| Otto Onstad | |
| Birth Name: | Peder Otto Onstad |
| Birth Date: | 4 June 1874 |
| Birth Place: | Christiana, Dane County, Wisconsin, US |
| Death Place: | Stoughton, Wisconsin, US |
| Occupation: | Teacher, farmer, politician |
| Education: | Luther College |
| Party: | Republican |
| Office: | Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly |
| Constituency: | Dane County Second District |
| Term Start: | 1908 |
| Term End: | 1912 |
Peder Otto Onstad (June 4, 1874 – March 17, 1961) was an American educator and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Peter Otto Onstad was born in Christiana, Dane County, Wisconsin.[1] He was one of ten children born to Johannes (John) Christensen Onstad and his wife Anna Lee. His maternal grandfather Erik Lee was a supporter of the Haugean movement and left Norway following religious persecution, becoming the first settler in the Christiana area.[2] His brother L. Henry Onstad lived in Stoughton until his death.[3] His brother Erick J. Onstad served as an attorney and was deputy state treasurer of Wisconsin underneath Solomon Levitan in the 1920s.[4] [5] Following the death of one of his siblings, Onstad raised four of his nieces and nephews.[1]
He attended Albion Academy and later studied at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.[1] He later began teaching in Cambridge and returned to teach at Albion Academy, specialising in mathematics.[1] In 1901, Onstad left education and returned to farming.[1]
In 1909, Onstad was elected to represent Dane County in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a member of the Republican Party.[1] He was reelected in 1911.[1] In 1913, he served as superintendent of public property for the Wisconsin State Capitol.[1]
In 1932, he moved to Madison and served as inspector of the Wisconsin Highway Commission for two years. In 1935, he began joined the register of deeds staff for Dane County.[1]
He was a member of East Koshkonong Lutheran Church in Cambridge and Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison.[1]
Onstad died in Stoughton on March 17, 1961.[1]