Governors of Iowa Copyright © 2006 Michael Kramme

CEO……………………………. Jim Slife Publisher………………….. Polly Clark An Iowan Books Publication 218 Sixth Avenue, Suite 610 Des Moines, IA 50309-4009 515-246-0402 www.iowan.com Editing: Martha Hayes Cover design by: Steve Seemann/Pioneer Graphics First printing: April, 2006 Printed in U.S.A.

A Michael Kramme Book ISBN 0-9746055-4-9 (2006 Edition) ISBN 978-0-9849392-3-7 (2012 Digital Edition) Digital Edition Copyright © 2012 Historic Preservation Publication, Inc. Washington, Iowa 52353 http://historicpreservationpublication.com Co-Editors (Digital Edition, 2012) ebook format: Terry O’Neill Proofreader: Laurie Wittmayer-O’Neill

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduction of the contents in any form, either in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the

written permission of the publisher.

Review by

Laurie Wittmayer-O’Neill

Dr. Michael Kramme has taught me, as a reader of the Governors of Iowa, more about Iowa history than lessons I’ve acquired in all my six decades of being an Iowan. His presentation of information is clear, concise, and well researched. Photos bring the people to life and note also their historical markers left for future generations to see and wonder, who they were, and what they stood for. Iowans are a strong and proud people, industrious, honest, and rooted in the earth, our rich, black productive earth. We value education, protection of the rights of all, and a fair compensation for a full effort of production. The leaders of our state as it has and is developing, center their guidance on the Creator of us all. Being worthy stewards of what is entrusted to us is often retold to all citizens in the inaugural addresses of many of the Governors of Iowa. It is a recurring theme. This connection to

the land and the respect for it, and all its residents, draws people here and to return if they have lived elsewhere. Our Governors have borne great responsibilities in their decision making. Noting that they are fallible, they have invited elected officials, as well as private citizens, in discussion of problematic issues to be addressed. In knowing their Creator and their Constituents, therein lies their greatness. I thank Dr. Kramme for capturing the essence of Iowa’s honorable leadership, and chronicling the growth of our precious land and unique culture. Enjoy!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Robert Lucas

Jonathan Chambers

James Clarke

Ansel Briggs

Stephen Hempstead

James Grimes

Ralph Lowe

Samuel Kirkwood

William Stone

Samuel Merrill

Cyrus Carpenter

Joshua Newbold

John Gear

Buren Sherman

William Larrabee

Horace Boies

Frank Jackson

Francis Drake

Leslie Shaw

Albert Cummins

Warren Garst

Beryl Carroll

George Clarke

William Harding

Nathan Kendall

John Hammill

Daniel Turner

Clyde Herring

Nelson Kraschel

George Wilson

Bourke Hickenlooper

Robert Blue

William Beardsley

Leo Elthon

Leo Hoegh

Herschel Loveless

Norman Erbe

Harold Hughes

Robert Fulton

Robert Ray

Terry Branstad

Tom Vilsack

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Photo Credits

Terrace Hill became the Governor’s Mansion in 1983.

Introduction

Forty-two men have served as governor of Iowa--three as territorial governors, and thirty-nine as governors of the state.

The oldest at the beginning of his term was Drake at sixty-five; the youngest was Territorial Governor Clarke at thirty-two. Fulton served the shortest term of sixteen days. Garst served only seven weeks, and Elthon fifty- three days. Branstad served the longest with four, four-year terms. Three were Whigs, ten were Democrats and twenty-nine were Republicans. It was not until 1909, when Beryl Carroll was elected, that the state had its first native born governor. Twenty-six were born out of state. Five governors were born in New York, five in Pennsylvania, two each in Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, Vermont, Indiana and Maine. Each of the following states gave us one governor: Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Virginia and Wisconsin. Four of the governors were buried out of state: Chambers in Kentucky, Lowe in Washington D.C., Jackson in California and Hoegh in Colorado. Eighteen governors served in the military. Chambers served and Lucas was a spy during the War of 1812. Hempstead served in the Black

Hawk War. Stone, Merrill, Carpenter, Newbold, Shennan and Drake all served in the Civil War. Stone, Merrill, Sherman and Drake were all wounded in action. Turner and Herring served in the Spanish-American War, Hickenlooper and Blue in WWI and Hoegh, Loveless and Hughes in WW II. At least two served in the military during non-war times. Many governors were involved in various modes of transportation. Briggs drove a stagecoach; Drake was a wagon train master. At least six were involved with the railroads: Drake and Gear were presidents of railroad companies, Merrill and Larrabee helped develop railroads, Cummins and Loveless worked with engineers. Herring owned a car dealership, and Hughes drove a truck. Erbe was a pilot who flew thirty-five combat missions and Fulton was a member of the Air Force. Twenty-two governors practiced law at some point in their careers. Six were teachers, five farmers, five merchants, four bankers, three editors and two millers. Other occupations pursued at one time in their careers include: druggist, auctioneer, undertaker's assistant, watchmaker and chairmaker.

Chambers owned slaves while serving as territorial governor. Stone carried Lincoln's body from Ford's Theater and was present at Lincoln's death; and Grimes voted against President Johnson's impeachment. Boies was born in a log house. Drake participated in the California gold rush, was shipwrecked, and stranded on an island. Beardsley was the only governor to die while in office. Carpenter and Vilsack were both orphans. Three wives of governors (Briggs, Lowe and Branstad) gave birth while their husbands were in office. Grimes, Gear, Cummins, Kirkwood, Herring, Wilson, Hickenlooper and Hughes served as United States Senators. Chambers, Carpenter and Gear served as members of the United States House of Representatives. Two former governors served in Presidential cabinets. Kirkwood was Secretary of the Interior under Garfield, and Shaw served as Secretary of the Treasury under Theodore Roosevelt.

The property at 2900 Grand Avenue, Des Moines was the first home provided by the

State of Iowa to the governor. It served as the governor’s mansion from 1949 until 1983.

Table of Contents

Robert Lucas, Iowa’s First

Territorial Governor

Robert Lucas

Born: April 1, 1781, Shepherdstown, Virginia Died: February 7, 1853,

buried, Oakland Cemetery, Iowa City, Iowa

1838-1841 Democrat

Robert Lucas had a background of military discipline and political experience that served him well as Iowa's first territorial governor. Contemporaries described him as fair, but stern and stubborn, with high moral standards and an explosive temper. His father served in the Revolutionary War as a captain, and was said to be a descendant of William Penn of Pennsylvania. His mother was of Scotch descent. Robert was the ninth of twelve children. The family moved to Portsmouth, Ohio while he was a youth. He moved to Piketon, Ohio in 1816. In 1803, Lucas was appointed to the office of county surveyor and two years later became justice of the peace for Union Township in Scioto County, Ohio. The same year, he received a commission to enlist volunteers for the Ohio Militia where he rose to the rank of major general by 1818. He served in the United States Army during the War of 1812 and rose to the rank of colonel. At one time he held three positions concurrently: brigadier general in the Ohio

Militia, captain in the United States Infantry and private in the United States Army. During the War of 1812 he served briefly as a spy to find out details of the British and Indian relationships in Detroit. Lucas served in the Ohio legislature for nineteen years. He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1808 and in 1814 to the Ohio Senate. He was defeated as governor of Ohio in 1830, but won in 1832 and was reelected in 1834. Lucas presided over the first national convention held by the Democratic Party, which nominated Andrew Jackson in May 1832. President Martin Van Buren appointed Robert Lucas to be the first governor of the Iowa Territory. Lucas had already been governor of Ohio for four years. On August 1, 1838, he left his family in Ohio and took a steamboat down the Ohio River. His wife and younger children remained at their home in Ohio until two years later. Lucas's 14-year-old son Edward followed his father to Iowa in 1839. Edward rode on horseback from Ohio and spent $23.37 ½ on the

trip. Robert's daughters Mary and Abigail came to Iowa and served as hostesses for their father later. A large crowd greeted the new governor the morning his steamboat, the Brazil, pulled up to the dock in Burlington on August 15. That afternoon he set a date for the election of the territorial legislature. He visited Dubuque and Davenport and chose Burlington to set up his office. Almost immediately, Lucas had major conflicts with William Conway, the secretary of the territory. Conway had arrived before Lucas and had taken over many of the governor's duties. Lucas soon took control and alienated Conway. Soon after arriving, Lucas proposed a toast: "The citizens of Iowa - hospitable, intelligent, and enterprising. May their energies be united in support of such measures as are best calculated to advance the interest of the Territory: promote virtue, increase intelligence, and secure the lasting prosperity and happiness of the people." The first Iowa Territorial Legislature convened

in the Old Zion Methodist Church at Burlington on November 12, 1838. Lucas wanted Iowa to become a state as soon as possible. He called for the creation of a code of criminal law. Several federal land offices were opened to help the increasing number of emigrants settling in the state. One of the highlights of his administration was when he laid the cornerstone for the new capitol building in Iowa City on July 4, 1840. Lucas was soon at odds with the legislature. His veto was absolute; it was not until later that the legislature could override a governor's veto by a two-thirds vote in both houses. Lucas soon vetoed several measures. He vetoed spending for a legislative staff of twenty-three for the thirty-nine legislators, and also vetoed a large salary bill for the lawmakers. In addition, he criticized representatives for drinking, gambling and playing cards. He soon made so many enemies they petitioned President Van Buren for his removal. The President declined to remove Lucas.

Plum Grove, the Lucas home in Iowa City

The parlor at Plum Grove

He soon became involved in the Iowa-Missouri border dispute that became known as the "Honey War." A thirteen mile wide tract of land was claimed by both states. Missouri tried to collect taxes, and Lucas called out the state militia. Missouri responded and both sides met near Farmington, but no fighting developed. The dispute got its nickname because of the large number of trees in the area that were popular with bees and loaded with honey. Later the United States Supreme Court agreed with Iowa's claim to the land. Lucas worked tirelessly for the development of the public school system and promoted railroad building. He had the first census taken. He was also active in the temperance movement, and was elected president of Iowa Territorial Temperance Society in 1839. Whig William Henry Harrison replaced Democrat president Martin Van Buren in 184l. As a result of the change of administration, Jonathan Chambers was chosen to replace Lucas. Lucas returned to Ohio in 1843 and soon ran for Congress but was defeated.

Lucas worked tirelessly for the development of the public school system and promoted railroad building. He had the first census taken. He was also active in the temperance movement, and was elected president of Iowa Territorial Temperance Society in 1839. Whig William Henry Harrison replaced Democrat president Martin Van Buren in 184l. As a result of the change of administration, Jonathan Chambers was chosen to replace Lucas. Lucas returned to Ohio in 1843 and soon ran for Congress but was defeated. In 1844 the Lucas family returned to Iowa and settled on a 461-acre farm near Iowa City which they had purchased earlier. They soon built a small brick house, which became known as Plum Grove. Iowa City grew and surrounded Plum Grove. Lucas remained active in politics. Once settled back in Iowa, Lucas participated in the constitutional convention. He hoped to be elected as Iowa's first state governor, but lost the nomination to fellow Democrat Ansel Briggs. He also became a member of the Board of Trustees of

the State University of Iowa, and served a term as its vice-president. Iowa's first territorial governor died at Plum Grove in 1853 at the age of seventy-two. The State Historical Society now operates Plum Grove as a museum. Lucas County is named in his honor.

Robert Lucas’ grave at Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City

Family

Robert Lucas married Elizabeth Brown in 1810. Their daughter Minerva was born in 1811. Elizabeth died in 1812. He then married Friendly Ashley Sumner on March 7, 1816. Friendly was born on May 25, 1796 in Peacham, Vermont. She was sixteen years older than Robert. They had seven children: Sumner, Abigail, Robert, Susannah, Edward, Mary and Robert Sumner. Friendly Lucas died on December 18, 1873.

Table of Contents

Jonathan Chambers, Iowa’s Second

Territorial Governor

Jonathan Chambers

Born: October 6, 1780, Bromley Bridge, New Jersey Died: September 21, 1852,

buried, Washington, Kentucky

1841-1845 Whig

Jonathan Chambers was a close friend of President William Henry Harrison who later named Chambers as the second territorial governor of the Iowa Territory. Chambers' father, Roland, was of Scotch-Irish descent: his ancestors belonged to the Cameron Clan. He served in the Revolutionary War. Jonathan's mother was Phoebe Vullican. The family moved to Mason County, Kentucky when he was fourteen years old. He attended Transylvania Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky for five months, and at the age of twenty was granted a license to practice law in Kentucky. He soon became prosecuting attorney and later deputy clerk of the district court. He also tried manufacturing but sustained heavy losses. Chambers served as a soldier in the militia during the Indian War of 1811. During the War of 1812 he became a major and served on the military staff of General William Henry Harrison. He later campaigned for Harrison during the presidential campaign of 1840 and accompanied

the president-elect to Washington D.C. and served as his private secretary. Between 1812 and 1835, Chambers was elected to the Kentucky legislature four times, and chosen for three terms in the United States House of Representatives. He also filled out the unfinished term of Ohio Governor Metcalf, but refused to be a candidate for reelection.

The restored governor’s office in Old Capitol, Iowa City

On March 25, 1841, his friend President Harrison named Chambers as governor of the Territory of Iowa and Superintendent of Indian Affairs. It was one of the few acts Harrison performed before his death a month after his inauguration. Chambers arrived at Burlington, the Iowa Territory capital at the time, on May 12 and assumed his duties the next day. President Tyler, also a Whig, reappointed him in 1844. Chambers was the only Iowa governor to own slaves. When he arrived in Iowa, he brought his slaves with him. They returned with Chambers when he left for Kentucky after his term as governor. Much of Chambers' administration dealt with matters of Indian affairs. He concluded a treaty with Sac and Fox in 1842 in which they agreed to give up the remainder of their land in Iowa and move to Kansas. He worked to protect the Native Americans from dishonest traders and frauds of governmental agents. He once asked for a law to be adopted forbidding white men to buy articles from Indians.

Chambers' second annual message to the legislature was given in the new Capitol building at Iowa City. In this address he said, "It is mortifying to see how little interest the important subject of education excites among us."

Early photograph of the old Capital in Iowa City. Jonathan Chambers was the first

governor to use the building.

A constitutional convention was held at Iowa City in 1844. The convention drafted a

constitution. Chambers opposed the constitution because he believed it would "take from the people the ordinary purposes of legislation in relation to corporations." Later, the citizens of the state voted down the constitution. President Polk, a Democrat, replaced Chambers as territorial governor in 1845. One of Chambers' last official acts was to veto a proposal that the constitution be resubmitted to voters. During his early retirement, Chambers lived at Grouseland, his farm near Burlington. The farm was named because of numerous game birds. Friends wanted to nominate him for governor in 1846, but he declined due to ill health. Chambers returned to Kentucky in 1847 to live at the home of his daughter, Matilda. He declined a nomination to the Kentucky Senate due to ill health. However he was appointed by President Taylor as a commissioner to negotiate a treaty with the Sioux. He died on September 21, 1852 in Paris, Kentucky and was buried at Washington,

Kentucky. No monument to mark his grave survives..

