William A. Paxton, rancher, cattleman, and early Omaha businessman, was for fifty years one of the builders of Nebraska, beginning in l857. Paxton was born in Kentucky in 1837, and his formal schooling ended at the age of twelve when the family moved to Missouri. Soon after that Paxton was employed by a nearby farmer, and by the time he was fifteen, he had started his own business. He purchased oxen and a plow and began to break prairie sod for new settlers. The following year Paxton became farm manager for M. J. Regan, for whom he was employed in several types of work between 1853 and 1862.
Paxton accompanied Regan to Omaha in 1857 and became the foreman of a bridge building crew on the military road between Omaha and Fort Kearny. Next, Paxton tried farming in Missouri. Several different attempts were unsuccessful, and after each try, he returned to Omaha.
In 1860 and again in 1863-64, Paxton was hired as a freighter, hauling between Omaha and Denver. He purchased a team of horses from Edward Creighton in 1865 and started his own freighting business, which he operated between Omaha and Denver until 1867. He had worked for Creighton, building Western Union Telegraph lines westward from Omaha in 1861.
Paxton in 1867 received a contract from the Union Pacific Railroad for grading the roadway west of Julesburg, Colorado. He was employed by the railroad for several years, first as foreman of a crew hired to supply railroad ties, and then as manager of a large railroad construction gang. Although Paxton returned to Omaha in 1868, his venture in railroad building continued the next year when he contracted with the Omaha and Northwestern Railroad to build lines north out of Omaha to Oakland, Nebraska,about fifty-five miles.
After a short stay in Omaha, Paxton next became involved in the cattle business. He bought cattle at Abilene, Kansas, and drove them to Omaha, sold them, and went into ranching near Ogallala, Nebraska. Paxton and two partners supplied beef to Indian Agencies for five years. Paxton operated the Keystone Cattle Company ranch at Ogallala and also owned ranches near Hyannis and Paxton, Nebraska which was named for him. In 1875 Paxton returned to Omaha once more but did not sell his ranch until 1883.
Beginning in 1875 on Paxton was associated with several Omaha businesses. In 1879 be became a principal stockholder in the Nebraska Telephone Company, and in 1882, vice-president of the Omaha Savings Bank. The same year, in partnership with Ben Gallagher, he organized the Paxton and Gallagher Wholesale Grocery firm. This firm was in existence until 1958, when it was sold to Gilbert C. Swanson and W. Clarke Swanson and renamed Butternut Foods. Paxton was one of the organizers of the Paxton-Veirling Iron Works in 1886. He was part of a group which in 1880 purchased and developed a tract of land in Omaha which became the site of the Nebraska State Fair for several years.
In 1878 Paxton helped form the first Union Stockyards Company in Omaha, but soon afterwards it was moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa. When the Union Stockyards Company was reorganized and moved to South Omaha in 1883, Paxton became the first president of the corporation. He was also instrumental in organizing related businesses, including the Union Stockyards Bank of South Omaha, Union Stockyards Railroad Company, the Union Elevator, the Union Trust Company, and the South Omaha Land Syndicate, of which he was vice-president.
In addition to the Paxton and Gallagher Company and the Paxton-Veirling Iron Works, William A.Paxton's name was given to the Paxton Block of office buildings which he constructed, the Paxton Hotel, and Paxton Boulevard. He also built the Ware Block (named for his wife, Mary Jane Ware), the Granite Block, and the Merchants Hotel.
While his main interest was in business, Paxton was involved briefly in politics. He was elected to the lower house of the state legislature in 1881 and served in the state senate in 1889. Paxton died in Omaha on July 18, 1907. His leadership was an essential factor in Omaha's becoming a prominent stockyards and meatpacking center.
Paxton was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 196l.