1903 Index

History of Iowa From the Earliest Times To The Beginning of the Twentieth Century
Volume IV, Iowa Biography, B. F. Gue, 1903.

A

Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Becke Dawson.

CHARLES F. ABBOTT was born in Concord , New Hampshire , January 25, 1819 . After completing his education he started west, stopping in Michigan . In 1850 he came to Iowa and settled in Louisa County , but later removed to Muscatine , where he engaged in farming, banking and real estate business. Upon the organization of the Thirtieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry in the summer of 1862, Mr. Abbott was appointed colonel of the regiment and at once took command. He participated in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, and while leading his regiment in the assault upon Vicksburg , May 22, 1863 , was killed.

ALONZO ABERNETHY was born April 14, 1836 , in Sandusky County , Ohio . His early education was received in the public schools of that State. In March, 1854, he came with his father's family to Fayette County , Iowa . He entered the Chicago University , leaving the senior class in August, 1861, to enlist in the Ninth Iowa Infantry as a private. He was engaged in seventeen battles and won rapid promotion, attaining the rank of lieutenant-colonel before the regiment was mustered out. In 1865 he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Eleventh General Assembly from Fayette County . In 1870 he removed to Denison , in Crawford County , but was soon chosen president of Des Moines College . In 1871 he was elected on the Republican ticket Superintendent of Public Instruction, serving six years by reelections. He was largely instrumental in securing the enactment of the laws providing for Teachers' Norman Institutes and the establishment of a State Normal School . In September, 1876, he resigned his office to accept the presidency of the University of Chicago . After two years' service he made a trip to Europe and upon his return made his home on a farm near Denison . In July, 1881, he was elected president of the Cedar Valley Seminary at Osage. Colonel Abernethy has long ranked among the eminent educators of the State.

AUSTIN ADAMS was born at Andover , Vermont , May 24, 1826 . He worked on his father's farm until fourteen years of age, attending the district school during the winter months. He prepared for college at Black River Academy , teaching school winters from the time he was sixteen, to assist in defraying expenses through college. Entering Dartmouth he graduated in 1848. While pursuing his legal studies he served five years as principal of West Randolph Academy . In 1853 he attended Harvard Law School and the following year was admitted to the bar, entering into partnership with Ex-Governor Coolidge. Mr. Adams soon removed to the far West, becoming a resident of Dubuque , Iowa , in July, 1854. There he began the practice of law, also took an active part in promoting public education, assisted at Teachers' Institutes. He was a prominent speaker in the first Republican campaign in Iowa . In one of his addresses he said:

"If the day has come that John C. Fremont or any other man in the country cannot be elected President without that election destroying the Government, then we have no republican government."

In 1855 and in 1861 he delivered courses of lectures to raise funds for the establishment of a public library. Attending the famous discussion in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas at Galena , Judge Adams remarked of Mr. Lincoln:

"I have heard the greatest man I ever listened to; he ought to be our next President."

In 1875 Mr. Adams was elected judge of the Supreme Court and became Chief Justice in 1880. At the close of his first term he was reelected, serving a period of twelve years, again becoming Chief Justice in 1886. He took a deep interest in the State University and was one of the Regents for sixteen years. He was also a Law Lecturer in the institution from 1875, as long as he lived. The students of the Law School spoke of Judge Adams as the intensely practical lawyer who taught largely by illustration. He was the sympathetic friend of young people. In 1883 Dartmouth College conferred upon him the degree of LL. D. In 1886, as Chief Justice, he presided over the opening of the new Supreme Court rooms in the recently completed State House. Judge Adams was an earnest advocate of the study of law for women and always welcomed them to the lecture room at the State University . He was the first Chief Justice to admit a woman to practice in the Supreme Court of Iowa and spoke in the highest terms of the manner in which she tried a case at the time she was admitted. Judge Adams retired from the bench at the close of his second term, and died in Dubuque on the 17 th of October, 1890 .

MARY NEWBURY ADAMS, wife of Judge Austin Adams, was born at Peru , Indiana , October 17, 1837 . Her ancestors had been for generations in public life in New England , five of whom had been Governors. Her parents removed to the West and her childhood was passed in a log cabin amin the wilderness of towering black walnut trees, surrounded by Indians with whom the family lived on terms of friendship. The older sister of Mrs. Adams became the wife of Governor John J. Bagley of Michigan . Her early education was received from her mother, but after the family removed to Cleveland , Ohio , Mary enjoyed the privilege of entering the classes of Emerson E. White, who was one of the great educators of the State. When eighteen she graduated from the Emma Willard Seminary at Troy , New York , and at nineteen was married to Austin Adams, a talented lawyer. They came to Iowa , making their home in Dubuque . Both were students of science, history, philosophy and poetry. Mrs. Adams was on of the earliest and most enthusiastic advocates of the advancement of women, and was a leader in the progressive movements of the times. She was one of the original members of the Association for the Advancement of Women, of the Social Science Association, the Anthropological Society, National Science Association, the Federation of Women's Clubs and many other progressive and scientific organizations. She was an accomplished public speaker and addressed various associations and meetings throughout the country on subjects in which she was deeply interested. She was chairman of the historical committee of the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. Mrs. Adams died at Dubuque , August 5, 1901 .