Family

Jonathan Chambers married Margaret Taylor in 1803. She died three years later at the birth of their second stillborn child. On October 29, 1807, he married Hannah Lee in Maryland. She was the half-sister of his first wife. Well educated, she spoke French fluently. Hannah was born January 9th 1791 in Maryland and died November 11, 1832. They had eleven children, only three of whom reached adulthood.

Table of Contents

James Clarke, Iowa’s third, and last, Territorial Governor

James Clarke

Born: July 5, 1812, Greensborough, Pennsylvania

Died: July 28, 1850, buried, Aspen Grove Cemetery,

Burlington, Iowa

1845-1846 Whig

James Clarke was the third and last governor of the Iowa Territory. At the age of thirty-two he was the youngest person to serve as governor of the Iowa Territory or State. He was the son of John Clarke who served as chief clerk in a court of law. James left home at an early age and learned to be a printer. He worked several places including Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He moved to St. Louis in 1836 and work at the Missouri Republican. Clarke and his friend John B. Russell moved to Belmont, the new capital of the Wisconsin Territory and organized a newspaper, the Belmont Gazette. They soon received a contract for government printing. Clarke moved to Burlington in 1837 when it became the new capital of the territory and founded the Wisconsin Territorial Gazette and Burlington Advertiser. The paper went through a series of name changes. It became The Iowa Territorial Gazette, Iowa State Gazette, Burlington Gazette, Daily Hawk-Eye Gazette,

The Burlington Hawkeye and then The Hawk Eye. The Hawk Eye is still in publication. Clarke was appointed territorial librarian in 1838, and the following year President Martin Van Buren appointed him as secretary of the Territory of Iowa. In 1844 he became mayor of Burlington and served as a member of the Territorial Democratic Convention and the constitutional convention. He also was one of the founders of the first Masonic Lodge in Iowa. President James K. Polk appointed Clarke as governor of the Territory of Iowa on November 18, 1845; a position he held until December 1846. Clarke received notification of his appointment only two weeks before his term began. During his one year in office, Clarke called troops into action to serve in the Mexican War. Twelve companies had enlisted, but they were not organized into a regiment, and were not needed at the front. Also during his term, an act was passed abolishing imprisonment for debts. Clarke was instrumental in securing treaties in which the Winnebago and Pottawattamie tribes ceded land to the United States.

After two previous constitutions were rejected, voters finally approved the State Constitution on August 3, 1846. During a Burlington Fourth of July celebration in 1846, Fritz Henry Warren proposed a toast to Clarke: "The Executive of Iowa - his history is an example that the highest offices of the republic are open to capacity, integrity and worth." During his short administration, Clarke warned against the growing public debt and what he viewed as "over legislation" by the state. In his farewell message to the General Assembly on December 3, 1845, Clarke spoke on Iowa's statehood, "Having thus given the highest possible evidence of her attachment to the Union, Iowa will hence forth take her place with her sisters as a member of the confederacy, exercising her proper weight in the administration of the government, and receiving equal protection and favor with the older states... The prevalence of wise and patriotic counsels, such as I am sure will animate those connected with the several branches of the government, is all that is necessary to a happy commencement of our

existence as a state. At such a time it becomes us not to rely solely upon human effort; the aid of Him, in whom rests the perfecting of all wisdom, should be sought, and a continuance of His favor to us as a people invoked." After leaving office, Clarke resumed his connection with the Burlington Gazette. On July 13, 1850, a cholera epidemic claimed the lives of his wife Christiana and their youngest son. To escape the epidemic, Clarke went to the home of Judge Mason outside Burlington. However, he soon caught the disease and died at the age of thirty-eight. Clarke County is named for him.

Family

James Clarke married Christiana H. Dodge on September 27, 1840. Born on April 3, 1821, in St. Genevieve, Missouri, she was the daughter of Henry Dodge, the first governor of the original Territory of Wisconsin. She was also a sister of Augustus Caesar Dodge, who became prominent

in Iowa politics. James and Christina had four children: Christiana, a second daughter name unknown, Henry Dodge Clarke and James.

Marker for James Clarke and his father-in-law Henry Dodge. Both men are buried in the same

family plot in Aspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington. Aspen Grove also contains the remains of two other Iowa governors: John

Gear and James Grimes.

Grave marker of James Clarke

Table of Contents

Ansel Briggs, Iowa’s First State Governor

Ansel Briggs

Born: February 3, 1806, Vermont

Died: May 5, 1881, buried, Andrew Cemetery,

Andrew, Iowa

1846-1850 Democrat

"No banks but earth and they well tilled" became the campaign slogan that helped Ansel Briggs become the state of Iowa's first governor. The major issue of the election was the establishment of a banking system and anti-bank advocate Briggs first gave a toast using the above phrase. Ansel Briggs received his basic education in his native Vermont, including a term at Norwich Academy. He and his family moved to Cambridge, Ohio in about 1830. While there he worked establishing stagecoach lines. He ran for county auditor as a Whig, but was defeated. In 1836, the family settled in Jackson County, Iowa. On July 5, 1842, Briggs bought half of the plots in the new town of Andrew and moved there in the fall of 1843. He opened stagecoach lines, and frequently drove the coaches himself. He obtained government contracts for weekly delivering of the mail on horseback between Dubuque and Davenport and between Dubuque and Iowa City. He sold his mail contracts upon his election as governor.

Briggs was elected to the Iowa Territorial House of Representatives from Jackson County in 1842 and served until his election as governor. He served a two-year term as sheriff beginning in 1844, and became the Jackson County deputy treasurer in 1849.

Butterworth Tavern near Andrew, associated with Briggs

On September 24, 1846 Briggs was nominated at the Democratic Party convention to run as governor. On October 28, he was elected by

7,626 votes, only 247 votes more than Thomas McKnight, the Whig candidate. Since Iowa did not officially become a state until December 28, 1846, Briggs was elected as the governor of a state that did not yet exist. He learned of his election only four days before his inauguration on December 3, 1846. He apologized to the legislature that he did not have time to prepare proper recommendations for them. Briggs chose to continue to live in Andrew rather than move to Iowa City. He rode on horseback to and from the capital for the legislative sessions. Advancement of education was one of Briggs' major interests. In his second biennial message on December 3, 1850, Briggs reminded the General Assembly that the state constitution stated: "the General Assembly shall encourage, by all suitable means, the promotion of intellectual, scientific, moral and agricultural improvements." He further stated: "The best method of cultivating the soil is, and it is believed ever will be, a subject of the first importance to a large majority of the citizens of the state. The greater portion of those who attend our Common Schools will become

agriculturalists, when the term of their education expires, and consequently, any knowledge which they may obtain, touching that branch of industry will be to them of the most essential service. It would therefore seem to become your duty to inquire whether books relative to agricultural science can, with propriety, be introduced into our normal and common schools. I feel confident that, if introduced, the most beneficial results may be anticipated."

Mrs. Frances Briggs

While governor he established three schools for training teachers, and on February 25, 1847 signed a law establishing the State University of Iowa. His administration also established normal (teacher education) schools at Andrew (the governor's hometown), Oskaloosa and Mount Pleasant. The controversy over the establishment of the Iowa-Missouri border continued until 1849 when the United States Supreme Court made a final ruling. He recommended the donation of land for a railroad through the center of the state during his biennial message of 1848. Briggs returned to Jackson County at the completion of his term as governor and retired from public life. In 1879, he moved to Council Bluffs, and became one of the founders of Florence on the Nebraska side of the river. He went on a mining trip to Colorado in 1860 and in 1863 to Montana before returning to Iowa.

Monument erected by the Thirty-Third General Assembly

to honor Ansel Briggs

He resided with his son in Omaha where he died on May 5, 1881 at age of seventy five. Upon his death Governor Gear issued a proclamation ordering the flag on the Capitol to be at half-mast during the day of the funeral. His remains were

interred at Omaha, but in 1909 removed to Andrew. The Thirty-Third General Assembly approved a resolution to erect a monument at his gravesite. In March 1943, the United States Navy launched a ship named the Ansel Briggs. The ship's name was soon changed to the USS Mintaka, and after serving in the Pacific during World War II, it was decommissioned in 1946. The Maquoketa School Board renamed the Maquoketa Elementary School, the Briggs Elementary School, in his honor.

Family

Briggs first wife died soon after their marriage. Her name is not known. He married Nancy M. Dunlap, the daughter of an officer in the War of 1812, on November 1830 in Guernsey, Ohio. They had eight children six of whom died in infancy: James Dunlap (1832-1833), Andrew Dunlap (1834), Washington Lafayette (1837-1838), John Shannon (1839-1900), Ansel (1842-1867), Marcus (1843-1851), Lafayette (1845-1846), and Martha Electra (1847-1848).

Briggs’ grave marker in Andrew Cemetery,

Andrew, Iowa Martha Electra was born while her father was governor, making him the first governor who's wife had a child while he was in office. Unfortunately, Nancy Briggs died on December 30, 1847 and their baby died three days later. His

wife and two of his children died while Briggs was serving as governor. Briggs married Frances Carpenter on October 27, 1849. They had a son and two daughters. She died on August 20, 1859. Their son, John S. Briggs, became the editor of the Idaho Herald, published at Blackfoot, Idaho Territory, and later, the Omaha World Herald.

Table of Contents

Stephen Hempstead, Iowa’s Second Governor

Stephen Hempstead

Born: October 1, 1812 New London, Connecticut

Died: February 16, 1883, buried, Linwood Cemetery,

Dubuque, Iowa

1850-1854 Democrat

Stephen Hempstead learned the importance of money at an early age in Connecticut. This was to influence his attitude toward banking and debt for the rest of his life. His father Joseph was a boot, and shoemaker whose business partner incurred several debts, sold the business assets and made off with the money. Joseph was imprisoned for payment of debts and the family lost all of its possessions to help pay towards the amount owed. As children, Stephen and his brother worked in a woolen mill to support the family. After Joseph was released from jail, the family moved near St. Louis in 1828. During the move from Connecticut, the ferry would not allow horses on the boat. Stephen was chosen to ride one horse and lead the other all the way to St. Louis. The family moved to Galena, Illinois in 1830. While in Galena, Stephen worked as a clerk in his uncle's store. He became an officer in an artillery company created to protect Galena during the Black Hawk War.

Hempstead studied for two years at Illinois College in Jacksonville. He then worked in the law office of his uncle in Galena, and began to study law. He was admitted to practice in the courts of the Territory of Wisconsin in 1836. At the age of twenty-four, he became the first attorney in Dubuque.

Hempstead with his daughter Olivia

He was elected to represent the northern portion of the Iowa Territorial Legislature held in Burlington in 1838. He became the chairman of the Committee Judiciary. He was again elected as a member of the legislature which convened at Iowa City, and became the presiding officer in 1845.

Mrs. Hempstead

He was a delegate to the first convention to write a constitution and was appointed by the Legislature Commissioner to revise the laws. This revision became the 1851 Code of Iowa. Nominated by the Democratic State convention in 1850 as candidate for governor, he was elected to a four-year term. In his inaugural address given on December 4, 1850, Hempstead said: "Knowing the fallibility of human nature, let me claim that indulgence for unintentional errors as reasonable men we should extend toward each other. Elected by one of the great political parties of this State, I cannot expect to escape censure from those who differ from me in political sentiment, and rejoice that we live under a government where every citizen has the right of freely discussing the conduct of public men, and public measures. From this rule I claim no exemption, and ask nothing but justice." During his tenure, forty-eight new counties were formed. An 1851 treaty was signed with the Sioux, in which they gave up the last of their lands in Iowa.

Hempstead was opposed to the establishment of banks. In his first inaugural address, he stated: "By the restriction of state debts, the prohibition of banking and of special acts of incorporation, except for political or municipal purposes, we are secured from many evils which exist in older States, where, in consequence of the establishment and continuance of those institutions, their governments have become complicated, oppressive and subversive of civil liberty." "With no banks among us to create distress or panic by their failures, contractions, and expansions, with but few corporations except those formed under general laws, our citizens rely on their own industry and frugality, are advancing steadily to competence and wealth, showing to the world that bank indulgences, paper money, and special privileges are unnecessary to secure to a people happiness and prosperity." He also recommended the establishment of the office of Attorney General to protect the interests of the state's citizens. He also urged the creation

of a permanent state militia to protect the citizens from attacks by Indians. Hempstead returned to Dubuque after his term as governor. In 1855 he was chosen as a county judge, a position for which he served twelve years. He then served as county auditor and justice of the peace in Dubuque County. He broke his ankle on Thanksgiving eve in 1868. His leg had to be amputated, and he spent the rest of his life using a cane and an artificial leg. Stephen Hempstead High School in Dubuque is named in his honor.

Family

Hempstead married Lavina Moore Lackland on June 15, 1837. She was born at Baltimore, Maryland on February 7, 1819. They had six children, three of whom died in infancy. Surviving children included a daughter Olivia, a son Eugene Stephen who became an accountant with a railroad, and a son Junius Lackland. During the Civil War, Junius fought under Stonewall Jackson, his former teacher at the

Virginia Military Institute. Junius later became a poet and lived in Memphis where he wrote a book entitled Brain Brambles. Lavina died January 3, 1871

Hempstead graves marker in Linwood Cemetery, Dubuque

Table of Contents

James Wilson Grimes Iowa’s Third Governor

James Wilson Grimes

Born: October 20, 1816, Deering, New Hampshire

Died: February 7, 1872, buried, Aspen Grove Cemetery,

Burlington, Iowa

1854-1858 Whig

James W. Grimes' most famous political action happened while he was a United States Senator. His vote helped save President Andrew Johnson from impeachment. Grimes did not believe it was wise to set a precedent of having Congress overthrow a president. Grimes had suffered a stroke two days earlier, and had to be carried to the Senate Chamber where he voted no. Johnson was saved by one vote. Thirty-five senators voted for conviction, nineteen for acquittal. This was only one vote short of the required two-thirds. Although Grimes did not agree with Johnson, he said, "I cannot agree to destroy the harmonious working of the Constitution for the sake of getting rid of an unacceptable president." His vote was not a popular decision and he was severely criticized by many, including close friends. Grimes was the youngest of eight children born to John and Elizabeth Wilson Grimes. They were farmers of Scotch-Irish descent. Attending district schools, a village pastor instructed him in Greek and Latin. He attended Hampton Academy and at the age of sixteen entered Dartmouth College. James read law at the age of twenty in Peterborough, New Hampshire, then in 1836

moved to Alton, Illinois, then to 'Burlington, Iowa where he opened a law office.

Grimes birthplace in Deering, New Hamshire

He was soon secretary to the Indian Commissioner, and then assistant librarian in the Wisconsin Territorial Library. He was appointed city solicitor in April 1837 and as justice of the peace the following year. He became a law partner of William W. Chapman, and then United

States District Attorney for the Wisconsin Territory. In 1841, he formed a law partnership with Henry W. Starr.

