Peter V. Deuster

Peter Victor Deuster
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's4thdistrict
In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1885
Preceded by	William P. Lynde
Succeeded by	Isaac W. Van Schaick
Member of theWisconsin Senate from the6thdistrict
In office January 3, 1870 – January 1, 1872
Preceded by	Charles H. Larkin
Succeeded by	John L. Mitchell
Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from theMilwaukee5th district
In office January 5, 1863 – January 4, 1864
Preceded by	John M. Stowell
Succeeded by	J. C. U. Niedermann
Personal details
Born	February 13, 1831 Düren,Rhenish Prussia,German Confederation
Died	December 31, 1904(1904-12-31)(aged 73) Milwaukee,Wisconsin,U.S.
Resting place	Calvary Cemetery, Milwaukee
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Agathe Gertrude Stoltz ​ ​ (m.1860⁠–⁠1904)​
Children	Emma (von Paumgartten) (Mrs. Oscar J. Hansen) Oscar V. Deuster Hugo Deuster Alma Deuster
Parents	Mathias Deuster (father) Anna C. (Koenen) Deuster (mother)
Occupation	Newspaperman

Peter Victor Deuster(February 13, 1831 – December 31, 1904) was aGerman Americanimmigrant,newspaperman,diplomat,andDemocraticpolitician. He representedMilwaukee,Wisconsin,in theUnited States House of Representativesfor three terms (1879–1885) and was AmericanconsulatKrefeld,Germany, during the presidency ofGrover Cleveland.

Background and early business career

Born inDüren,Rhenish Prussia,Deuster immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled on a farm near Milwaukee in May 1847. Deuster had pursued an academic course at acollegein Düren, but left too young to graduate.

He completed his self-education in aprintingoffice. He started a Milwaukee newspaper called theHausfreundin 1852; it was later taken over byGeorge Brumder's Germania Publishing. He moved toPort Washington, Wisconsin,in 1854 and edited a newspaper. He also served simultaneously as deputypostmaster,deputy clerk of the circuit court, clerk of theland office,andnotary public.

He returned to Milwaukee in 1856 and edited theMilwaukee See-Bote(laterSeebote), aGerman languageDemocraticdaily paper, until 1860, when he became proprietor.

Deuster as Copperhead

TheSee-Botehad been founded by ArchbishopJohn Hennias an anti-radical organ, and under Deuster's leadership it took a strong stance against German radicals and radicalism, callingCarl Schurz"a political mountebank" and railing against the new Republican Party with its freethinkers and abolitionism. During theAmerican Civil War,Deuster was widely reviled as a prominentCopperhead,as he opposed the abolitionist influence on the Lincoln administration and defended GeneralGeorge B. McClellanagainst his critics. He encouragednegrophobiain his immigrant readers, warning that emancipation and abolitionism would lead to a "Negrocracy" as free whites were forced to compete with cheaper "black cattle," and referred to the abolitionistMilwaukee Heroldas part of the "German Nigger Press". Deuster and theSee-Botewere widely blamed for the November 10, 1862anti-draft riotin nearbyPort Washington.The commander of the German-majority UnionArmy of South-east Missouriforbade the circulation of the paper in areas under his control.Abraham Lincoln,described in theSee-Boteas "the most incapable of statesmen and the most irresponsible of the butchers of men", was defended only when Deuster saw him as being harried by the more radical elements within the Republican Party. Unlike some Copperhead newspaper editors, Deuster publicly mourned Lincoln's assassination, expressing a fear that it would give free rein to theRadical Republicansand unleash a policy of "retribution and revenge".

In the legislature and out

He served as aDemocraticmember of theWisconsin State Assemblyin 1863, succeeding fellow DemocratJohn M. Stowell.He was assigned to thestanding committeesonstateaffairsandfederal relations.He was subject to attacks in the Assembly because of the editorial stances of theSee-Bote.He was not re-elected, and was succeeded in 1864 byJ.C.U. Niedermann,elected on theNational Union Partyticket. At this same time, his brotherJoseph Deusterwas also active in Democratic politics (at various times a member of theCommon Council,sheriff,andsergeant-at-armsof the State Assembly).

In 1870 Peter purchased theChicago Daily Union.

He was elected to theWisconsin State Senate'sSixth District(the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 8thWardsof the City of Milwaukee, and theTownsofFranklin,Greenfield,Lake,Oak CreekandWauwatosa) in 1870, with 2178 votes to 1704 for incumbentCharles H. Larkin,a one-timeWar Democratwho chose to run as anindependent.He was not a candidate for re-election in 1872, and was succeeded by fellow DemocratJohn L. Mitchell.

Congress

Deuster was narrowly elected in 1878 as a Democrat to theForty-sixth Congressto succeed retiring Democratic incumbentWilliam Pitt LyndeinWisconsin's 4th congressional district(Milwaukee,OzaukeeandWashingtoncounties) with 11,157 votes to 11,022 for Republican former AssemblymanLeander Frisbyand 1,351 forGreenbackerand former National Union AssemblymanTruman H. JuddHe served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures onPublic Buildings.

He was re-elected to theForty-seventh Congress(17.574 votes to 15,018 for Republican former AssemblymanCasper Sanger) andForty-eighth Congress(9,688 votes to 8,320 for Republican former AssemblymanFrederick Winklerand 1,922 for former Republican AssemblymanGeorge B. Goodwin,"trades' assembly" candidate). Deuster was publishingThe Daily Journala part of his re-election campaign for the 48th Congress. The youngLucius W. Niemanbought an interest in the paper and took over when Deuster was successfully re-elected. Nieman grew the publication and changed its name toThe Milwaukee Journal.

Deuster was unsuccessful in seeking reelection in 1884 to theForty-ninth Congress,losing toIsaac W. Van Schaick:with 15,967 votes; to 16,783 for Van Schaick; 1,296 for theUnion Laborcandidate,Aldermanand formerSocialistAssemblymanHenry Smith;and 226 for C. E. Reed.

After Congress

He again resumed his newspaper interests, publishing theSeeboteand a German language weekly titledTelephone.He was appointed chairman of a commission to diminish theUmatillaIndian reservationinOregonin 1887. He was appointed consul atKrefeld,Germany,February 19, 1896, and served until a successor was appointed October 15, 1897. In 1898, he was the Democratic nominee forLieutenant Governor of Wisconsin,losing in a six-way race to RepublicanJesse Stonewith 180,038 votes, to 126,206 votes for Deuster; 8,267 votes forPopulistSpencer Palmer: 7.846 votes forProhibitionistWillis W. Cooper; 2,535 votes forSocial Democratic Party of Americacandidate Edward P. Hassinger; and 1,543 votes for Herman C. Gauger of theSocialist Labor Party.

He died in Milwaukee December 31, 1904, and was interred inCalvary Cemetery.

There is no source to prove that he and Joseph were related toJohn H. Deuster,although they were all three born inPrussia,moved to Milwaukee, and became active Democratic Party politicians and legislators.

External links

• United States Congress."Peter V. Deuster (id: D000274)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Peter V. DeusteratFind a Grave