http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/browse/2?collection=43&sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CTitle&output=atom <![CDATA[Iowa Heritage Digital Collections]]> 2024-03-29T10:25:56+00:00 Omeka http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49759 <![CDATA[1872-1876, Cyrus Carptenter]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1872-1876, Cyrus Carptenter

Subject

Description

Cyrus Clay Carpenter was born in Susquehanna County, Pa., Nov. 24, 1829. Orphaned at an early age, he learned the trade of a clothier, but after a few months went to help out on a farm and attended school in the winter. At the age of eighteen he began teaching school, and the following four years divided his time between teaching and attending the academy at Hartford. At the conclusion of this period he went to Ohio, where he engaged as a teacher for a year and a half, spending the summer at farm work. In the year 1854, Mr. Carpenter came further westward, visiting many points in Illinois and Iowa, arriving at Des Moines, then a village of some 1, 200 inhabitants. This place, however, not offering a favorable location, he proceeded on his journey, arriving in Fort Dodge June 28, 1854. He soon found employment at Fort Dodge, as assistant to a Government surveyor. This work being completed, young Carpenter assisted his land-lord in cutting hay, but soon secured another position as a surveyor's assistant. In the early part of the following January he engaged in teaching school at Fort Dodge, but in the spring was employed to take charge of a set of surveyors in surveying the counties of Emmet and Kossuth. On his return to Fort Dodge he found the land-office, which had been established at that place, was about to open for the sale of land. Being familiar with the country and the location of the best land, he opened a private land-office, and found constant and profitable employment for the following three years, in platting and surveying lands for those seeking homes. During this period he became extensively known, and, being an active Republican, he was chosen as a standard-bearer for his section of the State. He was elected to the Legislature in the autumn of 1857. In 1861, on the breaking out of the Rebellion, he volunteered and was assigned to duty as Commissary of Subsistence, much of the time being Chief Commissary of the left wing of the 16th Army Corps. In 1864 he was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel and assigned to duty on the staff of Gen. Logan, as Chief Commissary of the 15th Army Corps. He continued in the service until the close of the war, and in August, 1865, was mustered out. Upon the close of his service to his country he returned to his home at Fort Dodge, but, owing to so many changes that had taken place, and such an influx of enterprising men into the city, he found his once prosperous business in the hands of others. He turned his attention to the improvement of a piece of land, where he remained until his election, in the autumn of 1866, as Register of the State Land-Office. He was re-elected in 1868, and refused the nomination in 1870. This position took him to Des Moines, but in 1870 he returned to Fort Dodge. During the summer of the following year he was nominated by the Republican party for Governor. He was elected, and inaugurated as Chief Executive of Iowa Jan. 11, 1872. In 1873 he was re-nominated by his party, and October 14 of that year was re-elected, his inauguration taking place Jan. 27, 1874. At the expiration of his second term as Governor Mr. Carpenter was appointed Second Comptroller of the United States Treasury, which position he resigned after a service of fifteen months. In 1881 he was elected to Congress, and in the Twentieth General Assembly on Iowa he represented Webster County. Gov. Carpenter was married, in March, 1864, to Miss Susan Burkholder, of Fort Dodge. No children have been born to them, but they reared a niece of Mrs. Carpenters'. He retired to a farm in Fort Dodge.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1872; 1873; 1874; 1875; 1876;

Contributor

Portrait and Biographical Album, Muscatine County, Iowa, 1889, page 139

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49778 <![CDATA[1877-1878, Joshua Newbold]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1877-1878, Joshua Newbold