LUCIAN L. AINSWORTH was born in Madison County, New York, on the 21 st of June, 1831 . He acquired a liberal education, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1854. Mr. Ainsworth came to Iowa in August, 1855, locating at West Union in Fayette County where he opened a law office. He soon attained high rank in the profession and I 1859 was nominated by the Democrats for State Senator in the district composed of the counties of Fayette and Bremer. He made a vigorous canvass, overcame the Republican majority and was elected, serving four years with marked ability. In 1862 Mr. Ainsworth raised a company for the Sixth Cavalry, of which he was appointed captain. In 1871 Captain Ainsworth was again elected to the Legislature, serving two years in the House. In 1874 he was nominated by the Democrats of the Third District for Congress and by his personal popularity overcame the Republican majority of nearly 2,000 and was the first Democrat elected to Congress from Iowa in twenty years. He died in April, 1902.

CHARLES ALDRICH was born at Ellington, Chautauqua County , New York , October 2, 1828 . He attended the public schools and for one year was a student at Jamestown Academy . In 1846 he entered a printing office, learned the trade, and in 1850 established a paper at Randolph . In 1857 he removed to Iowa and located at the then frontier town of Webster City , Hamilton County , where he established the HAMILTON FREEMAN in May of that year. In 1860 he was chosen Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the Eighth General Assembly and in 1862 was reelected. In September of that year he entered the military service as adjutant of the Thirty-second Infantry Regiment, serving a year and a half. In 1865 he became editor of the DUBUQUE DAILY TIMES and in 1877 purchased the MARSHALL TIMES which he conducted for about three years. He again served as chief clerk of the House in 1866 and 1870. In 1872 he was appointed one of the commissioners to investigate the claims of the settlers on the lands embraced in the Des Moines River grant. When Congress provided for a commission to examine into these claims Mr. Aldrich was one of the members. In 1875 he served on the Hayden Geological Survey in the western Territories. In 1881 he was a member of the House of the Nineteenth General Assembly from Hamilton County and was the author and advocate of a bill to prohibit the use of free railroad passes by public officials. In 1887 he was instrumental in having a tablet placed in the court-house of Hamilton County , on which were inscribed the names of the members of the company from that county which, in 1857, marched to the relief of the survivors of the Spirit Lake Massacre. At the assembly gathered upon that occasion a large amount of valuable historical material was secured in the addresses of several of the chief actors in that great tragedy. From early life Mr. Aldrich was a collector of autographs of notable persons and during Governor Sherman's administration he conceived the idea of making his collection the nucleus of a historical department for the State. He was granted space in the State Library where he worked for several years in collecting manuscripts, photographs, files of early newspapers and historical documents of value which were recognized by legislative action and became the foundation of the Historical Department established in 1892 of which Mr. Aldrich was appointed Curator. He has since given his entire time to the upbuilding of this department and conducting the ANNALS OF IOWA a historical publication which was established in 1863. He was one of the Commissioners appointed by the State in 1895 to erect a monument to the memory of victims of the Spirit Lake Massacre. In addition to many years' work in journalism, Mr. Aldrich has been a frequent contributor to scientific and historical publications.

WILLIAM V. ALLEN was born in Midway, Madison County, Ohio, on the 28 th of January, 1847 . He attended the public schools in Ohio and Iowa and finally the Upper Iowa University but did not take a full college course. His father removed with his family to Iowa in 1857, making his home on a farm near Nevada . When the War of the Rebellion began William, who was but fourteen years of age, enlisted in the Fourteenth Regiment of Volunteers. He was rejected at the mustering in of the regiment on account of his youth. In August, 1862, he again enlisted in Company G, Thirty-second Iowa Infantry, was accepted and served to the close of the war. He was in all of the marches and battles of this regiment and the last few months was on the staff of General James I. Gilbert. At the close of the war, Mr. Allen read law with L. L. Ainsworth at West Union , was admitted to the bar in 1869 and at once entered upon the practice of his profession. In 1884 he removed to Madison , Nebraska , and in 1891 was nominated by the Populist party for judge of the Ninth Judicial District and elected. In February, 1893, he was elected by a union of the Populists and Democrats to a seat in the United States Senate. As a judge he had acquired a State-wide reputation and in the Senate he soon attended high rank in debate and was the acknowledged leader of his party in Congress. He served six years in the Senate, and upon the expiration of his term was appointed judge of his old district where he served until December 13, when he was appointed United States Senator to fill the term of Senator Hayward whose death had caused a vacancy. Mr. Allen has served as chairman of four State Conventions of his party in Nebraska and was president of the National Convention at St. Louis in 1896.

