Representative Snyder Solomon Kirkpatrick

Snyder Solomon Kirkpatrick (February 21, 1848 – April 5, 1909) was an American attorney, Civil War veteran, and Republican politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Kansas from 1895 to 1897. He was born near Mulkeytown, Franklin County, Illinois, to John Foster Kirkpatrick and Hester Ann Dial Kirkpatrick, and was educated in the local public schools. His early years in rural Illinois shaped a career that combined military service, law, and public office in both Illinois and Kansas.

During the American Civil War, Kirkpatrick enlisted as a private in Company A of the 136th Illinois Cavalry Regiment, serving from April to October 1864. After this initial term of service, he attempted to re-enlist in the 20th Illinois Cavalry, but the regiment had been filled before he reached its rendezvous point. He then sought to join the 63rd Illinois Infantry Regiment, in which his brothers William A. and Reuben D. were serving; however, by the time he arrived to serve with that unit, the war had ended. Following his wartime service, he engaged in mercantile pursuits at Du Quoin, Illinois, from 1865 to 1867, gaining early experience in business and local affairs.

In 1867 Kirkpatrick entered the law school at the University of Michigan, pursuing formal legal training before returning to Illinois. He was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Illinois on June 30, 1868, and commenced the practice of law at Cairo, Illinois. On December 25, 1867, he married Rosa H. Bowen in Mattoon, Coles County, Illinois. The couple had five children: Elsie, Otto, Mark, Byron, and Hobert. Rosa Kirkpatrick died at Fredonia, Kansas, on February 13, 1887. Kirkpatrick later remarried; his second wife was Mrs. Floren Adell (Oakford) Buker of Chicago.

Kirkpatrick moved west in 1873, settling in Fredonia, Wilson County, Kansas, where he continued the practice of law. He quickly became active in local and state affairs. In 1880 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Wilson County, Kansas, a position that enhanced his reputation as a lawyer and public servant. He also served for many years as an attorney for the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway Company, representing the railroad’s interests in Kansas and further solidifying his standing in the legal community.

Kirkpatrick’s political career advanced at the state level before he entered national office. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Kansas State Senate, serving from 1889 to 1893. He first sought a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as a candidate for the Fifty-third Congress in 1892 but was unsuccessful. Undeterred, he ran again and was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1895, to March 3, 1897, as a Representative from Kansas. His term in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by economic and political realignments in the 1890s, and he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Kansas constituents during his single term in office.

After his service in the Fifty-fourth Congress, Kirkpatrick sought to continue his congressional career but was not returned to Washington. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Fifty-fifth Congress and later for election to the Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh Congresses. He remained active in Kansas politics, however, and returned to state office as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, serving from 1903 to 1905. Throughout these years he continued his legal practice in Fredonia, maintaining his role as a prominent attorney and public figure in the community.

Snyder Solomon Kirkpatrick died in Fredonia, Kansas, on April 5, 1909. He was interred in Fredonia Cemetery, closing a life that spanned service as a Civil War soldier, attorney, state legislator, and member of the United States House of Representatives.