Subject

Description

Joshua G. Newbold, Iowa's tenth governor, was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania on May 12, 1830. He was the firstborn child of Barzillai and Catherine (Houseman) Newbold. In 1840 the Newbold family left Fayette County for Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. There Joshua began his formal education in a common school, later enrolling in a select school taught by Dr. John Lewis, physician and educator who settled in Grinnell, Iowa, in 1878. Joshua returned with his family to Fayette County in 1848. There he taught school, assisted his father in running a flour mill, and began studying medicine. His study of medicine was short-lived. Two years after returning to Fayette County, Joshua married Rachel Farquhar on May 2, 1850. Five children were born to that union. Only two daughters and one son lived to adulthood. In March 1854 the Newbolds moved to Iowa, settling on a farm near Mount Pleasant in Henry County. A year later they moved to Cedar Township, Van Buren County, where Newbold became involved in merchandising and farming. Five years later he returned to Henry County, locating in Hillsboro, continuing in the same fields of labor, and expanding to include stock raising and dealing. During that time, additional Newbold family members migrated to Iowa, including Newbold's parents and his uncle Joshua, who served as pastor of the Hillsboro Free Baptist Church. When President Abraham Lincoln issued a call in 1862 for 600, 000 men, Newbold joined the Union army as a captain, leaving his farm in the hands of his family and his store in the hands of his partner. Newbold served for nearly three years as captain of Company C, 25th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, organized at Mount Pleasant and mustered in on September 27, 1862. Newbold saw action at Chickasaw Bayou and Vicksburg and was part of Sherman's March to the Sea. Captain Newbold served his last three months as judge advocate at Woodville, Alabama, leaving the army due to a disability just prior to the end of the war. Upon returning to Iowa, Newbold reclaimed his standing in the Hillsboro community and became involved in politics as a state representative for Henry County, serving in the 13th, 14th, and 15th General Assemblies (1870, 1872, 1874). Newbold chaired the School Committee in the 14th session and the Appropriations Committee in the 15th. During the 15th session, he also served as temporary Speaker of the House when the House of Representatives deadlocked during its organization. Elected lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket with Samuel J. Kirkwood in 1875, he became Iowa's ninth governor when Kirkwood resigned on February 1, 1877, to run for the U.S. Senate. Newbold served out Kirkwood's unexpired term, facing such issues as an ever-increasing floating state debt and the inequality of personal property valuations among the counties. By 1880 Newbold and his wife, Rachel, both age 50, were back in Mount Pleasant, with Newbold running a dry-goods and grocery store. Politically a devoted Republican, Newbold's spiritual affiliations varied. Born and raised a Quaker, he spent the greater part of his life as a Free-Will Baptist. In later life, he and his wife joined the Presbyterian church in Mount Pleasant; as chair of the building committee, he was actively involved in the construction of the First Presbyterian Church in 1897. Elected mayor of Mount Pleasant in 1900, he served until his death on June 10, 1903 (he had earlier served as mayor in 1883). Newbold was interred at Forest Home Cemetery in Mount Pleasant.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1877; 1878;

Contributor

Iowa Biographical Dictionary

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49755 <![CDATA[1878-1882, John H. Gear]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1878-1882, John H. Gear

Subject

Description

John H Gear, Iowa's eleventh Governor was born in Ithaca, New York, the son of Ezekiel Gilbert Gear, a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church, and Miranda (Cook) Gear. He attended common schools in Ithaca until age 12, when his family moved to Galena, Illinois. In 1838 his father was appointed chaplain at Fort Snelling in Minnesota Territory. They remained there for five years, with Gear helpingand being tutored byhis father. In 1843 the family moved again to Burlington in Iowa Territory, which remained Gear's home and base of operations for the remainder of his life. After working as a clerk in a wholesale grocery store for several years, he became a partner in 1853 and sole proprietor in 1855. During the next two decades, Gear emerged as a leading business figure in southeastern Iowa, playing a crucial role in several efforts to entice railroads to the Hawkeye State. In 1852 he married Harriet Foote, a union that eventually produced four children. Gear began his political career as a Burlington alderman from 1852 until 1863, when he was elected mayor. In 1871 he was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives, where he served for six years. In 1874 Gear was made Speaker of the House on the 137th ballot as a compromise candidate between the regular Republicans and the Anti-Monopoly Party. He was chosen for a second term as Speaker in 1876. Gear won the 1877 Republican gubernatorial nomination and was elected governor. He was re-elected to a second term in 1879. During his tenure, he fought to reduce the large state deficit that his administration inherited. He initiated a progressive bookkeeping system, he secured legislation that dissolved the war and defense debt, and he advocated overhauling business procedures in the administration of state agencies. He was elected as a Republican to represent Iowa's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House for the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses, serving from March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1891. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890, but was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, serving from 1892 to 1893. He returned to the U.S. House for one final term, winning the 1892 1st district election, then serving in the Fifty-third Congress, from March 4, 1893 to March 3, 1895. In 1894, Gear was elected by the Iowa General Assembly to the United States Senate. Gear rarely spoke on the Senate floor, introduced no legislation, and presented himself as a dutiful servant of the administration of President William McKinley. By the end of his term in 1900, Gear was suffering so seriously from heart disease that his wife accompanied him to the Senate chamber each day in order to prevent him from succumbing to overwork and stress. Although he was reelected to the Senate, Gear died during the summer of 1900 in Washington, D.C. He was reelected in 1900. He served from March 4, 1895, until his death on July 14, 1900 at the age of 75, before the start of his second term. He had been chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Pacific Railroads in the Fifty-fourth through Fifty-Sixth Congresses. He was buried in Aspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington, Iowa.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1878; 1879; 1880; 1881; 1882;