Mrs. Grimes

In 1838 Grimes represented Des Moines County in the first Territorial Legislature. He became the

chairman of the Judiciary Committee for the House of Representatives. He again represented the County in 1843 and later in the fourth General Assembly in 1852. At the age of twenty-two, he became the leader of the opposition to Governor Robert Lucas. Grimes helped start The Iowa Farmer and Horticulturalist in 1853. It was the first farm magazine published in Iowa. He was nominated as a candidate for governor by the Whig party during their convention that met in February, 1854. It was the largest Whig convention in the state, and the last. Two of Iowa's Territorial Governors were Whigs--Jonathan Chambers and James Clarke-- but Grimes was the only Whig to serve as state governor. After the demise of the Whig Party, Grimes became one of the founders of the Iowa Republican Party. Shortly after his election as governor, his supporters suggested that he become Iowa's United States Senator, but he preferred to finish the term to which he had been elected.

Grimes became a strong proponent in opposition to the expansion of slavery. His campaign slogan was "No more slave states." During his first inaugural address he used the phrase "the State of Iowa--the only free child of the Missouri Compromise." He also insisted on the protection of Iowa citizens who, as freemen, had gone into free territory.

The Grimes home in Burlington, razed c. 1906

As a strong supporter of education, he believed that public schools should be supported by

taxation on property rather than a per capita tax. This change better helped poor children receive their education. He also urged the establishment of schools of applied science. During his administration, the first locomotive in Iowa was ferried across the Mississippi River at Davenport in 1855; and, on January 1, 1856, the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad (later renamed the Chicago and Rock Island) reached Iowa City from Davenport. That same year, the first bridge was built across the Mississippi River at Davenport. During the battle for Kansas to be a free state, the key to the Iowa arsenal was on Grimes' desk. Northerners on their way to fight for Kansas stopped by the governor's office, but Grimes was not there. Later the key was found missing, and fifteen hundred muskets were missing and found their way to Kansas, helping Kansas become a free state. Many historians believe that Grimes purposely left the key where it could be taken. Later, Missouri would not let free slaves go through their state, so Iowa was then the major route to Kansas and further west. On August 28,

1856, Grimes wrote an official letter to President Pierce, protesting the treatment of Iowa settlers in Kansas. During 1857 the capital moved from Iowa City to Des Moines and the last Constitutional Convention was held, and the new constitution adopted. After his term as governor expired in 1858, Grimes became a United States Senator and was reelected in 1864. He became a close personal friend of President Lincoln. Grimes received honorary degrees of L.L.D. from Dartmouth College and from Iowa College at Grinnell. He made generous contributions to Grinnell College and the Burlington library, among others. After suffering from a stroke, he resigned from the Senate in 1869 and sailed for Europe where he remained until late 1871. He purchased several hundred German books for the library at Burlington while traveling.

Dr. William Salter published his biography Life of James W Grimes in 1876.

Family

Grimes’ grave marker in Aspen Grove Cemetery,

Burlington

Grimes married Sarah Elizabeth Neally on November 9, 1846 in Burlington. She was born

May 31, 1825 at Lee, New York and died on June 22, 1890. They had no children; however, they did adopt two nieces.

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Ralph Phillips Lowe, Iowa’s Fourth Governor

Ralph Phillips Lowe

Born: November 27, 1805, Warren County, Ohio

Died: December 22, 1883, buried, Glenwood Cemetery,

Washington D.C.

1858-1860 Republican

Ralph Phillips Lowe was born in Ohio to Jacob Derrick Lowe and Martha Perlee Lowe. His father owned a stagecoach station and tavern. He started attending Miami University in 1825. He had to borrow money from his brother to finish his education there. He graduated in 1829. After graduation, his father offered him a farm, but he didn't want to become a farmer. He moved to Ashville, Alabama where he taught school for five years and began to read law. He returned to Ohio in 1834 and moved to Dayton where he practiced law with his brother Peter P. Lowe. In 1838, he moved to Bloomington, Iowa (now Muscatine) where he served as an attorney and district judge. He represented Muscatine County in the 1844 Constitutional Convention. He moved to Keokuk in 1850 and served as district attorney and as a district judge from 1852 to 1857. Voters adopted a new constitution at the August 1857 election. Republicans generally voted for the constitution and Democrats against it. Lowe was inaugurated as the first Republican Governor of

Iowa in 1858. Under the Constitution of 1857 the term of governor was reduced from four to two years.

The first Capitol building in Des Moines was constructed while Lowe was governor.

Lowe said in his inaugural address, "Let agriculture, the vanguard of all other occupations, have its full and appropriate share of the industrial forces of the country, with a commerce just equal to a fair distribution of its products, always following and never in anticipation of its annual crops, and the world's affairs and business

will in the main flow on with comparatively a smooth and full stream."

Mrs. Phoebe Lowe

Lowe also addressed the issue of slavery in his inaugural address: "This birth-right [freedom of labor] of the American citizen has been seriously menaced, by a growing sentiment in favor of slave labor in one section of the Union. The two cannot exist upon the same soil. The introduction of the one is the disparagement of the other. They are natural and irreconcilable foes." The establishment of a state bank had long been a controversial topic. Lowe favored establishing banks in the state rather than relying on banks of other states. During his administration, the Bank of Iowa was incorporated. The General Assembly also provided for a school for the blind, a state orphan asylum, the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at Ames, and the State Historical Society. The federal government gave soldiers in the War of 1812 eighty acres of land in Iowa, and instructed the state not to tax these lands for five years. Lowe tried to have the federal government pay taxes for the land, but lost in a United States Supreme Court decision.

He formed the Frontier Guards, a militia of mounted men, to defend the frontier on February 9, 1858. One company was stationed on the Little Sioux River and the other at Spirit Lake in response to the famous massacre there. At the State Republican Convention, he suffered an embarrassing defeat in his effort to be nominated for a second term. Many delegates believed Lowe would not be strong and forceful enough to handle the impending Civil War. Instead, they nominated Samuel J. Kirkwood. In his final address to the General Assembly, Lowe stated: “I have, myself, and abiding faith in the future of Iowa, founded upon the laws and elements of growth - upon her recuperative powers, and the genius and enterprise of her people." To help compensate him for his defeat, he was appointed one of the three judges of the Supreme Court of Iowa, where he served for eight years. Lowe moved to Washington, D.C. about 1874, where he became a prominent attorney and

served as an assistant United States District Attorney.

Lowe’s grave marker in Glenwood Cemetery,

Washington, D.C.

Family

Lowe married Phoebe Carleton in 1837. It is believed she was his fourth wife. However, records of his previous wives are unknown. Phoebe was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1821. She was adopted by her uncle, Dr. Fairchild of Cincinnati. Phoebe supposedly died December 20, 1881. At the time of his death, seven sons and two daughters survived Lowe. One son, Carleton, was an officer in the Third Iowa Calvary during the Civil War. Another son, Edson, was born in 1859 while his father was governor.

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Samuel Jordon Kirkwood, Iowa’s Fifth and Ninth Governor

Samuel Jordon Kirkwood

Born: December 20, 1813,

Hartford County, Maryland Died: September 1, 1894,

buried, Oakland Cemetery, Iowa City, Iowa

1860-1864 and 1876-1877 Republican

Samuel J. Kirkwood's parents were Jabez and Mary Alexander Kirkwood. They were of Scotch and Scotch-Irish ancestry. Samuel's grandfather fought in the American Revolutionary War. Jabez was a farmer and a blacksmith. At the age of ten, Samuel was sent to Washington, D.C. to attend an academy run by John McLeod, a relative of the family, but his formal education ended at age of fourteen. He worked as a clerk in a drug store, and taught in a county school in York County, Pennsylvania for a short time. At the age of twenty-two, he left Washington, D.C. to join his father and a brother in Richland County, Ohio. They lived in a log cabin, and Samuel split rails for fences and helped with other chores. He taught school in winters and worked on the farm in summers. He began to study law, and was admitted to the bar in 1835, and practiced law at Mansfield. In 1840, he served as deputy assessor for Richland County, Ohio; and as prosecuting attorney from 1845 to 1849. During this time he earned the nickname "Honest Sam."

In 1849 he was elected to represent his county in several constitutional conventions in Ohio. These conventions drafted the Ohio Constitution that is still in use today.

The Kirkwood home in Iowa City

Kirkwood moved to what is now Coralville, Iowa in 1855 where he engaged in milling and farming in partnership with his brother-in law. Their mill

was on the Iowa River, and they farmed 1200 acres adjoining the mill site. He was an 1856 delegate from Johnson County to the convention called for the purpose of organizing the Republican Party in Iowa. He was originally a Democrat, but after witnessing the slave trade in Washington, D.C. he became an outspoken opponent to slavery.

Mrs. Kirkwood

Beginning in 1856, Kirkwood served two terms in the State Senate. These sessions included the

last held in Iowa City and the first held in Des Moines. The Republican Party nominated Kirkwood as their candidate for governor in 1859. He won over Augustus Caesar Dodge, mainly on his anti slavery position. The two candidates held a series of debates. Washington, Iowa was the scene of the most famous of the meetings. Dodge entered the city in a fine coach pulled by four white Horses. Kirkwood arrived on a lumber wagon pulled by oxen. The crowd approved of the more humble entrance. Kirkwood gave Abraham Lincoln his full support at the Republican National Convention in 1860. The two became friends. Kirkwood went to Springfield to call on the President-elect and also went to Washington D.C. to witness the inauguration. During one meeting with Lincoln, the President asked what he could do for the state. Kirkwood replied: "The question is not, Mr. President, what you can do for my state, but what my state can do for you."

Kirkwood’s statue in the National Statuary Hall

of the United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.

In 1861, Kirkwood became the first Iowa governor elected to a second term. On June 13, 1861 the first Iowa troops of the Civil War were ordered into action. In his January 15, 1862 biennial message to the General Assembly, he said: "The year, which has just closed, has brought to our people a new experience, new trials, new responsibilities, and new duties. Let us continue to meet them as we have thus far met them, with neither an overwhelming confidence in, or reliance upon our own strength, nor an unmanly and craven fear for ourselves, or of the hardships we may endure before we win by deserving success, but with patience, calmness, unflinching courage, and an abiding faith in God." Kirkwood continued to call for the enlistment of regiments for the Civil War. To help pay the cost of supporting the troops, he personally loaned money and persuaded several of his banker friends to loan money also. During the Battle of Athens, Missouri, cannon balls landed on Iowa Soil. Kirkwood immediately

ordered the organization of a regiment of infantry to protect the southern counties. He honored these soldiers in his second biennial message on January 12, 1864 by saying: "When this war began, ours was a new state, without a history. Today, her name stands on one of the brightest pages of our country's record - graven there by the bayonets of our brave soldiers, and that page is all over glowing with the proofs of their heroism and devotion. We have sent to the field no regiment of which we do not feel justly proud, and the bare mention of the names of so many of them stirs the blood and warms the heart of every Iowan." During Kirkwood's second term, President Lincoln offered the position of minister to Denmark to Kirkwood, but he declined. In 1864 the Kirkwoods moved to Iowa City from Coralville, and in 1866 Kirkwood served just over one year in the United States Senate to finish a vacant term. He also served briefly as President of the Iowa and Southwestern Railroad Company and a member of the Board of Trustees at Iowa

State Agricultural College at Ames. He rejected an appointment as minister to Turkey. On October 12, 1875, he was elected to a third term as governor. He was inaugurated on January 13, 1876. That year, the General Assembly established Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls. During his third term Kirkwood commented on women's suffrage, "I honestly hope to see the day, when in going to the polls we shall take our wives, daughters and sisters with us. I believe many living now will see the day when women vote." While governor he was elected to serve a full six year term in the United States Senate. He resigned the governorship to take the position in the Senate. Later, Kirkwood resigned his Senate seat to become the secretary of interior for two presidents -- Garfield and Arthur. Kirkwood returned to Iowa City to serve as president of the Iowa City National Bank. The Republican Party, in 1886, nominated Kirkwood for congressman of the Second District of Iowa. He was defeated in the heavily Democratic

district. After his defeat, he retired from public life. In 1894, at age of eighty-one he said, "I am an old man now: my race is nearly run.” Kirkwood died the next day. He is buried in Iowa City. Samuel J. Kirkwood is one of two men selected to represent Iowa in Statuary Hall in the Capitol at Washington D.C. Noted woman sculptor Vinnie Ream Hoxie sculpted his statue. Hoxie also sculpted the statue of Abraham Lincoln that is in the rotunda of the National Capitol. Daniel Elbert Clark published a biography of Kirkwood in 1917. Kirkwood Community College is named in his honor.

Family

Samuel J. Kirkwood married Jane Clark on December 27, 1843. She was born September 1, 1821. She was a schoolteacher when they met. Jane died on April 28, 1921 in California, just four months shy of her one-hundredth birthday.

They had no children, but adopted and raised a nephew, Samuel Kirkwood Clark. He was fatally wounded while serving in the Union Army, and died in a St. Louis hospital.

Kirkwood’s grave marker in Oakland Cemetery,

Iowa City Table of Contents

William Milo Stone, Iowa’s Sixth Governor

William Milo Stone

Born: October 14, 1827,

Jefferson County, New York Died: July 18, 1893,

buried, Graceland Cemetery, Knoxville, Iowa

1864-1868 Republican

William Milo Stone's parents, Truman and Lavinia North Stone were of English ancestry. He moved with his parents first to Lewis County, New York at the age of one and then to Coshocton County, Ohio when he was six. William never attended school for more than twelve months. He was a farm worker and at age fifteen and worked as a team driver for horse-drawn boats on the Ohio Canal. William became an apprentice in a chairmaker's shop and worked in that profession for six years. He began to read law at the age of twenty-one and was admitted to the Ohio bar three years later. Stone became the law partner of James Matthews and later married Matthew's daughter. The Stones moved to Iowa in November 1854 and settled in Knoxville where he became proprietor and editor of the Knoxville Journal. He participated in the 1856 organization of the Republican Party in Iowa, and was elected district judge the following year. Stone resigned his judgeship to organize what would become Company B of the Third Iowa Infantry. He enlisted as a private but soon

became a captain and was finally promoted to major. After being wounded at Battle of Blue Mills, he was taken prisoner at Shiloh and was sent to a prison in Selma, Alabama. After his release from prison in a prisoner exchange, Stone was appointed colonel of the Twenty-Second Iowa Infantry. He was then wounded at Vicksburg.

