Pearson was born in Pana, Illinois in 1873 and moved to Cass County, Nebraska in 1885.

He became a grain buyer, and served as a representative (66th district) in the Nebraska legislature from 1913 to 1915.

In 1914 he was the Democratic party nominee for lieutenant governor, and served in that position from 1915 to 1917.

[1][2][3] Sometime after leaving office, he moved to Shenandoah, Iowa and became a popular radio preacher at KFNF, also nicknamed as the "newsboy" of the station.

[4][5] In 1932, he was nominated in jest as the candidate for U.S. vice president by the Nebraska Democratic delegation.