Contributor

Biographical Dictionary of Iowa, National Governor's Association

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49766 <![CDATA[1882-1886, Buren Sherman]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1882-1886, Buren Sherman

Subject

Description

Buren B. Sherman, 11th governor of Iowa, was born in Phelps, New York, the third son of Phineas L. Sherman, ax maker, and Eveline (Robinson) Sherman. He went to school in Phelps until 1849, when the family moved to Elmira, New York. There he continued his schooling and then, in 1852, was apprenticed to a watchmaker. The family moved to Tama County, Iowa, in 1855. Sherman worked on his father's farm and then in a store from 1857 to 1859 while at the same time studying law. He was admitted to the bar in 1860 and began practicing law in Vinton. In 1862 he married Lena Kendall of Vinton. They had one daughter and one son. When the Civil War broke out, Sherman immediately joined up. In 1862, as a second lieutenant, he was gravely wounded at Shiloh and left on the battlefield to die. His wounds were not dressed until six days later, but, amazingly, he recovered. While in the hospital, he was promoted to captain and returned to his regiment on crutches. In the summer of 1863 his wounds invalided him out of the army. Back in Vinton, he was given a hero's welcome. There Sherman moved into public life. He was elected county judge of Benton County in 1863 and re-elected in 1865. He gave up his office in 1866 when he was elected clerk of the district court, a position to which he was re-elected three times. Moving up the political ladder, he secured election as State Auditor in 1874. Sherman distinguished himself in that office and was re-elected in 1876 and 1878. After an unsuccessful try for the Republican nomination for governor in 1877, he ""accepted defeat like a good sport, which won him many friends."" Sherman again sought the Republican nomination for governor in 1881. A Mason, Shriner, Knight Templar, and Grand Army man, he had many friends. A contemporary journalist, looking back from 1917, wrote: ""Sherman was a whooper-up. He was the best hand-shaker Iowa has ever known.""He finally defeated future governor William Larrabee for the Republican nomination in 1881 and easily won the election. He ran again in 1883. Unusually, that election had debates between the Republican and Democratic candidates, and again Sherman triumphed. His second inauguration was in the rotunda of the new capitol on January 17, 1884, at the same time as the dedication of the building. As State Auditor, Sherman had stressed that local taxation did not reach the telegraph, telephone, fast freight, and Pullman companies, to the grave detriment of state revenue. Other governors had tried but failed to accomplish reform in that area, but Sherman succeeded with a series of reforms, notably the initiation of semiannual tax payments, which permitted the ""circulation of large amounts of money which would otherwise be locked up in bank vaults."" As governor, Sherman supported four constitutional reforms that were adopted. General elections were moved to ""the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November.""The legislature could reorganize the judicial districts, reduce the number of grand jurors to between 5 and 15, and provide for the election of prosecuting attorneys in counties rather than districts. His support for a fifth constitutional amendment to grant woman suffrage failed, but he did succeed in giving the impetus to Iowa's first civil rights act. In 1882 Sherman led the battle for a temperance amendment to the constitution. Its success was short-lived, for the Iowa Supreme Court struck it down on the narrowest of technical grounds. When he was re-elected, Sherman promptly recommended ""proper statutory enactments"" on temperance, and the legislature complied. During his tenure, several new state agencies were authorized, which included a state veterinary surgeon office, as well as a state bureau of labor statistics and a state oil inspector office. After leaving office on January 14, 1886, Sherman retired from public service, and stayed active pursuing his business interests. Governor Buren R. Sherman died on November 11, 1904, and was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Vinton, Iowa.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1882; 1883; 1884; 1885; 1886;

Contributor

Biographical Dictionary of Iowa

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49775 <![CDATA[1886-1890, William Larrabee]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1886-1890, William Larrabee

