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Abel Carter Wilder

Politician. Republican. Born: March 18, 1828, Worcester County. Died: December 22, 1875, San Francisco, California. Served in U.S. House of Representatives: March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1865.

Born in Mendon, Worcester County, Massachusetts, March 18, 1828, A.C. Wilder entered the mercantile business in his hometown before moving to Rochester, New York, where he continued these pursuits. Wilder moved to Leavenworth, Kansas Territory in 1857 and soon became involved in to politics of the territory, serving as a delegate to the Osawatomie Convention in May 1859 and the Republican National Convention in 1860—Wilder was chairman of the Kansas delegation. After brief service at the White House in Kansas's Frontier Guard in 1861 and back on the Kansas-Missouri border, Wilder was elected to his single term in Congress (March 4, 1863-March 3, 1865) and soon thereafter returned to Rochester where he published the Morning and Evening Express. A. C. Wilder died in San Francisco, California, where he had removed for health reasons on December 22, 1875; his remains were returned to Rochester for burial.

Entry: Wilder, Abel Carter

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: June 2011

Date Modified: December 2017

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.