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Mr. Hickok was born at Guilford, Nodaway County, Missouri, February 23, 1862, and is a son of James E. and Olive L. (BOWEN) Hickok. The Hickok family is one which dates back to the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, where it was founded at an early day by William Hickok, the emigrant ancestor, who came from England. His son, Aaron Hickok, removed from Massachusetts to Connecticut, and the latter's son, James, fought in the Revolutionary army as captain of a company in a Connecticut regiment. James Hickok's son, also named James, went to Vermont, where his son; David Nicholas Hickok, the grandfather of William Penn Hickok, was born in 1806. From that state the grandfather moved to Pennsylvania as a pioneer farmer, fought throughout the Civil war as a Union soldier, was once wounded, and returned to his agricultural operations and finally died at St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1892, to which point he had moved with his family just before the war. James E. Hickok, father of William Penn Hickok, was born in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in 1833, and there passed his early years, receiving a common school education and being reared as a farmer. He was married in Pennsylvania, and after marriage moved to Fayette County, Illinois, that community being his home and the scene of his agricultural activities until 1860. In that year he took his family to Nodaway County, Missouri, and in 1869 moved on to Andrew County, in the same state. His next location was Peabody, Kansas, where he resided from 1879 until the spring of 1883. Up to that time Mr. Hickok had been engaged in farming, but on removing to Sumner County, Kansas, he embarked in merchandising and met with more or less success there until his retirement in 1901. Two years later he went to Anthony, Kansas, and there his death occurred in 1905. As a business man Mr. Hickok was straight forward and honorable in his dealings with his fellows. He was a professed Christian and lived his religion every day, being a devout member of the Baptist Church and a member of the board of trustees for many years. His political support was given to the principles and candidates of the republican party. Mr. Hickok married Miss Olive L. BOWEN, who was born at Colden, Erie County, New York, in 1839, and she survives and makes her home in Sumner County, Kansas. There were eight children in the family, as follows: James E., who died in Anderson County, Kansas, at the age of twenty-one years; Luella B., who is the wife of W. G. RUPP, a contractor and builder and brick and tile manufacturer of Trinidad, Colorado; William Penn, twin of Luella B.; Charles D., who is engaged in the banking business at Ulysses, Kansas; Esther C., of Argonia, Kansas, widow of J. C. COLIN, formerly a school teacher for a long period, superintendent of schools of Sumner County, Kansas, for a number of years, and postmaster at Argonia at the time of his death; Mary A., who died at Oquawka, Illinois, as the wife of James W. GORDON, an attorney of that place; Hadassah, who died in childhood; and Galen R., who is engaged in the real estate and farm loan business at Satanta, Kansas. William Penn Hickok received his early education in the public schools of Missouri and Kansas, to which latter state he accompanied the family when he was seventeen years of age, graduating from the Peabody High School with the class in 1880. He had been reared as a farmer's son and remained on the home farm until reaching his majority, at which time he turned his attention to mercantile lines, conducting a store at Harper, Kansas, for three years. His next venture was in the line of real estate at Harper, and while thus engaged for three years found the leisure to pursue his legal studies, having decided to follow the law as his life work. In 1889 Mr. Hickok went to Fort Supply, Indian Territory, where he became teacher at the army school, a position which he retained for three years, then participating in the opening, in 1892, of the Cheyenne- Arapaho Reservation for white settlement, when he secured a homestead of 160 acres. He proved up on this land and sold it for a satisfactory consideration in 1897, having in the meanwhile continued to teach school and to devote what time he could to his legal studies. In December 1898, Mr. Hickok came to Taloga, having been admitted to the bar of the state September 13 preceding, and here has continued to practice in civil and criminal law to the present time. His practice carries him into all of the courts, his admission to practice before the Supreme Court having been granted January 10, 1902, and his clientele is representative of the largest interests in this section of the state. In the fall of 1898 he became the candidate of the democratic party for the office of county attorney of Dewey County, a position which he retained for two terms, or four years, having been re-elected in 1900. He has served also as a member of the town board and the town school board, and at present is the incumbent of the office of town treasurer. Fraternally Mr. Hickok is connected with Taloga Lodge No. 179 Ancient Free and Accepted Masona; Taloga Chapter No. 54, Royal Arch Masons; Taloga Council; Taloga Commandery, Knights Templar; India Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Oklahoma City and Consistory No. 1, Valley of Guthrie, having attained the thirty-second degree of Masonry; and with Taloga Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past noble grand, and the Modern Woodmen of America of this city. His professional affiliation is with the Dewey County, Oklahoma State and Americas Bar associations, while his numberous business connections include the treasurership of the Taloga Oil Company, Inc. Mr. Hickok was married September 15, 1895, at Taloga to Miss N. E. SHUMATE, daughter of the late Balus Shumate, a farmer of the locality of Taloga. Three children have been born to this union, namely: Charles B., a graduate of the class of 1914, Taloga High School, and now a teacher in the public schools of Dewey County; Gordon W., a freshman at Southwestern State Normal Schoool, Weatherford, Oklahoma; and Galen J., who attends the public schools of Weatherford. Typed for OKGenWeb by Connie Ardrey on Tues, 20 July 1999. SOURCE: Thoburn, Joseph B., A Standard History of Oklahoma, An Authentic Narrative of its Development, 5 v. (Chicago, New York: The American Historical Society, 1916)