Subject

Description

William Larrabee, Iowa's thirteenth governor, was born in Ledyard, Connecticut on January 20, 1832. He was the seventh of nine children of Adam and Hannah Gallup (Lester) Larrabee. He was born in Ledyard, Connecticut, where he received his primary education, plus elements of business training from his father.Although he only completed eighth grade, Larrabee was a lifelong learner. While still in Connecticut, he taught country school for two terms. In 1853, at age 21, he moved to Clayton County, Iowa. Two siblings had preceded him, including a sister who accompanied her wealthy husband to Postville to farm 1, 700 acres. Larrabee taught one term in Allamakee County and then was employed on his brother-in-law's farm as foreman. He worked hard to achieve success, often putting in 20 hours a day for months at a time. His perennial advice to others seeking prosperity was to work, work, work. On September 12, 1861, Larrabee married Anna Matilda Appelman (1842-1931) in Clermont, Fayette County. They had seven children: Charles, Augusta, Julia, Anna, William, Frederic, and Helen. The Larrabees became one of Iowa's most influential and affluent families and contributed to the state's society, intellect, and culture by fostering an interest in education, civic duty, social reform, economic fairness, and the arts. Larrabee began amassing his fortune in the milling business. He invested in a Clermont flour mill in 1857 and soon bought out his partners. He operated it until the early 1870s, when corn crops gained popularity over wheat. During the Civil War, he gave free flour to needy families of soldiers. A strong supporter of the Union cause, Larrabee was rejected for military service because he had lost the sight in his right eye in a firearms accident as a teenager.During the Civil War, Larrabee tried to enlist, but was rejected due to a childhood accident that left him blind in his right eye. Over the following years, Larrabee acquired and farmed land of his own, eventually becoming one of Iowa's largest landowners, with more than 200, 000 acres. Larrabee also engaged in banking. In 1872 he and a brother bought the controlling interest in the First National Bank at McGregor, Iowa, and by 1885 he had connections with 13 different banks in Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota, including one at Clermont. He financed and built railroads as well, and although that was not as profitable for him, his knowledge ultimately guided railroad reform legislation in America. By the time he reached his early 40's, Larrabee was one of the wealthiest men in the Midwest, allowing him to travel abroad, collect art, and build Montauk, a 14-room mansion on a hill overlooking Clermont. He was an unselfish supporter of the local school and churches. Years later, in 1896, Larrabee purchased what today is the largest Kimball pipe organ of its kind in the United States and had it installed in Clermont's Union Sunday School, where his daughter Anna was the organist for more than 60 years. Larrabee's generosity, energy, intelligence and good business sense won him the respect of the town's citizens, making him a likely candidate for political office. Raised as a Whig, Larrabee became a Republican when the new party was formed. In 1867 he was elected to the Iowa Senate, where he served 18 years. A diligent lawmaker, he was on many committees, including chairmanship of ways and means. He had strong views concerning government and was considered a progressive Republican for his day, his progressive ideas sometimes putting him at odds with his fellow party members. He competed unsuccessfully for the gubernatorial nomination in 1881. In 1885 he resigned his senate seat to accept the Republican nomination for governor. He was elected by a large margin and reelected in 1887. As Iowa's 13th governor, he championed railroad regulation, public education, prohibition, woman suffrage, racial equality, and civil rights. Iowa Republicans chose Larrabee as their candidate in 1885 partly because of his previ ous commitment to railroad reform. The General Assembly was overwhelmingly for state control of railroads, and during his legislative terms Larrabee fought for farmer against high freight rates. As governor, his chief battle was against the railroads, and he took a firm stand in securing legislation to regulate transportation rates across Iowa. In 1893 he wrote and published The Railroad Question: A Historical and Practical Treatise on Railroads, and Remedies for Their Abuses. The book was printed in nine editions and was considered the authoritative text on the subject in Iowa and the nation. Larrabee held learning in the highest regard and believed in tax-supported education for all students. While he was governor, Iowa Agricultural College gave free tuition for six months to three residents from each county. At the time of his death, he was in the process of designing and building ""Iowa's ideal school, "" which was presented as a gift to Clermont. He advocated an improved public library. One of the first lending libraries west of the Mississippi was established at the Union Sunday School in Clermont in 1877. Despite the demands of his many interests, Larrabee always found time to read, stocking his home with one of the largest libraries in the state. At age 70 he used an ""Edison Language Phonograph Machine"" to teach himself Spanish before traveling to Cuba, so he would not be dependent on an interpreter. He was one of the first to own and use a typewriter that had both capital and lowercase letters, which proved helpful since his handwriting was nearly illegible. Prohibition of alcohol proved to be the most divisive issue during Larrabee's tenure as governor. His first campaign slogan was ""A schoolhouse on every hill and no saloons in the valley.""Pages of his inaugural address were devoted to the failure to enforce existing prohibitory laws. The reform-minded Larrabee allied himself with other causes, including the right of labor to organize, a progressive income tax, duty-free trade, municipal ownership of public utilities, use of scientific methods in agriculture, and conservation of natural resources. He recommended a trial step toward universal suffrage; advocated for state institutions for people with infirmities or disabilities and for those who were disadvantaged; and sought improvements and accountability in state government. Some historians argue that Larrabee set the stage for the progressive movement in Iowa. When he left the governorship, Larrabee was suggested as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, but he wanted to give more attention to his family and private interests. He retired to Montauk, but his influence on public thought continued, and he remained vigorous into his old age. He served in governmental and civic positions, including two years as chair of the first Iowa Board of Control for state prisons, hospitals, and asylums, established in 1898. He also was appointed president of the Iowa Commission of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, serving from 1902 to 1905. He supported Theodore Roosevelt when the division between progressives and conservatives split the Republican Party, and in 1912, as Larrabee lay dying, he asked to be taken to a polling place to cast his ballot. Larrabee died on November 16, 1912 at the age of 80 and was interred in God's Acres Cemetery in Clermont, in a shared plot with his wife of 51 years.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1886; 1887; 1888; 1889; 1890;