WILLIAM B. ALLISON was born in Wayne County, Ohio, March 2, 1829. He worked on his father's farm summers and attended school winters until the age of sixteen when he entered the Academy at Wooster. Later he spent a year in Meadville College and one at Western Reserve College at Hudson, Ohio. He then studied law and in 1852 was admitted to the bar of Wayne County and began practice in Ashland. In April, 1857, he came to Iowa, locating at Dubuque, and two years later was a delegate to the Republican State Convention which nominated Samuel J. Kirkwood for Governor. In 1860 he was a delegate to the National Republican Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for President, acting as one of the secretaries. When the War of the Rebellion began, Mr. Allison was appointed a member of Governor Kirkwood's staff to assist in organizing the volunteer service. In 1862 he was elected to Congress in the Third District and was three times reelected, serving until 1871. In 1865 he became a member of the committee of ways and means and entered upon a career which eventually made him authority on financial legislation. In 1870 he was a prominent candidate for United States Senator but was not successful. In 1872 he was again a candidate, was nominated over Senator Harlan and elected, taking his seat in the Senate March 4, 1873. Mr. Allison was appointed on the committee on appropriations of which he became chairman in 1881. He was chairman of the committee on Indian affairs from 1875 to 1881, and chairman of the joint committee of investigation of the affairs of the District of Columbia, in which capacity he wrote a report which was embodied in a bill that has since constituted the municipal government. He has been a member of the Senate finance committee since 1877 and was largely instrumental in perfecting the act of Congress known as the Bland-Allison bill, which was a compromise between the advocates of a single gold standard and free coinage of silver. The bill, after a long discussion, passes both houses of Congress but was vetoed by President Hayes. It was passed over the veto, and under its provisions 370,000,000 silver dollars were coined before it was changed by the act of 1890. When our Government made provision for an international conference in 1892, Senator Allison was chosen by President Harrison as chairman on behalf of the United States. When the legislation of 1900 on the currency was under consideration by Congress, Senator Allison took a prominent part in the debates and the formulation of the law known as the Currency Act of March 14 th , which provided for a permanent reserve sufficient to make certain the convertibility of all forms of money into gold at the will of the holder. Senator Allison had a large share in shaping the tariff legislation since 1877, and especially the revision of the tariff which followed the report of the Tariff Commission of 1882. He has long been at the head of the committee on appropriations and all expenditures of money made by Congress pass under his scrutiny. No Senator now a member of that body has served so long continuously as the senior Senator from Iowa, and no member of either branch of Congress has done so much to shape National legislation for the last quarter of a century as William B. Allison. Iowa has wisely retained the services of one so influential in the councils of the country, and has reelected him in 1878, 1884, 1890, 1896 and again in 1902. He was strongly urged by President Garfield to accept the position of Secretary of the Treasury, and again tendered the position by President Harrison and was offered the position of Secretary of State by President McKinley, but has wisely chosen to hold his place in the Senate. He has been frequently mentioned as an available candidate for President, and I 1888 was as near a nomination as any candidate who was unsuccessful. Senator Hoar of Massachusetts tells the story of that convention in SCRIBNER'S MAGAZINE for February, 1899. In brief he says:

"After several ineffectual ballots, the Convention took a recess. A meeting was held by a number of gentlemen representing different delegations to see if we could agree upon a candidate. Among these was James S. Clarkson, representing Mr. Allison. Platt, Miller, Depew and Hiscock represented the different shades of opinion in New York, and all were present except Depew. Several names were discussed, and I made a very earnest speech in favor of Mr. Allison. Finally all agreed that their States should vote for Allison when the Convention assembled. I suppose everybody in that room when he left it felt as certain as of any event in the future that Mr. Allison would be nominated in the Convention. When Mr. Depew was informed of our action he said that he had been compelled to withdraw as a candidate owing to the strong opposition of the northwest from which Allison's chief support was derived. He protested against allowing that section to name the candidate for the Republican party. The three other New York men therefore withdrew from the support of Allison. But for this New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Iowa, California and Missouri would have cast their unanimous votes for Allison and his nomination would have been assured. I think no other person ever came so near the Presidency of the United States and missed it."

