Wilder D. Foster

Wilder De Ayr Foster was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.

Biography

Foster was born in Orange [County, New York] where he attended the common schools. He moved to Michigan in 1837, and engaged in the hardware business at Grand [Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids] in 1845. He was city treasurer and member of the board of aldermen and then became Mayor of Grand Rapids in 1854. He was a member of the Michigan Senate in 1855 and 1856 and was again mayor of Grand Rapids in 1865 and 1866.
In a special election on April 4, 1871, Foster was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 4th congressional district to the 42nd [United States Congress] to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas White Ferry. In 1872, after new district boundaries were drawn, Foster was reelected to a full term in the 43rd Congress from Michigan's 5th congressional district. In all, Foster served in Congress from December 4, 1871, until his death in Grand Rapids. He is interred there in Fulton Street Cemetery.