Contributor

Biographical Dictionary of Iowa, National Governor's Association

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49762 <![CDATA[1890-1894, Horace Boies]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1890-1894, Horace Boies

Subject

Description

Horace Boies, Iowa's fourteenth governor, was born in Aurora, New York on December 7, 1827. His early education was limited and attained in New York's public school system. However, four years after working as a farm laborer, Boies decided to further his education. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1852. Three years later Boies entered into politics, serving as a one-term member of the New York House of Representatives. In 1867, he moved to Iowa and established a successful legal career in Waterloo. Boies won the 1889 Democratic gubernatorial nomination and became the first Democratic governor in more than thirty-five years. He was reelected to a second term in 1891. During his tenure, his primary focus was on securing legislation that would accommodate both sides of the liquor prohibition issue. He endorsed a license bill that would have permitted the determination of whether or not to sell liquor up to the localities; however, the bill was defeated twice during his administration. Boies left office after losing his bid for a third term. In 1893, he was offered an appointment as Secretary of Agriculture, but declined the appointment. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 1892 and 1896. He also was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1902. Governor Horace Boies died on April 4, 1923, and was buried at the Elmwood Cemetery in Waterloo, Iowa.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1890; 1891; 1892; 1893; 1894;

Contributor

National Governor's Association

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49784 <![CDATA[1894-1896, Frank D. Jackson]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1894-1896, Frank D. Jackson

Subject

Description

Frank D. Jackson, fifteenth governor of Iowa was born in Arcade, New York on January 26, 1854. When he was 13, his family moved to Iowa and settled in Jessup. Jackson attended public schools and was the first Iowa governor to be educated in higher institutions of learning in Iowa. He attended Iowa Agricultural College and the State University of Iowa, graduating from the latter's law school in 1874. He was admitted to the bar on his 21st birthday and opened a law practice in Independence, Iowa. Jackson married Anna Brock on November 16, 1877. She was born in Canada in 1856, and died on October 16, 1940, in California. They had four sons: Graydon, Ernest, Frank, and Leslie. Jackson was elected secretary of the Iowa Senate in 1882. In 1884 he became Secretary of State, a position he held for three two-year terms. In the 1893 gubernatorial election he defeated incumbent Horace Boies, who was running for a third term. Jackson believed in tariff protection. In his inaugural address to the General Assembly, he stated, ""To maintain the American schedule of wages in the future requires that the American people buy and use the products of the brain and muscle of the American laborer and producer rather than those of other lands, even though they may cost a little more.... Those manufactured products of foreign countries, which can be produced in our own country, must be kept out of competition with American labor. This country can consume the products of the American laborer, but it cannot consume the products of both American and foreign labor."" Governor Jackson was the only governor to fight an army on Iowa soil. Kelly's Industrial Army, part of Coxey's Army, crossed the state in 1894 on its way to Washington, D.C., to protest a lack of jobs. Governor Jackson called out the militia to maintain order while Kelly's army was in Iowa. The protestors had taken over trains in the western states, and the railroad companies asked Governor Jackson for protection. Proclaiming that his duty was to ""prevent landing of the pilgrims on Iowa soil"" and that troops would be used to preserve order, Jackson went on a special train to Council Bluffs to confront the issue. His action was controversial, because many Iowans sympathized with the protestors. Eventually, Kelly's Army passed through the state without any incidents of violence. Wanting to return to business interests, Jackson declined to seek a second term as governor. He later helped organize the Royal Union Mutual Life Insurance Company of Des Moines, and served as its president. The Jacksons moved to California in 1924. He died in Redlands, California on November 16, 1938. He was buried in Hillside Cemetery there. Sources An obituary appeared in the Des Moines Register, 9/16/1945. See also Jacob A. Swisher, The Governors of Iowa (1946).

