William Oetinger, of Alma, Kan., is of German stock, a scion of people remarkable for their enterprise, stability of purpose, and loyalty to country. He was born in Germany, in 1868, son of Samuel and Magdalena (Zeller) Oetinger. His father was born in the Fatherland, in 1831, was reared, educated, and married in that country. The grandfather was a farmer, and upon attaining his growth Samuel Oetinger also became a tiller of the soil, one of the oldest and most honorable of occupations. But he had heard of the great farms in the New Country in the United States and determined to seek his opportunity in life there. In 1881 the family set sail for America and soon after reaching the shores of this country settled in Ohio, but a little over four years later immigrated to Kansas, bought a quarter-section of land in Clay county, and resided there until 1900, when Mr. Oetinger sold his old homestead and moved to Riley, in Riley county, where he invested in city property and retired from active life to enjoy the later years of his life in a well earned rest. Mrs. Oetinger passed from this life in 1902. There were five children in the Oetinger family, four of whom are still living: Henry is a blacksmith at Riley; Frederick is a farmer in Clay county; Louis is a carpenter and contractor in Oklahoma; William is the next in order of birth; and Charles is deceased. The father of the family never took any active part in politics, leaving that to those who devote their time to the subject, but he always voted the Democratic ticket.

William was thirteen years of age when his parents emigrated from the Old Country, where he had attended school and graduated in the academic course. After coming to this country he led the usual life of a boy on the farm; he herded cattle, broke prairie, plowed corn, and helped his father in every way until he was twenty-one. He learned to be a carpenter and worked at that trade for awhile after leaving the farm and locating in Riley. From that he became interested in a lumber yard and soon became manager, acting in that capacity from 1895 to 1902, when he went to Oklahoma to manage a lumber yard for the Walton Lumber Company, at Guthrie. But the ambition had grown with Mr. Oetinger to own a lumber yard of his own, and he resigned to return to Riley county and purchase the yard of which he had been manager. In 1906 he disposed of this yard to some profit and came to Alma, where he opened a lumber yard, and also became interested in the Alma Light & Ice Company. He owns the largest lumber yard in the vicinity of Alma, and since he became interested in the electric light plant it has become very prosperous. Mr. Oetinger has always taken an interest in all local improvements and is a loyal supporter of the Democratic party, but has never sought office. He belongs to the Masonic Lodge at Wamego and his family belongs to the old German Lutheran church.

In January, 1891, Mr. Oetinger married Lydia M., daughter of Thomas Whitacre, of Riley, one of the oldest settlers, who emigrated from Ohio and settled here at an early day. One child was born to this union—Edna M., now nineteen years of age, and a graduate of the Alma High School and the Normal Training School.