Moses Kinkaid
Encyclopedia
Moses Pierce Kinkaid was a member of the United States House of Representatives
from Nebraska
. He was the sponsor of the 1904 Kinkaid Land Act
, which allowed homesteaders to claim up to 640 acres (259 ha) of government land in western Nebraska.
, which is now in West Virginia
.
As a boy, he piloted fugitive slaves coming from the South and headed for Canada, to his grandparents' home in Pennsylvania, where food, shelter, and aid were given to them.
He attended the public schools and graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1876.
He was admitted to the bar and practiced in Henry County, Illinois
from 1876 until 1880 and in Pierre
, Dakota Territory
in 1880 and 1881.
In 1881, he moved to O'Neill, Nebraska
, where he maintained his residence until his death.
In O'Neill, Kinkaid continued to practice law. He also served as an officer of the Holt County Bank from its foundation in 1884 until 1886.
He served in the state Senate in 1883,
and as a district judge from 1887 to 1900.
In 1900, Kinkaid unsuccessfully sought election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's Sixth District
.
In 1902, he ran for the same position, this time successfully.
, This is a region of grass-stabilized sand dunes.
Rainfall percolates readily into the sandy soil, recharging the aquifer and giving rise to hundreds of permanent lakes; but the sandy soil is poorly suited for cultivation, and the area is chiefly used for cattle ranching.
At the time that Kinkaid entered Congress, the 1862 Homestead Act
allowed settlers to obtain a quarter-section (160 acres, or 65 ha) of government land for a nominal fee; the 1873 Timber Culture Act
allowed them to claim an additional quarter-section.
However, in much of the Sandhills a half-section was not enough land to sustain a family.
Instead, the pattern of development was one of large cattle ranches on federal land,
with the ranchers using the homestead laws to secure lakes and streams for their operations.
In an effort to increase settlement in the northwestern portion of his state, Kinkaid sponsored and obtained passage of the Kinkaid Act
, which amended the Homestead Act to enlarge the size of a homestead claim in certain arid regions of western Nebraska. Settlers on non-irrigable lands west of the 98th Meridian
could claim up to 640 acres (259 ha).
The measure was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt
in 1904.
The Act had its intended effect: immigration into the Sandhills increased, with nearly nine million new acres (9000000 acres (3,642,174 ha)) claimed in Nebraska.
By 1912, most of the land available had been claimed by "Kinkaiders".
Attempts to farm the land thus obtained generally failed; but Kinkaid claims, together with regulations prohibiting fencing of federal land, led to the replacement of a few large ranches in the Sandhills with many smaller ones.
The outcome of the Nebraska law led to the passage of the 1916 Stock-Raising Homestead Act
, which extended many of the provisions of the Kinkaid act to other Western states.
until his death. In the 66th and 67th Congresses (1919–1922), he was Chairman of the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands. He died in Washington, D.C.
on July 6, 1922,
shortly before the end of his tenth term in office.
He was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in O'Neill, Nebraska.
The Old Nebraska State Bank Building in O'Neill, in which Kinkaid had his law office from 1884 until his death, is now the Holt County Historical Museum.
It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
Kinkaid's office has been restored and is on display.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. He was the sponsor of the 1904 Kinkaid Land Act
Kinkaid Act
The Kinkaid Act of 1904 is a U.S. statute that amended the 1862 Homestead Act so that one section of a township of undeveloped land could be claimed in 37 northern and western Nebraska counties...
, which allowed homesteaders to claim up to 640 acres (259 ha) of government land in western Nebraska.
Early life and career
Kinkaid was born near Morgantown, VirginiaMorgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
, which is now in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
.
As a boy, he piloted fugitive slaves coming from the South and headed for Canada, to his grandparents' home in Pennsylvania, where food, shelter, and aid were given to them.
He attended the public schools and graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1876.
He was admitted to the bar and practiced in Henry County, Illinois
Henry County, Illinois
Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 50,486, which is a decrease of 1.0% from 51,020 in 2000. Its county seat is Cambridge...
from 1876 until 1880 and in Pierre
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...
, Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
in 1880 and 1881.
In 1881, he moved to O'Neill, Nebraska
O'Neill, Nebraska
O'Neill is a city in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,733 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Holt County.-Geography:O'Neill is located at ....
, where he maintained his residence until his death.
In O'Neill, Kinkaid continued to practice law. He also served as an officer of the Holt County Bank from its foundation in 1884 until 1886.
He served in the state Senate in 1883,
and as a district judge from 1887 to 1900.
In 1900, Kinkaid unsuccessfully sought election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's Sixth District
Nebraska's 6th congressional district
Nebraska's 6th congressional district is an obsolete district. It was created after the 1890 census and abolished after the 1930 census.-References:*...
.
In 1902, he ran for the same position, this time successfully.
The Kinkaid Act
The Sixth District contained most of the Nebraska SandhillsSand Hills (Nebraska)
The Sand Hills, often written Sandhills, is a region of mixed-grass prairie on grass-stabilized sand dunes in north-central Nebraska, covering just over one quarter of the state...
, This is a region of grass-stabilized sand dunes.
Rainfall percolates readily into the sandy soil, recharging the aquifer and giving rise to hundreds of permanent lakes; but the sandy soil is poorly suited for cultivation, and the area is chiefly used for cattle ranching.
At the time that Kinkaid entered Congress, the 1862 Homestead Act
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
allowed settlers to obtain a quarter-section (160 acres, or 65 ha) of government land for a nominal fee; the 1873 Timber Culture Act
Timber Culture Act
The Timber Culture Act was a follow-up act to the Homestead Act. The Timber Culture Act was passed by Congress in 1873. The act allowed homesteaders to get another of land if they planted trees on one-fourth of the land, because the land was "almost one entire plain of grass, which is and ever...
allowed them to claim an additional quarter-section.
However, in much of the Sandhills a half-section was not enough land to sustain a family.
Instead, the pattern of development was one of large cattle ranches on federal land,
with the ranchers using the homestead laws to secure lakes and streams for their operations.
In an effort to increase settlement in the northwestern portion of his state, Kinkaid sponsored and obtained passage of the Kinkaid Act
Kinkaid Act
The Kinkaid Act of 1904 is a U.S. statute that amended the 1862 Homestead Act so that one section of a township of undeveloped land could be claimed in 37 northern and western Nebraska counties...
, which amended the Homestead Act to enlarge the size of a homestead claim in certain arid regions of western Nebraska. Settlers on non-irrigable lands west of the 98th Meridian
98th meridian west
The meridian 98° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
could claim up to 640 acres (259 ha).
The measure was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
in 1904.
The Act had its intended effect: immigration into the Sandhills increased, with nearly nine million new acres (9000000 acres (3,642,174 ha)) claimed in Nebraska.
By 1912, most of the land available had been claimed by "Kinkaiders".
Attempts to farm the land thus obtained generally failed; but Kinkaid claims, together with regulations prohibiting fencing of federal land, led to the replacement of a few large ranches in the Sandhills with many smaller ones.
The outcome of the Nebraska law led to the passage of the 1916 Stock-Raising Homestead Act
Stock-Raising Homestead Act
The Stock-Raising Homestead Act of 1916 provided settlers of public land—a full section or its equivalent—for ranching purposes. Unlike the Homestead Act of 1862 or the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909, land homesteaded under the 1916 act separated surface rights from subsurface rights,...
, which extended many of the provisions of the Kinkaid act to other Western states.
Later life and legacy
Kinkaid held his Congressional seat as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
until his death. In the 66th and 67th Congresses (1919–1922), he was Chairman of the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands. He died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on July 6, 1922,
shortly before the end of his tenth term in office.
He was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in O'Neill, Nebraska.
The Old Nebraska State Bank Building in O'Neill, in which Kinkaid had his law office from 1884 until his death, is now the Holt County Historical Museum.
It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Kinkaid's office has been restored and is on display.