WILLIAM PETERS HEPBURN
HEPBURN, WILLIAM PETERS, soldier, lawyer, member of the United States house of representatives from Iowa, was born at Wells ville, Columbiana county, Ohio, on November 4, 1833. His father was James Schmidt Hepburn; his mother, Ann Fairfax Catlett. Thomas Chittenden, first governor of Vermont, was a forefather, in direct line of descent, and Matthew Lyon, his great grandfather, represented a district in Vermont, and later in Kentucky, in the congress of the United States. His stepfather removed from Ohio to Iowa, in 1841, while Iowa was still a territory, and took up his residence in Johnson county. Here the son attended the schools and furthered his education along practical lines in a printing office. He afterward read law and was admitted to the bar in 1854. Two years later, he was elected prosecuting attorney for Marshall county, and, in 1858, he was chosen chief clerk of the lower house of the Iowa state legislature, for the seventh session in the history of the new state.
When the Civil war broke out, Mr. Hepburn raised a company for the 2d Iowa cavalry, of which he was commissioned captain. In September, 1861, he was promoted major of the regiment; and, in November, 1862 he became lieutenant-colonel, serving until his term expired in 1864. In addition to regimental duty, he served much of the time on the staffs of General Rosecrans and General Sheridan, and other generals. In 1864, he commanded a cavalry brigade. His regiment participated in the battles of Farmington, Corinth, Booneville, Iuka, and Nashville, and in many minor engagements.
After the close of the war, Colonel Hepburn removed to Page county, Iowa, where he continued his legal career. In 1880, he was elected to the lower house of congress by the Republicans of the eighth Iowa district. He was reelected in 1882 and again in 1884. In 1886, he was defeated by Major A. R. Anderson. In 1888 he was chosen presidential elector-at-large from Iowa, in which capacity he had previously served in 1876. In 1892 he was again elected to congress, and was reelected in 1894, 1896, 1898, 1900, 1902 and 1904.