ALBERT R. ANDERSON was born in Adams County, Ohio, November 8, 1837. He attained prominence in his native State before removing to Taylor County, Iowa, in 1857. There he studied law and was admitted to the bar, soon after removing to Clarinda where he enlisted at the beginning of the Civil War in the Fourth Iowa Infantry. He won rapid promotion, being commissioned first lieutenant for gallant service at the Battle of Pea Ridge, became captain during the siege of Vicksburg and assistant Adjutant-General during the Atlanta campaign. Mr. Anderson reached the rank of major before the close of the war. Upon returning to Iowa after peace was established, he became a resident of Fremont County and was soon appointed Collector of Internal Revenue for the Fifth Congressional District. In 1881 he was appointed Railroad Commissioner, serving until 1884. In 1886 he was elected Representative in Congress as an independent Republican. He died at Hot Springs, South Dakota, November 17, 1898.

DANIEL ANDERSON was born in Indiana in 1821. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and in 1843 came to Iowa, locating at Albia, in Monroe County. He was elected to the State Senate in 1854 as "an Anti-Nebraska man" in the district composed of Wapello, Lucas, Clarke and Monroe counties, serving two terms. Mr. Anderson was one of the founders of the Republican party and in 1856 was a delegate to the National Republican Convention which nominated John C. Fremont for President. Upon the beginning of the War of the Rebellion he raised a company for the First Iowa Cavalry of which he was commissioned captain; in July, 1862, he was promoted to major and in August following became lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. In August, 1863, he was promoted to colonel and for some time was in command of a brigade until his health failed when, in May, 1864, he resigned and returned to his home in Albia. He was an able and gallant officer and universally esteemed as a citizen. He resumed the practice of law and died on the 4 th of February, 1901.

ALFRED T. ANDREAS was born in Amity, Orange County, New York, May 29, 1839. After acquiring a liberal education he went west, taught school for some years and engaged in several business enterprises. He enlisted in Company G, Twelfth Illinois Infantry and served through the war, fighting in a number of the great battles. Mr. Andreas located in Davenport, Iowa, after the restoration of peace and for many years engaged in compiling and publishing county and State atlases. In 1875 he completed and published his greatest work; which was an "ILLUSTRATED HISTORICAL ATLAS OF IOWA" . It was a work involving a vast amount of careful labor as it contained large and reliable maps of each of the ninety-nine counties. These maps contained a complete plat of the section lines as well as townships, showing the wagon roads, railroads, native groves and belts of woodland, towns, cities and water courses on a large scale. It also contained histories of the various counties, biographies and portraits of the prominent State officials and notable men of Iowa. It was by far the most useful and valuable publication made in the State up to that time. It was accurate and became an official authority for real estate delater, county and State officers. Later Mr. Andreas moved to Chicago and organized the "Western Historical Company," and gave his time to historical writing. He died at New Rochelle, New York, February 10, 1900.

ROBERT B. ARMSTRONG was born at Polk City, Iowa, August 19, 1873. He graduated at the local high school at the age of fourteen and two years later entered the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, relying largely upon his own resources in obtaining an education. Meeting with an almost fatal accident he was obliged to enter a printing office to procure money to continue his college course. In 1894 Mr. Armstrong secured a position on the DES MOINES LEADER and later became city editor of the DES MOINES NEWS. In 1895 he went to Chicago and soon obtained a position on the DAILY RECORD , working in the local department. In 1896 he came to Iowa as the representative of the CHICAGO RECORD during the political campaign in which Leslie M. Shaw was first a candidate for Governor. So rapidly had Mr. Armstrong developed newspaper talent that in 1898 he was sent to New York to take charge of the eastern news and editorial matter for the RECORD . Attracting attention of leading journalists in New York by his marked newspaper ability, in 1901 he was employed by the NEW YORK HERALD as chief of its Chicago bureau. After Governor Shaw became Secretary of the Treasury, in 1902, he selected Robert B. Armstrong as his private secretary, where he developed such unusual talent and practical business ability that Secretary Shaw secured his promotion to the responsible position of Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in January, 1903.

CHARLES ASHTON, pioneer preacher and journalist, is a native of Lincolnshire, England, where he was born June 2, 1823. His parents emigrated to America in 1832, locating on a farm in Richland County, Ohio. Three winter terms at district school comprised his educational advantages. Early in the fifties he became a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 1860 entered the itinerant work. In 1870 he was transferred from the Central Ohio to the Des Moines Conference, preaching for nine years in western Iowa. Retiring from the ministry in 1879, he became editor of the GUTHRIAN, a Republican weekly newspaper published at Guthrie Center. He was the organizer and first president of the Guthrie & Northwestern Railway, now a branch of the Rock Island, running from Guthrie Center to Menlo. Mr. Ashton was appointed a member of the Iowa Columbian Commission, and as chairman of the archaeological, historical and statistical committee of the Commission he wrote and published the " HAND BOOK OF IOWA," of which 25,000 copies were distributed. He was also superintendent of the horticultural exhibit and under his direction Iowa made one of the finest pomological displays at the exposition. Mr. Ashton has ever been know as an advocate of sobriety, good government and the promotion of all liberal enterprises.