Botkin, Jeremiah D., clergyman and member of Congress, was born on April 24, 1849, in Logan county, Ill. His early education was that afforded by the public schools, and after finishing the course in common schools he spent one year at De Pauw University at Greencastle, Ind. At an early age he was imbued with abolition sentiments and became a Republican in politics. During the last year of the Civil war, when he was but sixteen years of age, he made three attempts to enlist in the army but was rejected because of being under size and age. In 1870 he entered the Methodist ministry, where he served six years as presiding elder. In 1888 Mr. Botkin was elected a delegate to the general conference of the Methodist church held at New York City, and to the ecumenical conference at Washington, D. C., in 1891. He was a loyal supporter of the Republican party, but ran for governor on the Prohibition ticket in 1888. He espoused the Populist cause soon after the birth of that party and ran for Congress in the Third district in 1894, but was defeated. Two years later he was elected on the Fusion ticket as Congressman-at-large from Kansas. Upon retiring from Congress he engaged in business at Winfield, where he still resides.