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1894; 1895; 1896;

Contributor

Biographical Dictionary of Iowa ; An obituary appeared in the Des Moines Register, 9/16/1945. See also Jacob A. Swisher, The Governors of Iowa (1946). Contributor: Michael Kramme

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49763 <![CDATA[1896-1898, Francis Drake]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1896-1898, Francis Drake

Subject

Description

Francis M. Drake, Iowa's sixteenth governor, was born in Rushville, Illinois on December 30, 1830 to John Adams Drake and Harriet Jane O'Neal. In 1837, his family moved to Fort Madison, Iowa, where Drake was educated in the common schools. He became an adventurous young man, with treks across the plains to California, and a survival story that occurred when he sailed on a steamer that was destroyed after striking a reef in middle of the Pacific Ocean. He married Mary Jane Lord on December 24, 1855. During the Civil War, he commanded the 36th Iowa Infantry as lieutenant colonel, rose to the rank of brigadier general, was severely wounded, and was captured and later released. After his military duty, he studied law and established a successful legal practice, building a reputation in criminal law. Besides his law career, Drake was active in the Centerville Christian Church, and was very involved in the railroad industry, collaborating and building five railroads. He also was instrumental in the founding of Drake University, which was named after him. He liberally donated money there, as well as to Iowa College and Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant. Drake entered politics in 1895, winning the Republican gubernatorial nomination. He went on to win the popular election, and was sworn into office on January 16, 1896. During his tenure, he advocated for the development and expansion of the state's waterways, highways and railroads, as well as for the endorsement of educational advancements, and for upholding the liquor local option. However, the most notable legislation that was sanctioned was the amendments made to the state laws. Drake did not seek reelection due to his deteriorating health. He left office on January 13, 1898 and retired from public service. Governor Francis M. Drake died on November 20, 1903, and was buried at the Oakland Cemetery in Centerville, Iowa.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1896; 1897; 1898;

Contributor

National Governor's Association, Wikipedia

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49760 <![CDATA[1898-1902, Leslie Shaw]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1898-1902, Leslie Shaw