The Stone home in Knoxville

Stone was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in May 1860, where he seconded the nomination of Abraham Lincoln. While Stone was on sick leave, still recovering from his Blue Mills injury, the Republicans nominated him for governor. As a war hero, he made a strong pro Lincoln speech at the convention, which helped him win the nomination over two more experienced men. He said, "This is the end of treason and the doom of traitors. There is no middle ground where loyal men can stand and find refuge from the stern and positive obligations of the hour. The times are fraught with mighty events, involving the welfare of the present and future generations and impose the most solemn duties upon every patriot in the land." Popular Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood followed the tradition of only serving two terms as governor, and campaigned in favor of Stone. During his terms in office he responded to military draft calls. Iowa met its share of men without the need to resort to a draft until the summer of 1864. Stone responded to threats along the state's southern border to oppose

Copperhead activities. The Copperheads were an anti-war group active in the state. Stone was a personal friend of Lincoln. He was in Ford's Theater when Lincoln was shot and helped move the president to the boarding house across the street from the theater. He was at the bedside until Lincoln's death. He served as one of the pallbearers and rode on the train that carried Lincoln's body to Springfield, Illinois. Stone was reelected as governor by a substantial margin of votes in 1865. In his second inaugural address, he stated: "What Iowa is, she owes only to herself-to the industry, to the enterprise, the moral character and patriotism of her people, while her healthful climate and her soil of unexcelled fertility, her rich deposits of mineral wealth, the inland water-courses and the navigable rivers which wash her boundaries; her central position between the two great oceans, and the iron links uniting her inseparably with the commercial arteries of the continent, utter predictions of her coming greatness more emphatic than either pen or tongue can make."

Later in the same address, he commented about slavery: "Every vestige of this atrocious institution must be forever obliterated from the land. No relic or memento should be left to remind posterity that the stars of our national emblem ever shone upon such a monstrous crime." During his second term, the General Assembly approved an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that ended all racial restrictions. After leaving office in 1868, Stone returned to Knoxville and joined the law practice with his brother-in-law. President Benjamin Harrison appointed him to serve as Commissioner of the General Land Office in Washington D.C. He was elected to the General Assembly in 1877, and served one term. Stone lived for a while in Marshalltown, Iowa; Boston, Massachusetts; Pueblo, Colorado; and Des Moines, Iowa. He moved to a farm near Oklahoma City, planning to practice law there with his son William. He died on July 18, 1893.

Family William Milo Stone married Caroline Mathews on May 19, 1857. She was born in Coshocton, Ohio in 1853 and died January 7, 1910 in Caldwell, Idaho. They had one child, William A. Stone.

Stone’s grave marker in Graceland Cemetery,

Knoxville

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Samuel Merrill, Iowa’s Seventh Governor

Samuel Merrill

Born: August 7, 1822,

Turner, Oxford County, Maine Died: August 30, 1899,

buried, Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa

1868-1872 Republican

Samuel Merrill was the son of Abel, Jr. and Abigail Hill Merrill. Both of his parents were of English descent. When he was sixteen, he moved with his family to Buxton, Maine. There he attended school and became a teacher. He taught in Georgia for a short time before moving to Tamworth, New Hampshire. He went into the mercantile business with a brother. At the age of twenty-seven Merrill served in the New Hampshire legislature on the abolition ticket. Merrill moved to Iowa in 1856 and settled near McGregor where he opened a general store and also went into banking. He became a member of the General Assembly. He enlisted in the Civil War and rose to the rank of colonel of the Twenty-First Iowa Infantry. After being severely wounded in both legs during the campaign of Vicksburg, he rejoined his regiment, but had to resign because of pain caused by his wounds. He received an $800 yearly pension because of his injuries. Each year, he gave the money to a Des Moines hospital for sick and disabled soldiers.

He returned home and became president of the First National bank of McGregor. He also was active in railroad development. Merrill won the governorship in 1867 and was reelected in 1869.

The Merrill home in Des Moines, non-extant

In his first inaugural address, Merrill stated: "Let it be our boast and pride that we fear nothing so much as ignorance and artificial distinction between man and man. Let us establish our power firmly upon the foundation of intelligence and liberal ideas, making manhood our only title of nobility, and believing in nothing so hopeful as an educated public opinion." In the same address, he concluded: "However cherished may be our political convictions, let us remember that we are not the representatives of particular interest or favored classes, but are the servants of the whole people, and that, in our keeping, the rights of the majority and minority should be equally sacred." Merrill emphasized the importance of education in his second inaugural address: "The honor and glory of our State will depend upon the magnitude and grandeur of her public institutions. Her educational interests must be fostered and promoted, and her public school system placed in the van of progress." During his administration, Merrill laid the cornerstone of the new capitol building in Des

Moines. He also signed legislation which abolished flogging as punishment at the penitentiary at Fort Madison and another that amended the state constitution dropping the word "white" as a qualification of electors. Hoping to encourage immigration, his administration published a booklet entitled "Iowa, the Home for Immigrants". They published the book in German, Dutch, Swedish and Danish. After the end of his second term, he returned to McGregor, but soon moved to Des Moines to become president of the Citizens National Bank. He moved to Los Angeles in 1886, where he died in 1899.

Family

Samuel Merrill married Catherine Thomas in 1846; she died only fourteen months after their marriage. They had one child, Jere. In January 1851, Samuel married Elizabeth Hill of Buxton, Maine. She was born October 20,1832 in Madison County, Virginia. She was the mother of five children, three of whom died in infancy and one

at the age of two. Only two children, Jere and Hattie, survived to adulthood. After the death of Elizabeth on March 6, 1888, Samuel married Mrs. Mary S. Greenwood.

The Merrill mausoleum in Woodland Cemetery, Des Monies

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Cyrus Clay Carpenter, Iowa’s Eighth Governor

Cyrus Clay Carpenter

Born: November 24, 1829, Hartford, Pennsylvania

Died: May 29, 1898, buried, Oakland Cemetery

Ft. Dodge, Iowa

1872-1876 Republican

Cyrus Clay Carpenter was born at Hartford, Pennsylvania, a town founded by his grandfather. His middle name was in honor of noted statesman Henry Clay. Cyrus became an orphan at the age of twelve. His mother died when he was ten and his father two years later. He learned to be a tailor, but after a few months turned to farm work. He attended the district school and began teaching school at the age of eighteen. He studied at Hartford Academy, before moving to Ohio where he also taught school and did farm work during the summers. Carpenter moved west and arrived in Des Moines in June 1854. He then walked to Fort Dodge, taking with him "his entire worldly possessions in a carpet-sack which he carried in his hand." In Fort Dodge he became a surveyor and schoolteacher. He also opened his own private land office. 1857 was a memorable year for Carpenter. He was elected to the state senate. He was also a member of the expedition that went to rescue the settlers after the Spirit Lake Massacre.

Carpenter went to search for gold in Colorado, but soon returned to Iowa. He entered the Civil War as a captain and advanced to colonel. He served on the staffs of W.S. Rosencrans, Grenville M. Dodge and John A. Logan. Later, he participated in Sherman's March to the Sea. After the war, he was elected as registrar of the State Land Office.

The Carpenter home in Fort Dodge, non-extant

Clay was elected as governor in 1872 and again in 1874. He warned the legislators against large appropriations in his first inaugural address. "If the prudent man of business, as a legislator, will act upon the same principle in regard to public expenditures which he observes in the conduct of his own private affairs, he will measure his public duties by a standard that will seldom produce extravagance." He concluded the same address by saying, "We may differ upon some measures of public policy. We may, as partisans, be Republicans and Democrats. But here is one particular thing in which we will not differ: in our abiding love for Iowa and her people, we are one." During his term, he laid the cornerstone of the present Capitol building. As governor, he pushed for more railroad regulation by recommending classification according to size of their earnings. He once said, "Exorbitant railway rate is the skeleton in the Iowa corncrib." In 1873, Carpenter sent troops to stop a prize fight in Council Bluffs.

Mrs. Carpenter

After his second term as governor, Carpenter was appointed as second comptroller of the United States Treasury. He served as a member of Congress from 1879 until 1883 when he was not nominated for a third term. He wrote in his diary of his experience in Congress: "I don't believe that anybody who does not have a great voice and

aggressive manners has any business in a modern Congress." Carpenter was a supporter of women's suffrage and was made an honorary member of the Iowa Women's Suffrage Association in Des Moines. He also served on the federal Railroad Commission from 1889 to 1893 and then returned to Fort Dodge where he failed at raising cattle. With some friends, he founded the Ft. Dodge Loan and Trust Company, but it also failed. Later he became postmaster at Fort Dodge. After his death, his wife received the postmaster position. Mildred Throne published his biography Cyrus Clay Carpenter and Iowa Politics in 1974.

Family

Carpenter married Susan "Kate" Burkholder of Fort Dodge, March 14,1864 during a furlough from the Army. She was born in 1837, and died

November 22, 1926 in California. They had no children, but raised a niece of Mrs. Carpenter. They are buried in the Burkholder lot in Oakland Cemetery, Ft. Dodge.

Carpenter’s grave marker in Oakland Cemetery,

Ft. Dodge

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Joshua Giddings Newbold Iowa’s Tenth Governor

Joshua Giddings Newbold

Born: May 12, 1830, Cookstown,

Fayette County, Pennsylvania Died: June 10, 1903,

buried, Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

1877-1878 Republican

Joshua G. Newbold served as governor for only eleven months. He was Iowa's first lieutenant governor to become governor. Elected lieutenant governor in 1875, he became governor when Samuel J. Kirkwood was elected to the United States Senate. Newbold's parents Barzilla and Catherine House Newbold were Quakers of English descent. The family fanned and moved to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania when Joshua was eight. He helped his father farm and run a mill. He went to country school and a local academy. He taught school and began to study medicine. Newbold moved to Iowa in March, 1854 and settled on a farm which is now in the city of Mt. Pleasant. A year later, he moved to Cedar Township in Van Buren County where he farmed and became a merchant. He moved to Hillsboro in 1860. He left his farm in the hands of family members and his partner in charge of the store to join the Civil War. In 1862, he became captain of Company C of the Twenty-fifth Iowa Infantry.

Newbold was at the siege of Vicksburg and the battles of Arkansas Post and Lookout Mountain. He marched with Shennan from Atlanta to the sea. For a short time, he was a judge advocate, with headquarters at Woodville, Alabama. Newbold sold his store and returned to farming and raising livestock after the war. He represented Henry County in three sessions of General Assembly.

The Newbold home in Mt. Pleasant

During his short administration, taxes on property became a major issue. Newbold said of the situation: "The inequities of the personal property valuations of the several counties suggest to my mind the propriety of so adjusting the State's levy as to require the counties to pay into the State treasury. This would rest with each county the adjustment of its own personal property valuations, without fear that they might be so high as to work injustice to itself in comparison with other counties. "The worse thing Iowa can do is hold a floating debt of $340,000. It is a bad example to set for its citizens and in particular for its children. It is wrong letting children believe it is all right to delay paying one’s obligations and debts. It is a poor example not to eliminate the debt and a poorer example yet to let the debt reoccur." After his term as governor, Newbold became a member of the Henry County Bar. He served in another session of the General Assembly. He also served as mayor of Mt. Pleasant for four years.

Mrs. Newbold

Family

Joshua Newbold married Rachel Farquahar of Fayette County, Pennsylvania on May 2, 1850. She was born on May 13, 1830 and died on June 5, 1922. They had five children: Mary Allene, Emma Irene, George C., and two who died in infancy.

Newbold grave marker, Forest Home Cemetery,

Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

Newbold’s grave marker

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John Henry Gear, Iowa’s Eleventh Governor

John Henry Gear

Born: Ithaca, New York, April 7, 1825

Died: July 14, 1900, buried, Aspen Grove Cemetery,

Burlington, Iowa

1878-1882 Republican

John Gear, Iowa's eleventh governor, was born in a log house. His parents were E.G. Gear and Miranda E. Cook Gear. His father was a clergyman of the Episcopal Church who later served as a missionary to Native American tribes. The family moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts when John was two, where his grandmother cared for him. At the age of six, John moved with his father to Fort Snelling, which was in what is now Minnesota. He was educated at a school in the military post, and tutored by his father. John and his father moved again in 1836, this time to Galena, Illinois. In 1843 eighteen-year-old John moved to Burlington where his aunt and her husband, Charles Mason, lived. Mason was the only chief justice of the Territory of Iowa. While there he carried official papers to Governor Chambers. Young Gear also farmed and worked as a clerk in a wholesale grocery business. He later joined another firm, W.E Coolbaugh & Co. He traveled on horseback throughout southeastern Iowa as a salesman. Through his diligent work he became a partner and later owner of the business.

Gear was elected as an alderman in Burlington and, in 1863, became the first Republican mayor of the city. Gear was involved with several railroads and became the first president of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad Company in 1867. He was nominated to run for the legislature in 1867, but declined. Later, he accepted the nomination and then was elected to be a member of Fourteenth General Assembly in 1871 and was reelected to a second term. Members nominated him to be the speaker of the House. The election was hotly contested and Gear did not win until the 137th ballot. He was elected governor in 1877 and was reelected in 1879. He insisted government be run in a businesslike way. In his inaugural address, Gear stated: "While it is an imperative duty on the part of the state to support all her institutions in accordance with their necessities, yet strict economy should be the rule, and appropriations should be made only to meet their actual wants."

After serving as governor, Gear was defeated in his bid for the United States Senate. He worked in mining operations for a while in Colorado before returning to Iowa. Gear was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1886 and was reelected in 1888 but defeated in 1890. President Harrison then appointed Gear as assistant secretary of the treasury. He ran again for the lower house in the next election and was returned to the House of Representatives in 1892. In 1894 he was elected to the Senate, and was reelected in 1900, but died before his term began.

Mrs. Gear

Family

John Gear married Harriet Swan Foote on December 15, 1852. The Gears had four daughters. The Gear home in Burlington was razed in 1911 to make room for the YMCA building.

Gear’s grave marker in Aspen Grove Cemetery

Burlington

Gear’s grave marker in Aspen Grove Cemetery,

Burlington

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Buren Robinson Sherman, Iowa’s Twelfth Governor

Buren Robinson Sherman

Born: May 28, 1836, Phelps, New York

Died: November 11, 1904, buried, Evergreen Cemetery,

Vinton, Iowa

1882-1886 Republican

Buren Sherman was the son of Phineas L. and Eveline Robinson Sherman, both of English descent. Phineas was a mechanic and axe maker. Buren attended public schools and Elmira Academy in Elmira, New York. For a while, he apprenticed with S. Ayers, a jeweler, to learn the trade of a watchmaker. He became interested in law and began to study to become an attorney. In 1855, at age nineteen. Buren came with his family to Iowa and located on a farm in Tama County. He helped his father with the farm in summers and studied law during winter months. He also worked as a bookkeeper to supplement the family income. He was admitted to the bar in 1859, then moved to Vinton and worked in the law firm of Smith & Traer. Sherman was originally a Democrat, but left that party due to its stand on slavery. He then became a leader in starting the Republican Party of Iowa. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Sherman enlisted in Company G, Thirteenth Iowa Infantry, and became a member of Crocker's Brigade. He

was severely wounded at the battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862. He lay on the battlefield for six days before his wounds were dressed. He continued in the service, but his injuries continued to trouble him. General Grant discharged him "on account of wounds received in battle." After returning home, Sherman was elected district judge of Benton County, and later clerk of the district court. He became the state auditor in 1874, a position he held for six years.

