Fenner Ferguson

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Fenner Ferguson was a Delegate from the Territory of Nebraska, US. He was born in Nassau, NY, on April 25, 1814, attended the common schools; studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1840, and commenced practice in Albany, New York. He moved to Albion, Michigan, in 1846 and continued the practice of law;

He later served successively as master in chancery, district attorney, and member of the State house of representatives from 1854 to 1859. He was appointed by President Pierce as chief justice of the Territory of Nebraska in 1854, and moved to Bellevue, Nebraska, in October 1854. There, he organized the first district and supreme courts of Nebraska, assisted the first Territorial legislature in drafting the first code of laws enacted for the government of the Territory. He resigned as chief justice, having been elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1859), and was not a candidate for renomination in 1858.

Ferguson died in Bellevue, Nebraska, on October 11, 1859, and his body is interred in Bellevue Cemetery.

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This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.