Subject

Description

Leslie M. Shaw, 17th governor of Iowa, was born on a farm in Vermont, the first son of Boardman Osias Shaw and Lavisa (Spaulding) Shaw. He helped his father on the farm and attended school with two goals: to get a higher education and move west to become a landowner. Upon graduation, he taught school and frugally saved his money until he had several hundred dollars. Then in 1869 he headed for Iowa, where his aunt and uncle lived in Mount Vernon. While attending Cornell College in Mount Vernon with his cousins, Shaw divided his time among selling fruit trees, teaching school, and working his way through college, graduating in 1874 with a B.S. He immediately entered the Iowa College of Law in Des Moines, graduating in 1876. Shaw settled in Denison to practice law. He married Alice Crawshaw on December 7, 1877. They had three children: Enid, Earl, and Erma. Starting out as an attorney, to pay office expenses Shaw sold fruit trees on the side, which later earned him the nickname ""Old Apple Tree."" Shaw had a gift for presenting his cases clearly and engaging the audience's attention, and is said to have won most of his cases. Shaw became interested in banking when he saw that farmer needed loans to operate their farms. In 1880 Shaw and his law firm partner, Carl F. Kuehnle, established the Bank of Denison, a private mortgage loan business, after inducing capitalists in Vermont to invest money in Iowa. Later Kuehnle and Shaw started banks in Manilla and Charter Oak. Shaw was also a leading layman in the local Methodist church and was superintendent of the Sunday school for 25 years. Each Sunday afternoon he would drive his horse and buggy to a country schoolhouse west of Denison, where he conducted an afternoon Sunday school class. Every morning after breakfast Shaw read scriptures from the Bible to his family, followed by prayer. Shaw was strict in matters of religion, and was opposed to dancing, which meant there were no inaugural balls when he later became governor. A popular orator on economic issues, particularly on his views of gold standard legislation, the Iowa Republican Party chose him to run for governor in 1897. Shaw's ability as a speaker was well known, and he often included a humorous story to bring his point home. Shaw incorporated homespun philosophy with a description of government finances in such a way that his audiences never lost interest. Shaw became governor of Iowa in 1898 and served two terms, ending in 1902. As governor, he established the Board of Control for Iowa's state institutions. He laid the cornerstone of the building for the Memorial, Historical, and Art Department; created the Library Commission; and established free public libraries and school libraries through out the state. He was the first governor of Iowa to drive a car. While Shaw was governor, he gained national attention for his speeches during presidential campaigns on the nation's finances. He campaigned while Theodore Roosevelt was running for vice president, and Roosevelt was impressed with Shaw's ability to captivate his audience while explaining financial issues in an understandable manner. When President McKinley was shot in 1901 and Roosevelt became president, he selected Shaw to be secretary of the treasury, where he served from February 1902 until March 1907. He was said to have averted several panics as a master of finance. He was hardheaded, logical, shrewd, and ""apt to strain a point in order to help Wall Street out of scrapes into which the reckless financiers of the period were constantly plunging it."" After leaving the cabinet, Shaw was president of banks in New York and Philadelphia, ultimately returning with his family to Washington, D.C., where he wrote and gave lectures throughout the country on finances and economic issues for the American Bankers Association. Shaw wrote two books: Current Issues (1908) and Vanishing Landmarks (1919). He advised banks and campaigned for every Republican presidential candidate until his death at the age of 83 on March 28, 1932. Shaw died of pneumonia at his home in Washington, D.C. His remains were brought back to Iowa and placed in a mausoleum in Denison.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1898; 1899; 1900; 1901; 1902;

Contributor

Biographical Dictionary of Iowa

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

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http://www.iowaheritage.org/items/show/49781 <![CDATA[1902-1908, Albert Cummins]]> 2014-11-25T07:58:23+00:00

Title

1902-1908, Albert Cummins

Subject

Description

Albert Cummins was born in a log house in Carmichaels, Green County, Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas L. Cummins, a carpenter/farmer, and Sarah Baird Cummins. He attended country schools and completed a four-year course in two years at Waynesburg College. Upon graduation he was a tutor and taught at a country school. While clerking for a law firm in Chicago, Cummins studied law on his own and passed the Illinois bar in 1874. That same year he married Ida Lucette Gallery, with whom he had one child, a daughter. They moved to Des Moines, Iowa where Cummins worked with his brother and specialized in railroad and patent law. Cummins became increasingly active in Republican politics and he was a state legislator from 1888 to 1890. Defeated in campaigns for the U.S. Senate in 1894 and 1900, Cummins was elected governor in 1901, serving three consecutive terms. He ran on an antimonopoly, populist platform that stressed increased railroad taxation and regulation and support for the removal of tariff protection for any industry dominated by a trust. In June 1908, Governor Cummins ran in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by William B. Allison, who was seeking a record seventh term. Senator Allison won the election, however he died on Aug. 4, 1908, two months after the primary and before the Iowa General Assembly chose among the primary winners. In November 1908 a second Republican primary was held, which Cummins won decisively. Cummins was appointed by the Iowa General Assembly over democratic rival Claude R. Porter. He served as a United States Senator from Iowa for 18 years, from 1908 until 1926. He served as President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate between 1919 and 1925. He also chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and the U.S. Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce. Cummins's growing conservatism cost him a great deal of progressive political support in his native state, causing him to lose the 1926 Republican primary for his re-election bid to the U.S. Senate. Within a few months of his defeat, Cummins died in Des Moines and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Publisher

State Library of Iowa and State Historical Society of Iowa

Date

1902; 1903; 1904; 1905; 1906; 1907; 1908;

Contributor

Iowa Biographical Dictionary, Wikipedia

Rights

This digital image may be used for educational purposes, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this file is permitted without written permission of the State Historical Society of Iowa. www.iowahistory.org/libraries/services-and-fees/copyright-notice.html

Type

Still Image
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