Clifton Rogers Peden, a successful business man of Winfield, Kan., is a native of Barren county, Kentucky, born near Glasgow, Dec. 15, 1864. He is a son of James H. and Eliza J. (Robinson) Peden, both of whom were born in Kentucky, the former in Barren county. The father was a well known stockman, mule breeder, and farmer, and spent his entire life in his native county, where he died, Dec. 9, 1898. He was a Democrat in politics, a Baptist in church faith and membership, and took a very active part in church work. Eleazer Peden, grandfather of our subject, was a well known farmer in his native State of Kentucky. He was an influential and active member of the Baptist church, the congregation being of the "Iron Jacket" sect. His father had come to Kentucky from Virginia, in which state the Peden family had been established by an emigrant from Scotland, who was among the early Virginia colonists of the Seventeenth century. Later descendants of that pioneer family scattered to different states, some of them settling in Indiana, some in Mississippi, and some in Kentucky. Robert Robinson, maternal grandfather of Clifton R. Peden, was a Virginian by birth, but removed to Kentucky in an early day and there engaged in farming. Later in life he moved to Illinois, where his death occurred.

Clifton R. Peden, was reared in Kentucky and was educated in a country school near his home. After his school days he worked on a farm several years and then for two years was engaged in training horses. In 1888 he came west and settled on a rented farm, fifteen miles east of Wichita, Kan. He remained on that farm five years and then removed to Winfield, where he engaged in the stock and feed business. He now owns a 150-feet frontage on Main street in Winfield, on which is located a large barn and feed stables for this business, in connection with which he also conducts auction sales and buys and sells hogs, cattle, mules, and horses. He also owns and operates a feed mill and handles flour and all kinds of feed supplies, and he has a large feeding barn near the union depot, and handles an average of 100 head here. For nearly twenty years Mr. Peden has devoted his energies to the building up of this enterprise. Competent, honest, and persistent, he has been rewarded by a large and remunerative trade. The business established by him has been very successfully conducted and is the leading one of its kind in Cowley county. Mr. Peden is recognized as one of the best judges of stock in his section, has been a lover of fine horses since childhood, and the owner of many high bred saddle and harness animals.

On Oct. 13, 1891, Mr. Peden was united in marriage to Miss Emma D., daughter of Oliver Rounds, a farmer from Peoria, Ill., who removed to Butler county, Kansas, and bought a farm on which he resided until 1907. His death occurred in Wichita in 1910. Oliver Rounds was a native of Vermont, and his wife was born in the Buckeye state. Mr. and Mrs. Peden have five children: Herman O., born Oct. 14, 1892, and Virgil H., born Dec. 14, 1896, assist their father in his business; Lillian, born May 11, 1894, and Mildred, born Oct. 30, 1900, are both attending school, and Verna, born Jan. 23, 1909. Mr. Peden is a Democrat in his political views, but takes no other than a voting interest in political affairs. Mrs. Peden is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.