Representative Mark Lindsey De Motte

Mark Lindsey De Motte (December 28, 1832 – September 23, 1908) was an American lawyer, Civil War veteran, and Republican politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1881 to 1883. Over the course of a long public career he was also a law school founder and dean, newspaper editor, postmaster, and state legislator. During his term in Congress, the town of DeMotte, Indiana, was named in his honor, reflecting his prominence in the state and his role in public life.

De Motte was born in Rockville, Parke County, Indiana, on December 28, 1832. He pursued preparatory studies in his youth before entering higher education in Indiana. He enrolled at Indiana Asbury University in Greencastle, Indiana—an institution later renamed DePauw University—where he completed the literary course, graduating from the university’s literary department in 1853. Demonstrating an early interest in the law, he continued at the same institution and graduated from its law department in 1855, receiving the professional training that would underpin his legal and political career.

Upon his admission to the bar in 1855, De Motte commenced the practice of law in Valparaiso, Indiana. His abilities were quickly recognized, and in 1856 he was elected prosecuting attorney of the Sixty-seventh Judicial District of Indiana. This early prosecutorial role gave him experience in public office and in the administration of justice, and it established him as a leading member of the local bar in northwestern Indiana on the eve of the Civil War.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, De Motte entered the Union Army in 1861, initially holding the rank of first lieutenant. In 1862 he was promoted to captain, reflecting his growing responsibilities in the service. By 1865 he had risen to the rank of colonel, a title that followed him in civilian life, where he was widely known as “Colonel De Motte.” He left the service later in 1865, returning to civilian pursuits after the conclusion of the conflict, but his military record remained an important part of his public identity.

At the close of the war, De Motte moved to Lexington, Missouri, where he resumed the practice of law. In addition to his legal work, he became editor and proprietor of the Lexington Register, a local newspaper, thereby entering the field of journalism and public opinion. His growing involvement in Republican politics led him to seek national office; he was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election to Congress in 1872 and again in 1876. That same year, 1876, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, participating in the national deliberations of his party. In 1877 he returned to Valparaiso, Indiana, where he resumed his law practice and soon turned his attention to legal education. In 1879 he organized the Northern Indiana Law School, an institution that later became the Valparaiso University School of Law, and he played a central role in its early development.

De Motte was elected as a Republican to the Forty-seventh Congress, representing Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1881, to March 3, 1883. His term in Congress coincided with a significant period in American political and economic history in the post-Reconstruction era, and he participated in the legislative process as a member of the Republican Party, representing the interests of his Indiana constituents in the national legislature. During this time, the town of DeMotte, Indiana, was named after him, underscoring his standing in the region. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1882 to the Forty-eighth Congress, and his service in the House concluded at the end of his first term.

After leaving Congress, De Motte remained active in public affairs in Indiana. He served as a member of the Indiana State Senate from 1886 to 1890, contributing to state legislation and policy during a period of continued industrial and social change. On March 24, 1890, he was appointed postmaster of Valparaiso, Indiana, a federal position he held until March 20, 1894. At the same time, he continued his commitment to legal education; beginning in 1890 he served as dean of the Northern Indiana Law School, guiding the institution from 1890 until his death in 1908 and helping to train a generation of lawyers in the region.

Mark Lindsey De Motte died in Valparaiso, Indiana, on September 23, 1908. He was interred in Maplewood Cemetery in Valparaiso. His career encompassed service as a Civil War officer, lawyer, educator, editor, postmaster, state legislator, and member of Congress, and his name endures in the town of DeMotte, Indiana, as well as in the history of legal education and public service in the state.