Construction on the current Capitol Building finished during

Sherman’s administration

The Republican Party nominated him for governor in 188l. He won the election and was reelected in 1883. A long time prohibitionist, he favored an amendment to prohibit liquor traffic. In his first inaugural address, Sherman stated: "I am in favor of submission [of a prohibition amendment] for another reason; the right of the people to be heard upon all questions affecting the public welfare. It is the very cornerstone of our political fabric, and the right preservation of all rights." During his term, a proposition for prohibition was submitted to the people and approved, but was later declared to be unconstitutional by the Iowa Supreme Court. Sherman also advocated the establishment of a state department of agriculture; a federal commission to adjust rate differences among railroads; better legislation for education; and a board of control to manage state institutions. The new Capitol, in Iowa City, opened on January 17, 1884. Sherman was the first to occupy the governor's office. During a disagreement with

Auditor Brown over irregularity in reporting, Sherman suspended Brown. Brown locked himself in his office and the governor had to call the militia to remove him.

Sherman was the first governor to occupy the present governor’s office

After his terms as governor, Sherman received an honorary L.L.D for his devotion to education from the State University of Iowa. He moved to Waterloo and became president of the Citizen's Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and later

returned to Des Moines and finally went to Vinton where his career ended in 1904.

Mrs. Sherman

Family

Sherman married Lena Kendall of Vinton on August 20, 1862. She was born at Lancaster, Ohio in 1843 and died in Glendale, California on May

16, 1935. They had two children: Lena Kendall and Oscar Eugene.

Sherman’s grave marker in Evergreen Cemetery, Vinton

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William Larabee, Iowa’s Thirteenth Governor

William Larrabee

Born: January 20, 1832, Ledyard, Connecticut Died: November 16, 1912,

buried, God’s Acres Cemetery, Clermont, Iowa

1886-1890 Republican

William Larrabee lost the sight in his right eye in a firearms accident when he was fourteen. He was denied entry into the army during the Civil War because of this impairment. He then recruited troops and organized a company in which he received a commission as first lieutenant, but was again rejected for service. Larrabee's father, Adam A. Larrabee, graduated from West Point and served with distinction in the War of 1812. Young Larrabee was educated in district schools, and at the age of nineteen he became a teacher. He arrived in Iowa in 1853 to join his elder sister in Garnavillo. While there, he taught school and managed a farm for his brother-in law. In 1857 he bought a flour mill at Clermont, which he operated until 1874. In addition to farming and milling, he engaged in banking and land speculation. He became one of the largest land owners in Iowa, eventually owning over two-hundred-thousand acres. He also experimented with fruit trees in a large nursery he owned. In addition, he invented and patented a grain

separator, and imported the first Swiss cattle to Iowa. Although he was unable to fight in the Civil War, he supported the war efforts. During the war needy wives and families of soldiers received free flour from his mill.

Montauk, Governor Larabee’s home, Now a state historic site

Larrabee was raised as a Whig, then became a Republican when the new party was formed. He was elected in 1867 to the State Senate where he served eighteen years. He became Iowa's governor in 1885, and was reelected in 1887. His campaign slogan was: "A schoolhouse on every hill and no saloons in the valley." One of his main concerns was the regulation of railroads. Be warned against railroad discrimination and high rates. He was also against the railroads offering free passes, since he thought they were attempts to influence legislation and the press.

The parlor of Montauk

Larrabee had strong views concerning government. In his first inaugural address, he declared: "There is, by law of nature, an intimate relation between the policies and fates of governments. Tyranny and wrong lead to suffering and decay, while moderation and right lead to happiness and prosperity. Any nation disregarding the eternal rule of justice will sooner or later pay the penalty for the transgression; and the longer the delay in correcting the evil, the severer will be the judgment." He continued his anti-saloon stance during his first inaugural address when he declared: "It is the bank where money, time, strength, manliness, self-control and happiness are deposited to be lost, where drafts are on the widows and orphans, and where dividends are paid only to his Satanic Majesty. Let it perish." In his second biennial address, he warned legislators: "You should not serve any individual, class, or locality; but to add to the welfare and prosperity of the State should be your only aim. You should remember that, while the wealth and power are always vigilant in the protection of

their interests, the weak and poor must rely on your sense of fairness and justice for protection."

Mrs. Larrabee

During his term as governor the Iowa Agricultural College at Ames gave free tuition for

six months to three Iowa residents from each of the counties. Larrabee remained active after his terms as governor. He wrote and published a book entitled The Railroad Question. He became chairman of the State Board of Control (now the State Board of Regents), and president of the Iowa Commission of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904.

Mrs. Larrabee and the children at Montauk

Family

William Larrabee married Anna M. Appleman on September 12, 1861. She was born on August 14, 1842 and died on December 30, 1931. They had seven children: Charles, Augusta, Julia, Anna, William (who served as a state representative), Frederic (who served as a state senator) and Helen. Montauk, the Larrabee home, was given to the State of Iowa in 1976, after the death of its last resident, Larrabee's daughter Helen. It is currently open to the public as a state historic site.

Larrabee’s grave marker in Clermount

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Horace Boies, Iowa’s Fourteenth Governor

Horace Boies

Born: December 7, 1827, Aurora, New York

Died: April 4, 1923, buried in Waterloo, Iowa

1890-1894 Democrat

Horace Boies was born in a log cabin in New York in 1827. He received his early education in common schools. His father was French and served in the War of 1812. His mother, a daughter of a Revolutionary War soldier, was English. At age sixteen, with his possessions wrapped in a red bandana handkerchief and one dollar in his pocket, Horace traveled to the Wisconsin Territory by way of the Great Lakes. When he arrived in Racine, he had only seventy-five cents left in his pocket. He worked on a farm in Wisconsin until 1846 and then moved to Illinois for two years before returning to New York. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1849, and then practiced law for fifteen years near Buffalo from 1849 to 1867. Boies was elected to the New York legislature as a Republican in 1858. He was originally a Whig, but joined the Republican Party early in its founding. He later became a Democrat when he became opposed to the Republican prohibition movement.

Boies moved to Iowa in 1867 where he farmed and practiced law in Waterloo.

This building in Waterloo once housed Horace Boies’ law office

When Republicans committed their party to prohibition of liquor in 1880, Boies left the Republicans and became a Democrat. He opposed a prohibition amendment to the Constitution because he believed it would violate the fundamental principle of individual liberty.

He was elected governor in 1889 and reelected in 1891—the first Democrat to be governor in thirty-five years. He was defeated for a third term in 1893. By then, the Republicans had abandoned prohibition in favor of licensing saloons. In both of his inaugural addresses, Boies spoke against “over legislation.” In his second inaugural address he stated: “I cannot avoid the conclusion that we legislate too much. There are certain natural rights which every man possesses, and certain obligations which he, as a member of society, owes to the public. It is clearly within the province of the legislature to enact laws for the protection of the former and enforcement of the latter. Beyond this in statutes that are designed to regulate the conduct of men it is, I believe generally unwise to go." Free trade became a major issue during his administration. Boies denounced a protective tariff as "unjustly burdensome to the agricultural interests of the country."

The Democrats offered Boies as a Presidential candidate in 1892, but he declined. In 1896, he was second in balloting against William Jennings Bryan. It was at this convention when Bryan delivered his famous "Cross of Gold" speech, which won him the nomination. He spent several winters in California and died on April 4, 1923 at Long Beach.

Boies campaign ribbon

Mrs. Versalia Boies

Family

Horace Boies married Adella King on May 10, 1848. She was born in 1829 and died in 1855. They had three children, but only one daughter survived to adulthood. He married Versalia

Barber, the daughter of a Waterloo physician, in 1867. She died in 1894. Their daughter Jessica served as her father's hostess while he was governor.

Jessica Boies served as her Father’s hostess while he

was governor.

The Boies’ grave marker in Waterloo

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Frank Darr Jackson, Iowa’s Fifteenth Governor

Frank Darr Jackson

Born: January 26, 1854, Arcade, New York

Died: November 16, 1938, buried, Hillside Cemetery,

Redlands, California

1894-1896 Republican

Governor Frank Darr 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 the lack of jobs. Governor Jackson had to call out the militia to assure the peace while they were in Iowa. The army had taken over trains in the western states, and the railroads asked the governor for protection. Jackson went on a special train to Council Bluffs to confront the issue. He said his duty was to "prevent landing of the pilgrims on Iowa soil" and that the troops would be used to preserve order. His action was both brave and controversial, since many Iowans sympathized with the army members. Eventually, Kelly's Army passed through the State without any incidents of violence. Frank Darr Jackson moved with his family to Iowa at the age of thirteen. They settled in Jesup. He attended public schools and was the first Iowa governor to be educated in higher institutions of learning in Iowa. He attended both the State College of Agriculture and

Mechanic Arts, and the State University of Iowa, graduating from its Law School in 1874. He was admitted to the bar on his twenty-first birthday and opened a law practice in Independence. He moved to Greene in 1880 and built his law practice.

Ribbon worn at Jackson’s inaugural

Jackson was elected as secretary of the Senate in 1882. In 1884, he became the secretary of State, a position he held for three two-year terms. He won his gubernatorial election against incumbent Horace Boies who was running for a third term.

The Jackson home when they lived in Des Moines

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." Jackson declined to run for second term in order to return to his business interests. He was the first Iowa governor to decline a second term. He helped organize the Royal Union Mutual Life Insurance Company of Des Moines, and served as its president from 1888 to 1924. The Jacksons moved to California in 1924. He died in Redlands fourteen years later.

Jackson with employees on the Capitol steps

Family

Frank Darr Jackson married Anna F. Brock on November 16, 1877. She was born in 1856 in Canada, and died on October 16, 1940 in California. They had four sons: Graydon, Ernest, Frank and Leslie.

Mrs. Jackson

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Francis Marion Drake, Iowa’s Sixteenth Governor

Francis Marion Drake

Born: December 30, 1830, Rushville, Illinois

Died: November 20, 1903, buried, Oakland Park Cemetery,

Centerville, Iowa

1896-1898 Republican

Francis Marion Drake had had an adventurous youth. He went to California twice during the gold rush. The first adventure was in 1852. He served as a wagon master on a wagon train heading west. They met a group of Pawnee Indians near the Platte River. The Pawnees demanded five oxen for permission to cross Shell Creek. Drake refused and a battle began. Nine of his men were killed, Drake killed the Pawnee leader and then the Pawnees retreated. In 1854, during his second trip, Drake drove a herd of cattle overland to Sacramento. Drake chose to return on the steamer Yankee Blade. It was shipwrecked, stranding the survivors for several days. Illinois was Drake's birthplace. At the age of seven he moved with his family to Fort Madison, which was then part of the Wisconsin Territory. Nine years later they moved to Davis County, where his father founded Drakesville. His father was a distant relative of the noted explorer Sir Francis Drake. Drake attended Hiram College in

Ohio, where he became a friend of the future President James A. Garfield. After returning from his second California adventure, he joined his father and older brother and became a merchant. They started a store, Drake & Sons, at Drakesville, and later added one at Unionville.

Ribbon worn during Drake’s campaign

In June 1861, Drake enlisted in the Army and became a captain in the "Appanoose Guards," and was soon promoted to lieutenant colonel. He was severely wounded at the battle of Mark's Mills, and was taken prisoner and sent to a Confederate prison at Tyler, Texas. He was at the prison for six months, and then released due to the seriousness of his wounds. After recuperating, he returned to service and given the rank of brigadier general. He was the last Civil War veteran to serve as governor. After the Civil War, Drake engaged in banking and railroad building. He became president of the Centerville National Bank. He also served on the boards of several other banks. He also served as president of the Albia and Centerville Railway Company. In addition, he studied law and was admitted to the bar and practiced law at Centerville. His many endeavors made him one of Iowa’s wealthiest men. He won the 1895 Republican nomination for governor over veteran politician and United States Senator James Harlan on the sixth ballot.

Drake’s home in Centerville (non-extant)

At age sixty-five, Drake was the oldest person to be elected an Iowa governor. During his administration, free textbooks were granted to public schools and the sale and manufacturing of cigarettes in the state were prohibited. He also pushed for expansion of education, improvements of highways and waterways and building railroads. On May 7, 1897, the General Assembly designated the wild rose to be the state flower.

As the governor, Drake called an extra session of the General Assembly for preparation of the Code of 1897. He declined the nomination for a second term due to ill health. He had suffered a serious fall that aggravated his injuries received during the Civil War.

Centerville’s library, donated by Governor Drake

Drake was a generous philanthropist. He gave $25,000 to the city of Centerville to build the

Drake Free Public Library. In 1881, he contributed money to establish Drake University in Des Moines. He continued to give financial support to the university and later became president of the Board of Trustees of Drake University.

Family

Francis M. Drake married Mary Jane Lord on December 24, 1855. She was born on June 14, 1833 at New Brunswick, Canada and died on June 17, 1883. They had seven children, six of whom survived to adulthood: Frank Ellisworth, John Adams, Amelia, Eva, Jennie and Mary Lord. His daughter Mary served as his hostess during Drake's administration. She christened the first battleship Iowa.

The Drake grave marker in Oakland Park Cemetery,

Centerville

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Leslie Mortier Shaw, Iowa’s Seventeenth Governor

Leslie Mortier Shaw

Born: November 2, 1848, Morristown, Vermont

Died: March 28, 1932, remains located in a Mausoleum, Oakland Cemetery,

Denison, Iowa

1898-1902 Republican

Leslie M. Shaw graduated from People's Academy at Morrisville, Vermont. After graduation he taught school. He came to Iowa in 1869 and entered Cornell College in 1871 and graduated in 1874. In 1876, he completed law courses at Iowa College of Law at Des Moines. During his studies, he supported himself by farming, teaching and selling fruit trees. He settled in Denison where he practiced law and founded the Bank of Denison. He served as a member of the local school board, which was the only elected position he held before becoming governor. He also was a founder of the Denison Normal and Business College. Shaw became interested in politics in 1896 after hearing a speech by William Jennings Bryan. He disagreed with Bryan's view of coinage of silver, and became a popular speaker advocating the gold standard. He became governor in 1898 and was reelected for a second term. On the money question, Shaw said: "When each form of our money is directly or

indirectly redeemable or readily exchangeable for gold, it passes current under all flags, beneath every sky and in all ports. Anything short of this is an embargo on American commerce." After one of Shaw's speeches, Theodore Roosevelt who was then campaigning for Vice President, said: "Governor, that was a masterly presentation of the financial question. It throws a flood of light where light is needed. I want to thank you for it."

Shaw’s home in Denison

During Shaw's administration, the United States fought the Spanish-American War. One of his duties was to call up troops for the conflict. Shaw became secretary of the treasury in 1902 under Theodore Roosevelt. This was an unexpected appointment since Roosevelt was a progressive Republican while Shaw was a conservative. While treasury secretary, Shaw wrote the largest check issued by the United States government up to that time. The check was for forty million dollars to pay for work done by a French company on the Panama Canal. Shaw also served briefly as ambassador to France. Later, in private life, he suffered financial setbacks and began to lecture and write. Shaw died in Washington D.C. on March 28, 1932 at the age of eighty-four.

Family

Leslie M. Shaw married Alice Crawshaw on December 6, 1877. She was born in 1845 and died

on March 19, 1935. They had three children: Emma, Enid and Earl.

