Fenner Ferguson
Fenner Ferguson (April 25, 1814 – October 11, 1859) was an American lawyer and politician who helped shape the Nebraska Territory. He was born in Nassau, New York, and grew up working on a farm before studying law. He became a lawyer in 1840 after training with the Albany firm Coon and Branhall.
Ferguson moved to Albion, Michigan, in 1846, where he practiced law and served as master in chancery and district attorney. He also spent time in the Michigan House of Representatives in 1849.
In 1854 President Franklin Pierce named him chief justice of the Nebraska Territory. He moved to Bellevue, Nebraska, and helped establish the territory’s first district and supreme courts and assisted in drafting its first laws. He resigned as chief justice in 1857 to run for delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Nebraska Territory. He served as a non-voting delegate from March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1859, in the 35th Congress and did not seek re-nomination in 1858.
Ferguson died in Bellevue, Nebraska, on October 11, 1859, and is buried in Bellevue Cemetery. He married Helena E. Upjohn in 1841, and they had four sons: Arthur N., Alfred G., Stephen W., and Charles F.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:03 (CET).