigrew was one of its greatest sons. He came of age in the aftermath of the Civil War. In his lifetime, the US filled the frontier and became the world's greatest industrial power. He played his part in this rise. Here Fanebust shows us a richly detailed and well researched biography of Pettigrew's trajectory.

The Gilded Age comes alive in these pages, as Fanebust describes how Pettigrew rose to be the boss of the South Dakota Republicans, and the internecine jockeying for power within that group and at the national party level. The Free Silver movement and its intermeshing with the Populists throughout the Prairie states is given full exposition. Then, later, we see Pettigrew's passionate and astute support of the Spanish-American War.

Strange though it may now seem to some of us, Pettigrew is shown as a prominent Republican with a strong strain of socialism; often railing against banks and plutocracy. It reflects the resentment often felt by farmers against the banks and the railroads. Pettigrew was also a promiment religious sceptic; certainly not a Christian. Another contrast with nowadays, where often the Republican party has become riddled with evangilical Christians.