Mrs. Shaw

The Shaw Mausoleum in Oakland Cemetery,

Denison

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Albert B. Cummins, Iowa’s Eighteenth Governor

Albert B. Cummins

Born: February 15, 1850,

Carmichaels, Pennsylvania Died: July 30, 1926,

buried, Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa

1902-1908 Republican

Albert B. Cummins championed the "Iowa idea" tariff before becoming governor. He continued supporting it as a United States senator, and helped it become the basis of the Republican ideology. The "idea" stated that the tariff rates should accurately measure the difference between the cost of production at home and abroad, but not set rates higher than necessary to protect the home industries. Cummins was born in a log house in Pennsylvania. As a youth, he worked as a carpenter with his father. He attended country schools and completed a four-year course of study in two years at Waynesburg College. Upon graduation he was a tutor and taught in a country school. Cummins came to Iowa at the age of nineteen. He was employed briefly in the county recorder's office at Elkader and later worked for the American Express Company. He then became a civil engineer and helped build railroads in Indiana.

He studied law in Chicago, and was admitted to the bar in 1875. After practicing law in Chicago for three years, he moved to Des Moines where he and his brother set up a law firm. In one of his most noted cases, he defended a farmer's group who wanted to break the eastern syndicate control over production of barbed wire.

Pin from Cummins’ campaign for senator

In 1887 Cummins was elected to the state House of Representatives and in 1901 elected governor. He was elected to a second term for three years

instead of two because of the change in date of the election. He was the first Iowa governor to be elected for three successive terms.

Governor Cummins (far left) and other State officials in the governor’s office

During his terms he led the fight to establish primaries for selecting political party nominees in Iowa. He eliminated free passes to ride on trains for Iowa officials, believing this to be a conflict of

interest. He signed legislation establishing a compulsory education law. The legislature authorized the Department of Agriculture. The state capitol suffered from a fire in 1902 that destroyed the chambers of the House of Representatives and several offices. Upon the death of William B. Allison, Cummins resigned the governorship to become a United States Senator. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for President in 1912 and 1916.

Mrs. Cummins

Cummins served as President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 1919 to 1925, and became the regular presiding officer after the succession of Vice President Calvin Coolidge to the presidency. Cummins continued to serve in the Senate until his death in 1926.

Family

Albert B. Cummins married Ida Lucetta Gallery on June 24, 1874. She was born on August 16, 1853 and died on February 27, 1918. They had one daughter, Kathlyn.

Cummins’ grave marker, Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines

Cummins’ Des Moines home is located just west of Terrace Hill, the current governor’s mansion. The home was

later sold to Governor Nathan Kendall.

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Warren Garst, Iowa’s Nineteenth Governor

Warren Garst

Born: December 4, 1850, Dayton, Ohio

Died: October 12, 1924, buried, Glendale Cemetery,

Des Moines, Iowa

1908-1909 Republican

Warren Garst moved with his family to Illinois in 1858. When Warren was sixteen they came to Iowa. He was self-educated. He worked in the mercantile business with his brother Edward, first at Boone and then in Coon Rapids. His business interests grew to include banking and farming. Garst was elected to the state senate in 1893, where he served for seven sessions. During his tenure, he served five sessions as chairman of the Senate committee on appropriations. Garst was elected as Iowa's Lieutenant Governor in 1906. He was inaugurated as governor in 1908 to succeed Governor Albert Cummins, who had been elected to United States Senate. Garst served as governor only about seven weeks, from November 24, 1908 to January 14, 1909. He lost the Republican nomination for his reelection bid to State Auditor Beryl F. Carroll. Garst advocated increased spending for capital improvements and education. He supported more rigid restrictions on control of liquor traffic.

In his biennial message to the General Assembly, he stated, "You must remember that it is not sufficient that our state should have had a glorious past, or that the present is serene. The future must be faced courageously and your planning must ever be, not for today alone, but for a tomorrow stretching out into an endless future.

Mrs. Clara Garst

After his term as governor, he organized the state Industrial Commission and served as its first commissioner. One of his duties was to begin enforcement, in 1913, of a new law to compensate workers injured in industrial accidents.

Family

Warren Garst's first wife was Elizabeth Johnson. They had one child, Ada Belle. His second wife was Clara Clark Lee. They married on November 27, 1889. Clara was born on September 15, 1857 in Marietta, Ohio and died on August 28, 1942. She graduated from Simpson College. They had two children: Louise and Warren Carroll.

Garst’s grave marker, Glendale Cemetery,

Des Moines

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Beryl F. Carroll, Iowa’s Twentieth Governor

Beryl F. Carroll

Born: March 15, 1860, Davis County, Iowa

Died: December 16, 1939, buried, Bloomfield, Iowa

1909-1913 Republican

Beryl F. Carroll was the first native Iowan to serve as governor. He was born on a farm in Davis County in 1860, the twelfth of thirteen children. He received his early education in a log schoolhouse. He later attended North Missouri State Normal School at Kirksville, Missouri and then went to the Southern Iowa Normal School at Bloomfield. Carroll taught school in Salt Creek Township in Davis County. In later years, he reported that he "received $23 a month and assumed responsibility for the loss of the school house in case it was destroyed by fire." He served as the principal of schools at Jamesport, Missouri and then as superintendent at Rich Hill, Missouri. Carroll returned to Bloomfield in 1891 and became publisher and editor of the Davis County Republican, which he published until 1902.

In 1895, Carroll was elected to the state senate. He resigned in 1898 to become postmaster of Bloomfie1d. Elected state auditor in 1902, he served three two-year terms. He received the Republican nomination for governor in the first statewide primary election in Iowa. He won by over 60,000 votes, and then was reelected for a second term.

Marker at Carroll’s birthplace

Governor Carroll and staff at Camp Logan, Iowa City, 1910

Carroll campaign pin

Carroll supported increased appropriations for educational and charitable purpose. He was a conservative and favored more consolidation of schools. Simpson College granted him an honorary L.L.D degree in 1909.

Mrs. Carroll

He was also a supporter of the women's suffrage movement. In his 1913 message to the General Assembly, Carroll stated: "For many years the question of extending the vote to the women of the state, the right of suffrage, has been prominent in the halls of our Legislature. It is one of the reform movements, which in my opinion, will eventually be adopted by most of the states. I

doubt not that sooner or later it will be submitted to the people of our own state in the form of an amendment to our constitution, and I can see no good reason why steps looking to that end should not be taken by you ... I recommend that you take such action as necessary to bring the matter before the voters of the state for determination.” After retiring as governor, he founded the Carroll Investment Company in Des Moines with his son Paul. They specialized in real estate and insurance. In 1926, a boulder was dedicated at White Elm in Salt Creek Township, Davis County to mark the site of his birthplace. During a speech given in 1933, Carroll said: "I have an abiding faith in the good judgment of the American people. Perhaps we listen too much at times to politically-minded men who shout from the housetops. But underneath is a steady undercurrent of common sense."

The Carroll house in Des Moines

Family

Beryl F. Carroll married Sarah Jane (Jennie) Dodson on June 15, 1886. She was born on September 20, 1888 in Adair County and died on March 31, 1946. They had two sons: Paul W. and Jean F.

Carroll’s grave marker at Bloomfield

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George W. Clarke, Iowa’s Twenty-First Governor

George Washington Clarke

Born: October 24, 1852, Shelby Court, Indiana

Died: November 28, 1936, buried, Oakdale Cemetery,

Adel, Iowa

1913-1917 Republican

A misfiring of a gun saved the future governor's life. George W. Clarke's law office was located above the Adel bank. In 1895, robbers entered the bank. Clark went downstairs to the bank to see what was causing the commotion. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was looking into the barrel of one of the robbers' shotgun. The robber aimed pointblank at Clarke's face but the shell was defective, and the gun did not fire. While the robber reloaded the gun, Clarke fled back up the stairs to safety. One of the robbers was killed and six Adel men were injured in the robbery. Clarke’s family moved to Drakesville, Iowa in two covered wagons when he was four years old. He received his early education in a log schoolhouse. He attended Oskaloosa College and State University of Iowa Law School, receiving an A.B. in 1877 and an LL.B. in 1878. Upon graduation, he taught country school and then practiced law at Adel. He served as the justice of the peace at

Adel for four years. A 1906 Adel business directory lists his occupation as horse trainer.

The former bank building where Clarke once had his office.

In 1900, Clarke became a member of the Iowa House of Representatives where he served four terms. He was chosen without opposition, as

speaker of the house for two terms. In 1908, he was elected lieutenant governor, serving for two terms. He was elected governor for two terms beginning in 1912. He won his first gubernatorial

Clarke reviewing the troops with Col. Morgan and Gen. Allen at

Camp Dodge, 1916 election by only 1,699 votes. The Progressive Bull Moose Party split the vote and many former Republicans voted for the Progressive candidate.

During his campaign for reelection as governor, Clarke spoke in every county seat except one.

Mrs. Clarke

During an address to the General Assembly, Clarke said, "There has never been a great, constructive piece of legislation where the loss of political heads did not follow, and in every case,

time has indicated the value and wisdom of the law.”

The Clarke home in Adel

A major accomplishment during his terms was the controversial expansion of the Capitol grounds. Many of the properties surrounding the Capitol building were dilapidated. The State purchased and cleared over 236 pieces of real estate surrounding the Capitol area that was made into a park. The Capitol grounds grew from four blocks to ninety-three acres, making it the largest state Capitol grounds in the nation.

Clarke also worked for improved roads and better worker's compensation laws. After leaving the governor's office, he resumed his law practice at Adel with his son. He also served as Dean of Drake University Law College for one year.

Family

Clarke’s grave marker in Oakdale Cemetery, Adel

George W. Clarke married Arletta Greeneion in June, 1878. She was born on January 16, 1857 and died on December 31, 1948. They had four children: Frederick G., Charles, Portia and Frances (Mrs. Nile Kinnick). University of Iowa football star Nile Clarke Kinnick was the governor's grandson.

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William Lloyd Harding, Iowa’s Twenty-Second Governor

William Lloyd Harding

Born: October 3, 1877 near Sibley, Iowa

Died: December 17, 1934, entombed in mausoleum at

Graceland Cemetery, Sioux City, Iowa

1917-1921 Republican

William Lloyd Harding used bags of peanuts to help him get elected. During the campaign he would visit a local store, buy a bag of peanuts and eat them slowly while visiting with store owners and shoppers. He would not identify himself. Later, he would send in a local acquaintance in to ask, "Have you seen Bill Harding?" and would identify him as the candidate for governor. The townspeople would then remember the friendly stranger. Harding once said, "One convert plugging for you is worth one hundred campaign speeches.” Harding's parents came from Pennsylvania. He attended Morningside College and the University of South Dakota, graduating with his law degree in 1905. He then practiced law in Sioux City. Harding served in the state House of Representatives from 1907 to 1912, representing Woodbury County. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1912, and reelected in 1914. In 1916 he was elected governor, defeating noted publisher E. T. Meredith, and was reelected in

1918. His administration coincided with the involvement of the United States in World War I.

Harding campaign poster

In his first inaugural address, he warned, "Recent events [referring to the raids in Texas by Pancho Villa] have demonstrated our total lack of preparedness to withstand assault from without. .. The fires of patriotism cannot be lighted too early nor fed too frequently." He issued a proclamation during World War I that only English language be used in conversation in public places, over the telephone, in schools and in church services. This was not popular with recent immigrants, and was later rescinded. Harding opposed issuing bonds to pave highways and helped defeat the state prohibition constitutional amendment. During his tenure the Iowa State Park System was established. Also the state passed the nineteenth amendment to the United States Constitution which gave women the right to vote. His second inaugural address occurred after the signing of the Armistice. In that address he noted, "We are living in a new world and a new age. Old things have passed away. Our flag, but recently

looked upon by some as a mere piece of bunting, is an inspired blending of colors sacred and worthy to die for. It has just been carried to victory by brave and noble sons."

Dedication of marker at Harding birthplace in Sibley

Harding was the only Iowa governor to have impeachment proceedings brought against him. He was accused of taking a bribe for giving a pardon. The House Judiciary Committee chose to drop the action but passed a resolution of

censure. After serving as governor, Harding became a noted lecturer, and practiced law in Des Moines.

The Harding’s house in Des Moines

Mrs. Harding

Family

William Lloyd Harding married Carrie May Lamoreaux on January 9, 1907. She was born on November 17, 1879 and died on February 6, 1965. They had a daughter, Barbara.

The Mausoleum in Graceland Cemetery

Sioux City

Harding’s crypt

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Nathan E. Kendall, Iowa’s Twenty-Third Governor

Nathan E. Kendall

Born: March 17, 1868, near Russell, Iowa

Died November 4, 1936, buried, Albia, Iowa

1921-1925 Republican

Nathan E. Kendall often remarked that his father became a resident of Iowa on the same day it became a state. Kendall attended school in Lucas County's first one room school, but did not go beyond the eighth grade. After moving to Albia, he began reading law at the age of fifteen and was admitted to the bar in 1889. He became city attorney at Albia, then county attorney of Monroe County before serving for ten years as a member of the General Assembly. He was chosen to be the Speaker of the House during his last term. From 1909 to 1913 he served two terms as congressman representing the Sixth District. Kendall became governor in 1921 and was reelected for a second term. Part of his second inaugural address included this statement: "Let us develop here an ideal State, dedicated to enlightenment, to morality, to justice; a State in which there shall be neither the reproach of enforced idleness, nor the misery of unrequited toil; neither the vulgar display of swollen wealth, nor the bitter distress of cruel want; neither the

contempt of the strong for the weak, nor the hatred of the weak for the strong; neither the scorn of opulence, nor the despair of penury; neither the abuse of power, nor the denial of service; an approximately perfect State wherein the brotherhood of man shall be as genuine as the Fatherhood of God!"

Kendall’s home in Albia. The home is next to Albia’s library. Between the two buildings

is the Kendall memorial bench.

Kendall stated in his biennial address, "Prouder are we than any other consideration that from rural desk to classic cloister, the facilities provided for the education of our boys and girls is unequaled anywhere in the world." During his administration, the General Assembly passed a resolution adopting the Iowa flag with the motto: "Our liberties we prize and our right we will maintain." Kendall vetoed a bill calling for the raising road revenue by levying a tax of two cents on each gallon of gasoline, and signed a bill repealing the state ban on the sale of cigarettes. Later he approved a measure levying a tax of two cents on the sale of each pack of cigarettes, the first such state tax in the nation. He was successful in his efforts to pass a twenty-two million dollar bond issue to pay World War I soldiers' bonuses. He was also for strict enforcement of prohibition. After retirement, he and his wife spent much of their time traveling. In his will, he gave 6,500 volumes from his personal library to the Albia Public Library, which

is located next to his home in Albia. His ashes are buried under a flagstone walk in the yard between the library and his former home. A memorial bench is located at the end of the walk. Albia’s elementary school is named in his honor.

Mrs. Belle Kendall

Family

Nathan Kendall married Belle Woodin on April 18, 1896. She died in 1926 while visiting in Naples, Italy. Nathan gave the Kendall Playhouse to Des Moines in her memory. He married Mrs. Mabel Frey Bonnel on June 28, 1928.

