Joseph Warren Keifer was born on January 30, 1836, in Bethel, Ohio. He grew up and attended school in Bethel before enrolling at Antioch College. He settled in Springfield, Ohio, in the late 1850s and earned a living as a lawyer. He married Eliza Stout on March 22, 1860, and they had at least four children: Warren, born around 1861; William, born around 1866; Horace, born around 1868; and Margaret, born around 1873. By 1860, he owned $4,000 of real estate and $600 of personal property.

 

In April 1861, he received a commission as a major in the 3^rd Ohio Infantry. The regiment served in western Virginia, participating in the Battle of Rich Mountain and the Battle of Cheat Mountain. He remained with the 3^rd Ohio when it reorganized as a 3-year regiment, and he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on February 12, 1862.

 

Later that year, he was promoted to colonel of the 110^th Ohio Infantry. The regiment took part in the Overland Campaign, and he was wounded in the arm in the Battle of the Wilderness. He eventually recovered, and he took part in the Shenandoah Valley campaign, the siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox campaign. He received an appointment as brevet brigadier general in December 1864 and an appointment as brevet major general in April 1865. He mustered out on June 27, 1865.

 

Keifer returned to Springfield after the war and resumed his work as a lawyer. By 1870, he owned $23,000 of real estate and $7,500 of personal property. He supported the Republican Party, and he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876. Local voters elected him to Congress later that year, and he served until 1885. He eventually became Speaker of the House.

 

He received an appointment as major general in June 1898 during the Spanish-American War, and he commanded the 7^th Army Corps in Cuba. He returned to Congress in 1905 and served for three additional terms. He returned to private life in Springfield in 1911, and he died there on April 22, 1932.

 

Image: Joseph W. Keifer (courtesy Wikicommons)

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