Otis, John Grant, lawyer and member of Congress, was born near Danby, Rutland county, Vt., Feb. 10, 1838. He received his early education in the common schools and then took an academic course at Burr Seminary. Subsequently he attended Williams College, at Williamstown, Mass., one year and the Harvard Law School one year. In the spring of 1859 he was admitted to the bar of his native county. The same year he came to Kansas and located at Topeka, where he took an active part in recruiting the first regiment of Kansas colored infantry in 1862. At the time of the Price raid in 1864 he was a member of the Second Kansas infantry and took part in all the movements of his regiment. At the close of the war he engaged in the dairy business near Topeka. He was always interested in questions pertaining to farming; became a member of the Grange, the Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union; served as state agent for the Grange from 1873 to 1875, and state lecturer from 1889 to 1891. In 1900 he became the candidate of the People's party and was elected to Congress on that ticket, serving one term.