The memorial bench and flagstone walk between the Albia Library and Governor

Kendall’s home. His ashes are buried beneath the walk.

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John Hammill, Iowa’s Twenty-Fourth Governor

John Hammill

Born: October 14, 1875, near Linden, Wisconsin

Died: April 5, 1936, buried, Evergreen Cemetery,

Britt, Iowa

1925-1931 Republican

John Hammill favored the improvement of hard surfaced roads throughout the state. He became known as "Iowa's good roads governor" and "the man who pulled Iowa out of the mud." Hammill moved with his family to Britt in 1889. He graduated from Britt High School in 1895. Then he attended the College of Law at the State University of Iowa, the fourth governor receiving the degree of L.L.B. in 1897. He practiced law at Britt and farmed 696 acres. He became county attorney of Hancock County in 1902. He served as a member of the State Senate from 1908 to 1912. In 1920, he was elected lieutenant governor and reelected in 1922. Hammill served as governor from 1925 to 1931. He was the first Iowa governor to complete a third term. During his tenure, Hammill continued the promotion of agricultural interests. He stated: "There is a lot of talk about providing more money for the farmer; more credit. Debts must be paid. What the farmers want to hear about is not where they can borrow more money, but how

they can pay what they already owe." He also favored the state guarantee of bank deposits.

Former Governor Hammill planting a tree in the California

Botanical Garden, in Los Angeles in 1942.

Hammill proposed financing improved highways by the sale of bonds rather than property taxes, and later approved the first two-cent tax on a gallon of gasoline for road improvements. An amendment to the state constitution to approve a bond issue to pay for road improvements was passed by an overwhelming majority of the voters, but was later declared unconstitutional. He advocated a $100,000,000 bond issue to "get Iowa out of the mud." In an address to the General Assembly on March 5, 1928, Hammill spoke for a popular vote to issues the bonds for highway construction: "I have confidence in the stability, character and patriotism of the people of Iowa. I believe that their judgment is sound and that they can be depended upon to discuss and determine this question intelligently and to the best of all concerned. It is a question in which everyone is vitally interested." He was also an advocate of improved economy in state government. "It isn't how much money a department has to spend that counts. It is what is done for the taxpayers in return for the money expended," he once explained.

In 1926 he signed the bill to strike the word "male" from the qualifications to serve as a member of the General Assembly.

Mrs. Hammill

Hammill was defeated in his 1930 Republican nomination for the United States Senator. He died April 6, 1936 while on a business trip to

Minneapolis to help save the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad from bankruptcy.

The Hammill home in Britt

Family

John Hammill married Fannie B. Richards June 7, 1899. She was born on May 15,1878 and died on December 15, 1970.

Both Hammills were active in Masonic work. Mrs. Hammill was the State President of the Eastern Star. They had no children.

Hammill’s grave marker in Evergreen Cemetery,

Britt

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Daniel W. Turner, Iowa’s Twenty-Fifth Governor

Daniel W. Turner

Born: March 17, 1877, Corning, Iowa

Died April 15, 1969, buried, Walnut Grove Cemetery,

Corning, Iowa

1931-1933 Republican

The most noted event during Daniel W. Turner's tenure as governor was the "Cow War." Farmers were protesting against the mandatory testing of cattle for tuberculosis. The governor sent National Guard troops to Southeast Iowa to protect the veterinarians who were employed to do the testing. This was not a popular decision with many farmers and helped to defeat Turner in his bid for reelection. Turner was educated in public schools and graduated from the Corning Academy in 1896. As a youth he clerked in the general store that his father had opened in 1869. At the age of twenty-one, he enlisted in the 51st Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Company K, and served in the Philippine Islands during the Spanish-American War. While serving, he won the boxing championship of his division. During one boxing match, he broke his nose. He later served ten years in the Iowa National Guard and earned the rank of major.

Turner was elected a member of the Iowa State Senate at the age of twenty-six. He was the youngest member to serve up to that time, and served from 1904 to 1908.

Turner (far left in the second row) was a member of the Corning High School

basketball team in 1893.

During World War I he did YM.C.A. work in France and during World War II served on the War Production Board in Washington D.C.

Turner won the governorship in 1931 by almost 180,000 votes. He lost two bids for reelection to Clyde Herring, in 1933 and 1935. In his biennial message to the General Assembly in 1933, Turner declared, "Dishonesty in public office; lawlessness; confiscatory taxes; special privileges; concentration of wealth - these are the five major foes of representative government. Vanquish these opponents and the government is secure. Subdue these enemies and the problems, moral and economic, are solved." During his administration, Turner advocated adoption of a personal income tax and corporation tax to reduce property taxes, economy in government, greater regulation of public utilities, the advancement of vocational education and better conservation of natural resources. Carrying out his program of economy, taxes in Iowa were reduced nineteen million dollars during his administration. Turner refused to introduce fellow Republican and Iowan President Herbert Hoover to a Des Moines audience in 1932 because of differences over farm policy.

Upon retirement Turner spent winter months in Arizona.

Mrs. Turner

Family

Daniel W. Turner married Alice Sample on September 27, 1900. She was born on November

23, 1881 and died on February 21, 1961. They had three children: Marjorie, Ned, and Thomas.

The Turner store in Corning

The Turner home in Corning

Grave marker of Daniel W. Turner

in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Corning

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Clyde L. Herring, Iowa’s Twenty-Sixth Governor

Clyde L. Herring

Born: May 3, 1879, Jackson, Michigan Died: September 15, 1945, entombed,

Mausoleum at Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa

1933-1937 Democrat

Clyde L. Herring worked for a while as a jewelry clerk in a store in Michigan. During this time, he repaired watches for Henry Ford. This acquaintance led to Herring receiving a free car from Ford and the right to own the Ford dealerships for all of Iowa in 1910. In 1915 his dealership sold and delivered more automobiles than any other one automobile agency in the United States.

Herring with scouts, 1935

Herring was educated in rural schools and attended one year of high school. He served in the Spanish-American War. His family moved from Michigan to Colorado where they operated a ranch. In 1906, after four years in Colorado, the family moved to Massena, Iowa and Clyde became a farmer.

The Herring Motor Company building in Atlantic

The Herring home in Atlantic

The Herring home in Des Moines

In 1908, he entered the automobile business at Atlantic, later becoming president of the Herring Motor Company, and later of the Herring - Wissler Company in Council Bluffs and Des Moines. Herring soon became wealthy, but later lost much of his fortune in the Great Depression.

The Herring Motor Company building in Des Moines

He was a candidate on the Democratic ticket for governor in 1920 and a candidate for the United States Senate in 1922. He was defeated both times.

Herring campaign pin

The Democrats nominated him for governor, and he won the governorship in the Democratic landslide of 1932. He became the first Democrat to serve as governor since the inauguration of Horace Boies in 1890. He was reelected in 1934.

His terms coincided with the worst years of the Depression and most of his efforts dealt with the economic difficulties of the time. He advocated mortgage moratoriums, delayed farm mortgage foreclosures, increased federal subsidies, regulation of farm prices, unemployment and old age assistance, and the guarantee of bank deposits. During his administration the legislature established the first state owned liquor stores and the legalization of the sale of beer.

Mrs. Herring

One of his less popular official acts was to order martial law in Plymouth and Crawford counties to halt farm violence in 1933. Herring was the first governor to make extended use of radio. He held a weekly radio talk show in which he explained his policies. On the show, he supported a one-cent temporary tax on gas and pushed for a two-percent state sales tax and state income tax and corporation tax to be used for property tax relief. In his final message to the General Assembly in 1937, Herring stated: "We fought and worked together to make the homes and farms of Iowa secure, to relieve distress, to see that no family suffered for lack of the necessities of life. The measure of our results is found in the security that exists today in Iowa. Our homes are secure ... our farms are secure … our banks are secure." Before the close of his second term as governor, he was elected to the United States Senate, where he served for six years.

He was defeated for reelection in 1942 by George Wilson. Herring was the first member of the Democratic Party to serve both as Governor of Iowa and as United States Senator. He suffered a fatal heart attack while visiting Washington, D.C.

Herring’s crypt in the Glendale Cemetery

Family

Clyde L. Herring married Emma Pearl Spinney February 7, 1901. She was born on March 14, 1880 and died on July 14, 1969. They had three sons. Laverne Barlow and Lawrence Winthrop both died young. The third son, Clyde Edsel (named for his father and Henry Ford's son) was a German prisoner of war during World War II.

Mausoleum at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines that contains the

remains of Clyde Herring

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Nelson Kraschel,

Iowa’s Twenty-Seventh Governor

Nelson G. Kraschel

Born: October 27, 1889, near Macon, Illinois Died: March 15, 1957,

buried, Harlan Cemetery, Harlan, Iowa

1937-1939 Democrat

Nelson Kraschel moved to Harlan in 1910. While there he farmed and bred purebred livestock. He soon became a livestock auctioneer. Since auctioneers have traditionally been called colonel, Kradchel was often referred to as "Colonel." He conducted livestock auctions in twenty-six states and two provinces of Canada. It is estimated that he sold over fifty million dollars worth of livestock in his career. He was a member of the Blue Lodge Chapter of the Masonic Order of Harlan. Kraschel became a candidate for the State Senate in 1922. He lost a 1932 Democratic primary bid for the United States Senate. Under Democratic Governor Herring, Kraschel served two terms as lieutenant governor from 1933 to 1937. He was only the second Democrat to serve as lieutenant governor. He was elected governor in 1936. During his administration the two-percent sales tax was renewed and homestead tax credits passed. Kraschel declared martial law in Newton

and sent National Guard troops to restore peace during a violent strike at the Maytag plant. He also sent troops to Sioux City during a 1938 packing house strike.

Governor and Mrs. Kraschel with Eleanor Roosevelt

Kraschel gave active support to the agricultural program of Henry Wallace, sponsored enactment of Iowa's homestead tax exemption; aid for dependent children legislation, as well as improvements of the state's penal institutions.

Though a Democrat with a Republican legislature, he only used his veto three times. In his biennial message of 1939, he stated: "It is not sufficient for us to maintain and enjoy a democracy for today only. It must be safeguarded and improved and made ready for expansion when the demand arises; it must be made something that the people will prize as a vital part of their life and as the hope of the future; something they will not turn from in a crisis, as they have done in foreign countries. Democracy must live here. It must live abroad. It will live so long as it protects the people in their liberties, and we must remember that means preventing any class of citizens from imposing upon their weaker or less fortunate neighbors." Kraschel was defeated in his bid for a second term in 1939 by George Wilson. He returned to Harlan, and became a general agent of the Farm Credit Administration of Omaha. He was defeated for governor again in 1943 by Bourke Hickenlooper.

Family

He married Agnes Johnson on April 2, 1913. She was born on January 8, 1887 and died on February 19, 1983. Their three sons, Frederick, Richard and James, all served in World War II. Richard and James both died in service.

The Kraschel home in Harlan

The Kraschel grave marker in Harlan Cemetery

Table of Contents

George Allison Wilson, Iowa’s Twenty-Eighth Governor

George Allison Wilson

Born: April 1, 1884, near Menlo, Iowa

Died: September 8, 1953, buried, Masonic Cemetery,

Des Moines, Iowa

1939-1943 Republican

George Allison Wilson was the only Iowan to serve in all three branches of the state government. He was a district judge, senator and governor. Wilson rode four miles on horseback to attend country school. He later graduated from Menlo High School, and served as a page to the lieutenant governor when he was fourteen years old. Wilson attended Grinnell College where he waited on tables to earn his board and tended a furnace to pay for his room. He graduated from law school at the State University of Iowa in 1907. Wilson played basketball at both institutions.

Wilson campaign pin

He began to practice law in Des Moines. In 1911 he served as secretary of the Senate, and was elected county attorney of Polk County in 1914. In 1917, Governor Herring appointed Wilson to serve as a judge of the district court. He resigned in 1921 to resume private practice. Wilson was elected to the State Senate in 1926 to represent Polk County. He was reelected in 1930 and in 1934. Wilson was nominated for governor three times. In 1937 he lost to Nelson Kraschel by only 2,431 votes, which was less than one vote per precinct. He won over Kraschel in the 1939 election, and was elected to a second term in 1941. During Wilson's administration, the Department of Public Safety was created. The state government was reorganized into fewer, more efficient divisions. He pushed for large corporations to divest themselves of farms by selling huge holdings of land acquired by mortgage foreclosures in depression. Eventually, 11,500 farms were sold to private owners.

The Wilson home in Des Moines (non-extant)

During his second inaugural address, Wilson stated, "The people of Iowa have created here a state of organized society with roots firmly set in the deep black soil of the pioneering period of which we are a part ... We face the realities of life, every year and every day. It is a severely practical world in which we live. The way of progress is by work, we get by giving. Life is not a lottery. Nothing just happens. The most precious thing we know is the freedom to live in the service of

our fellow men and ourselves. It is a changed and changing world, and we will it so. Every turn will be for the better." Wilson defeated former Governor Clyde Herring to become a United States Senator in 1942. While senator, he introduced a joint resolution to create a United Nations organization.

Mrs. Wilson

Family

George A. Wilson married Mildred Elizabeth Zehner on December 8, 1921. She was born on September 2, 1894 and died on September 16, 1963. They had four children: James, George Jr., John and Mary.

The Wilson grave marker in the Masonic Cemetery,

Des Moines

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Bourke B. Hickenlooper, Iowa’s Twenty-Ninth Governor

Bourke B. Hickenlooper

Born: July 21, 1896, Blockton, Iowa

Died: September 4, 1971, buried, Cedar Memorial Cemetery,

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

1943-1945 Republican

Bourke B. Hickenlooper attended Blockton Schools. He graduated from Iowa State College in the Department of Industrial Science in 1919 and the Iowa Law School at the State University of Iowa, receiving his degree in 1922. He served overseas with the Army’s 339th Field Artillery during World War I and attained the rank of second lieutenant. He practiced law in Cedar Rapids from 1922 to 1943 in the firm of Hickenlooper and Mitvalsky.

Hickenlooper campaign pin

Hickenlooper was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives for two terms, serving from 1934 to 1938, and was elected as lieutenant governor in 1938 and 1940. He was elected governor in 1943, defeating former governor Nelson Kraschel.

Three Iowa Governors: Wilson, Blue and Hickenlooper at

Clear Lake

In his inaugural address of 1943, Hickenlooper stated, "We have heard much of theorizing, we have heard much of visionary planning; but we must not lose sight of the fact that Utopia cannot be created solely out of the mist of dreams. There are no privileges, there are no comforts. There is no progress except those which are earned.” Most of his administration dealt with conditions resulting from World War II. He also engineered a temporary fifty percent cut in state income taxes. Hickenlooper was elected to United States Senate in 1942, where he served for twenty-four years. His tenure in the Senate was second only to William B. Allison. At one time he served as chairman of the joint committee on atomic energy in Congress. While senator, he authored the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which authorized the development of nuclear power by private utilities. Upon retirement from Congress, Hickenlooper retired to Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Hickenlooper, far right, at ordnance plant, 1943

Family

Bourke B. Hickenlooper married Vema Bensch on November 24, 1927. She was born on March 7, 1897 and died on December 17, 1970. They had two children: Jane Carroll and David B.

