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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
