Iowa: Its History and Its Foremost Citizens
Original Edition. 3 Vols. Des Moines, IA: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915-1916.
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Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Dick Barton.
Governor George W. Clarke, on whom has been conferred the highest official honors within the gift of Iowa citizens to bestow, was elected to his present office in 1912, at which time he was not unknown to his fellow citizens as an official. Through four sessions he had represented his district in the general assembly and through two sessions had been its speaker. He had also served for two terms as lieutenant governor of the state and his official record showed him to be master of many of the problems and situations which confront the public official.
Governor Clarke was born in Shelby County, Indiana, October 24, 1852 , a son of John and Eliza Clarke, who in 1856 removed with their family to Davis County , Iowa . Since that period George W. Clarke has been a resident of this state and has witnessed its development through fifty-nine years. His youthful experiences were those of the farm lad and in the work of the fields he continued actively until he reached his majority. For twelve months he engaged in teaching school in Davis County and desirous that his efforts should be put forth in professional lines he pursued a course of study in Oskaloosa College , from which he was graduated with the class of 1877. In further preparation for a legal career he then matriculated in the law department of the State University and was graduated in 1878. He located for practice in Adel, Dallas County , where he remained until official duties caused his removal to Des Moines . In his profession he made continuous progress, early realizing the importance of the work to which he has devoted his energies and the fact that justice and the higher attribute of mercy often go hand in hand. His reputation as a lawyer was won through earnest, honest labor and his standing at the bar was a merited tribute to his ability. His wide knowledge of the law, combined with his public spirit naturally led to his election for official duties and honors and his fellow townsmen chose him to represent his district in the twenty-eighth general assembly. He proved an able working member of the house and important duties on committees were assigned to him. He was returned to the twenty-ninth general assembly and was again elected to represent his district in the thirtieth and thirty-first general assemblies and in the last two was chosen speaker of the house. Thoroughly versed in parliamentary procedure his decisions and rulings were strictly fair and impartial and he gained the high confidence and warm regard of the opposition as well as the supporters of his own party. In 1908 the republicans made him their nominee for office of lieutenant governor and at the close of the two years' term he was reelected to that position. Still higher honors awaited him, for in 1912 he was elected governor of the state and reelected in 1914 and as chief executive is guiding and directing the interests of the commonwealth. His public-spirited devotion transcends partisanship and with him patriotism far o'ertops self aggrandizement.
Governor Clarke has the qualities of leadership. He is approachable and his unfeigned cordiality works for popularity, while his strongly marked personal characteristics win for him high regard. His position is never an equivocal one, yet he does not possess the aggressiveness that antagonizes. There has been in his career none of those dazzling meteoric qualities which sometimes characterize the record of the political leader. On the contrary, he possesses the more stable elements of statesmanship and his study of the science of government and of vital and significant political problems has made him a power in molding public thought and action in the state.
Joseph Harrison Colson, who passed away in Marengo on the 8th of June, 1906, was long and successfully identified with agricultural pursuits in Iowa county. His birth occurred in Jay county, Indiana, on the 30th of November, 1841, his parents being James and Catherine Eliza (De Long) Colson, who were of Yankee extraction. In 1857 the family home was established in Muscatine, Muscatine county, Iowa, subsequently in Poweshiek county and afterward in Iowa county.
Joseph Harrison Colson acquired his education in the schools of this county and early in life turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits, which claimed his time and energies throughout his active business career. On the 27th of August, 1862, when not yet twenty-one years of age, he enlisted for service in the Civil war as a member of Company E, Twenty-fourth Iowa Infantry, but was honorably discharged nine months later on account of illness. He purchased land from his father and carried on general farming in Honey Creek township, also raising cattle and hogs for the market, until about 1870, when he disposed of his property and took up his abode in Marengo. He bought a small tract of land near the town and during the remainder of his life was successfully engaged in raising garden truck.
On the 30th of May, 1866, in Marengo, Mr. Colson was united in marriage to Miss Roselia Beardshear, a daughter of George and Susan (Skein) Beardshear. The father, who worked at the millwright's trade during his entire life, was an honored pioneer of this county, settling here before the railroad had been built. To Mr. and Mrs. Colson were born nine children, namely: Frank B., who is a resident of Marengo; Mary Nellie, who is the wife of Ed Butler, of Leesburg, Florida; George, who died in infancy; Decatur, who has passed away; Clara, who gave her hand in marriage to Parke Butterfield; Freddie, who is deceased; Bruce, living in Silvis, Illinois; Isaac, a resident of Kasson, Minnesota; and Hazel, the wife of Percy Edwards, an agriculturist by occupation.
In politics Mr. Colson was a stanch republican but the honors and emoluments of office had no attraction for him, as he always preferred to confine his attention to his private interests. He was, however, a most public-spirited and loyal citizen, doing everything in his power to promote the general welfare or further the development of the community. He was a valued and helpful member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic and when he responded to the last roll call his funeral was directed and attended by his soldier comrades. His demise occurred on the 8th of June, 1906, and his remains were interred at Marengo. His upright and honorable life won him the esteem and goodwill of all with whom he was associated and he never incurred enmities. He was a man of domestic tastes who found his greatest happiness at the home fireside, and his widow and children cherish the memory of a devoted and loving husband and father. The religious faith of the family is that of the Methodist church, with which the Colsons have long been identified. Mrs. Colson is widely and favorably known throughout the community which has so long been her home, the circle of her friends being almost coextensive with the circle of her acquaintance.
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