Mrs. Hickenlooper

The Hickenlooper home in Cedar Rapids

The Hickenlooper crypt in the Cedar Memorial Cemetery mausoleum,

in Cedar Rapids

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Robert D. Blue, Iowa’s Thirtieth Governor

Robert D. Blue

Born: September 24, 1898, Eagle Grove, Iowa

Died: December 14, 1989, buried, Rose Hill Cemetery,

Eagle Grove, Iowa

1945-1949 Republican

Robert D. Blue bravely faced over 25,000 angry union members on the west steps of the Capitol to tell them that he would sign a "right to work" law that the union members opposed. The law stated that a person could not be required to join a labor union in order to hold a job. His support of the right to work law cost Blue the support of many union members. Without their votes, Blue lost the Republican primary nomination for a third term as governor. Blue graduated from Eagle Grove High School in 1916. He attended Capital City College of Commerce in Des Moines, was a forestry student at Iowa State College and eventually graduated from the College of Law at Drake University in 1922. Before beginning the practice of law, Blue worked as a railroad construction worker, a grocery clerk, a furniture salesman and undertaker's assistant. Blue was a World War I veteran. He joined the Hobbet, Blue and Blue Law Firm and began a law career that spanned sixty-seven

years. He also operated a one-hundred-fifty acre corn and hog farm as well as an apple orchard.

Cartoon from the November 9, 1944 issue of the Eagle Grove Eagle

Blue served as county attorney for Wright County from 1924 to 1931, and city attorney of Eagle Grove from 1932 to 1934. He was elected to the state legislature in 1934, and was reelected three times. He served as speaker of the House of Representatives and lieutenant governor. He was elected governor in 1945 and won a second term in 1947. In his inaugural address, Blue stated, "The world today, like the Tower of Babel, is confused by the sound of many voices talking in many tongues. In all of this confusion Iowa can make a real contribution to the world of tomorrow by adhering to time proven principles. Let us neither be the last to discard the old, nor yet the first to put on the new. Standing on the isthmus of the present, we shall take stock of our situation; look back for guidance to the failures and success of the past and then press on to the future." During his term a state constitutional amendment passed to insure that all road taxes were used for roads only, and Iowa's first television station was established. Blue supported

the Iowa Homestead Act and the Iowa Agricultural Land Tax Credit program.

Governor Blue with family

In his later years, Blue became an advocate of the elderly. In 1965, Blue became a charter member of the Iowa Commission for Aging. In honor of his ninetieth birthday, Eagle Grove named its middle school in his honor. During the ceremonies, Blue stated, "No matter how old or

how young you are, no matter what your position in life may be, no matter what your schooling may be, there are always new lessons to learn and old lessons to be relearned."

Family

Robert D. Blue married Cathlene Beale on October 17, 1926. She was born on January 21, 1901 in Haverhill, Iowa and died on September 21, 1990. They had two children: Barbara and Donald Robert.

The Blue home in Eagle Grove (moved from its original site)

The Blue grave marker in Rose Hill Cemetery,

Eagle Grove

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William S. Beardsley, Iowa’s Thirty-First Governor

William S. Beardsley

Born: May 13, 1901, Beacon, Iowa

Died: November 21, 1954, buried, New Virginia Cemetery,

New Virginia, Iowa

1949-1954 Republican

William S. Beardsley is the only Iowa governor to die while in office. He was killed when his car ran into the back of a stopped truck on a highway north of Des Moines. Mrs. Beardsley was seriously injured in the accident. His death was ironic, in that he had been a major supporter of improved highways and highway safety during his term.

Beardsley campaign pin

He was the son of William S. and Carrie Shane Beardsley. His parents were of Scotch-Irish and English descent. His father was a pharmacist.

Beardsley attended grammar and high schools at Birmingham, Iowa. He studied at the Bowen Institute of Pharmacy and Chemistry at Brunswick, Missouri.

The building that once housed Beardsley’s Drug Store

After graduation, he borrowed money to open his own drug store. He became a pharmacist and farmer in New Virginia. He eventually operated a nine hundred acre livestock farm. Beardsley served as senator from Warren and Clarke counties from 1932 through 1940 and representative from Warren County in 1947. He was the surprise winner of the Republican Party nomination in 1948, defeating Governor Blue because the usually Democrat union laborers went into the Republican primary to vote against Blue because of his support of the right to work law. Beardsley went on to be reelected as governor in 1951 and 1953. He was serving his third term and had declined the nomination for a fourth term at the time of his death. In addition to his support of highway improvements, Beardsley supported soil conservation, flood control and the repeal of sales tax on food.

The Beardsley home in rural New Virginia

On January 13, 1949, the Beardsley family was the first governor's family to live at 2900 Grand Avenue in Des Moines. The house was the first to be purchased by the state to serve as the Governor's Mansion. Before the purchase of the property, each governor had to find his own housing in Des Moines.

Beardsley’s funeral in the Capitol Rotunda

Mrs. Beardsley

Family

William S. Beardsley married Charlotte E, Manning of Birmingham, Iowa on January 31, 1919. She was born on July 2, 1901 and died on May 12, 1995. They had five children: Blaine, Mary, Charlotte, Dan and William.

Beardsley’s grave marker in the New Virginia Cemetery

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Leo Elthon, Iowa’s Thirty-Second Governor

Leo Elthon

Born: June 9, 1898, Fertile, Iowa

Died: April 16, 1967, buried, Brush Point Cemetery,

Fertile, Iowa

1954-1955 Republican

Leo Elthon served as Iowa's governor for only fifty-three days. He was sworn in as governor on November 22, 1954, upon the death of Governor William Beardsley, and returned to the office of lieutenant governor after the inauguration of Leo A. Hoegh. The Elthons did not move into the governor's mansion, since they knew he would only be governor for a short time, and this would allow the Beardsley family more time to make the transition of moving out.

Elthon being sworn in as governor

Elthon was born on a farm near Fertile. His father established a general merchandise store in Fertile in 1894. Leo attended public schools there and graduated from the Academy at Lake Mills in 1917. He then attended Augsburg Seminary in Minneapolis, Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls and Hamilton's University of Commerce in Mason City.

The Elthon home for many years in Fertile

He taught manual training and coached at Clear Lake in 1918 before becoming principal of Fertile High School. He also raised crops, cattle and pigs and became involved in pickle processing. During the depths of the depression in 1932 he chopped wood to sell to get through the winter. Later he became involved in a lime quarry and at the time of his death, he operated a lumber yard business. Elthon was elected to the State Senate in 1933 and served for ten sessions. He was elected as lieutenant governor in 1952 and was reelected in 1954.

Family

Leo Elthon married Synneva Sophia Hjelmeland, the daughter of the Lutheran pastor in Fertile on February 28, 1922. She was born on March 14, 1896 and died on October 30, 1963. They were in the same class at Fertile High School. The Elthons had six children: David, Alan, Amy Lou, Dorothy, Sylvia and Ruth Ivine.

Mrs. Elthon

The Elthons’ last home in Fertile, now serves as the Lutheran parsonage

Elthon’s grave marker in Brush Point Cemetery,

Fertile

Table of Contents

Leo Arthur Hoegh, Iowa’s Thirty-Third Governor

Leo Arthur Hoegh

Born: March 30, 1908, in Audubon County, near

Brayton, Iowa Died: July 15, 2000,

buried, Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colorado

1955-1957 Republican

A 1956 photograph of the governor and a showgirl may have cost Leo A. Hoegh his reelection as Iowa's governor. While he was governor, Dagmar, a television celebrity, visited the Capitol. While there she was photographed embracing the governor, and that photograph caused considerable scandal.

Hoegh campaign pin

Hoegh's parents emigrated from Denmark. Leo did not speak English until he was six years old. In Danish, his last name means "hawk." Hoegh

attended public schools in Elk Horn and graduated from Elk Horn High School in 1925. As a youth he earned money by setting up a shoe shine stand in front of the theater in Elk Horn. Hoegh attended the University of Iowa. He received his B.A. in 1929 and his Juris Doctor in 1932. He entered law practice in Chariton in 1932. He served as Chariton's city attorney briefly in 1941.

The Hoegh family descending the grand staircase at the Capitol during his

inaugural ceremonies

He served in the armed forces from 1942 to 1946, earning the rank of lieutenant colonel. During his service, he was on the staff of Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower. He earned the Croix de Guerre, the Bronze Star and the Legion of Honour medals. He later wrote a book entitled Timber Wolf Tracks, which gave the history of the 104th Infantry Division in which he served. In 1950, Hoegh lost his bid to become a member of Congress. In 1953, Governor Beardsley appointed Hoegh to be attorney general for the state to fill a vacancy in the office. Hoegh was elected state representative for Lucas County. He served from 1937 to 1942. He was elected as governor in 1954. His platform included more state aid for education, better roads and balanced budgets. During his administration, Hoegh helped establish a statewide program to care for mentally ill patients. He was an advocate of amending the right to work law to authorize the "union shop." He lost

much support in his backing of an increase in the sales tax from two to two and one half percent. He also proposed funding twenty-five percent of the cost of operating public schools, and increased appropriations for state institutions. He proposed increase in taxes on beer, cigarettes and gasoline to pay for the programs.

The Hoegh home in Chariton

Hoegh was featured on the cover of the October 22, 1956 issue of Time Magazine.

His proposed higher taxes, support of a union shop and the Dagmar scandal caused his defeat in his attempt for reelection as governor in 1956. In 1957, President Eisenhower appointed Hoegh as the National Director of Civil Defense mobilization. In this he was a member of the National Security Council, and served in the president's cabinet from July 1957 to January 1961. Later he would be appointed as a Civil Defense Administrator under President Eisenhower. He represented the United States at several NATO meetings in Paris. He was later employed by a steel company that manufactured nuclear fallout shelters for civilian use, and later a finance company in Chicago. The family moved to Chipita Park, Colorado in 1964.

Family

Leo A. Hoegh married Mary Louise Foster on June 29, 1936. She was born on May 11, 1908 and died on June 4, 2000, just more than a month

before the death of her husband. They had two daughters: Kristin and Janis.

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Herschel Loveless, Iowa’s Thirty-Fourth Governor

Herschel C. Loveless

Born: May 5, 1911, Hedrick, Iowa

Died: May 4, 1989, buried, Ottumwa Cemetery,

Ottumwa Iowa

1957-1961 Democrat

Herschel Loveless was the son of David and Ethel Beaver Helm. His parents were divorced at his birth. His maternal grandparents, Sophia Bever Loveless and Mace Loveless, brought him up. Later he lived with his mother and stepfather. He attended rural schools and graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1927.

Loveless campaign pin

His first job was as an errand boy in the Milwaukee Road railroad office. From his high school graduation until 1939, Loveless worked in the engineering department of the Chicago,

Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. In 1939, he became an engineer for John Morrell & Company. Then in 1944 he returned to railroad engineering. He also built and remodeled several homes in Ottumwa. He became the street commissioner in 1947. During a major flood in June 1947, he received state wide attention for his efforts to fight the flood and aid its victims. He became the mayor of Ottumwa in 1949 and served until 1953. Upon leaving the office of mayor, he began a municipal supply business which he operated until 1956.

Loveless with visitors in the governor’s office

Loveless lost a bid to become governor in 1953, and in the following election lost in his run for a seat in Congress. He won the governor's race in 1957, the first Democrat to hold the office since the depression. Loveless faced a Republican legislature. During his term, he used his veto fourteen times, including once to reduce the state sales tax from two and a half to two percent. The legislature passed a bill tying the two and a half percent tax to a multi-million capital improvements bill for the state universities. Loveless vetoed the entire bill because of the tax issue. He also wanted to legalize closed union shops, but was not able to get it through the legislature. Loveless was an early supporter of John F. Kennedy for President. He was considered briefly as a possible Vice President candidate in 1960. During the 1960 election, he lost his bid to become a United States Senator. In 1961, he was appointed to the Federal Renegotiating Board in Washington D.C. His job was to work to eliminate excessive profits by defense contractors. He later was vice president of the Chromally Corporation.

Loveless retired in Winchester, Virginia, where he died in 1989.

Mrs. Loveless

Family

Herschel Loveless married Amelia Rebecca Howard on October 1, 1933. She was born on September 14, 1914. They had two children: Alan K., born April 26, 1936, and Sandra Ann, born September 9, 1940.

The Loveless home in Ottumwa

Loveless grave marker in the Ottumwa Cemetery

Table of Contents

Norman A. Erbe, Iowa’s Thirty-Fifth Governor

Norman A. Erbe

Born: October 25, 1919, Boone, Iowa

Died: June 8, 2000, buried, Boone Cemetery,

Boone, Iowa

1961-1963 Republican

Norman A. Erbe flew thirty-two B-17 bomber missions over Nazi Germany during World War II. He also piloted his B-17 bomber with the 8th Air Corps during the D-Day invasion of June, 1944. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and four air medals. Erbe's father was a Lutheran pastor in Boone for forty years. Norman attended the Lutheran parochial school and then Boone High School and the University of Iowa. In addition to his pilot duties, Erbe served a year in the United States Army, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. After the war, Erbe finished his studies at the State University of Iowa, receiving a B.A. in 1946 and a Juris Doctor the following year. He later served in the Iowa National Guard. Erbe joined the law flrm of his wife's father, Doran, Doran and Doran in Boone. He served as county attorney and later served as assistant attorney general. In 1956 and 1958 he was elected as Iowa's attorney general. He was the co-author of Iowa Highway, Road and Street Laws in 1956.

He became governor in 1961. In his inaugural address, Erbe stated, "It is my belief that the people of Iowa expect, deserve, and must have as efficient and economical a government as it is humanly possible to provide. We join in recognizing the many urgent needs of our State and it is our responsibility during this session to resolve these needs through the process of debate and passage of legislation so that we may fully discharge this responsibility to our constituents and ourselves for a better Iowa."

Governor Erbe with his family during his inauguration

During his administration the state maintained a $118 million surplus in the treasury without a tax increase. The state established the Iowa National Guard Military Academy. The selection of judges was changed from popular vote to a merit system. Erbe also established Iowa's first tourism program. In 1960, Erbe lost his bid for reelection as governor. One of the major reasons for his loss was his indecisiveness on whether to legalize licensed liquor sales.

The Erbe home in Boone

After serving as governor, Erbe worked in a variety of private commercial and governmental organizations. He worked in the United States Department of Transportation in Seattle. President Nixon appointed Erbe as chairman of the Federal Regional Council for the Great Lakes States in Chicago. Upon retirement, the Erbe's returned to Boone. In 1997, Erbe wrote his memoirs entitled Ringside at the Fireworks.

Family

Norman A. Erbe married Jacquelin Doran, his high school sweetheart, on September 27, 1942. She was born on April 6, 1921. They had three daughters: DeElda, Jenniver and Kevin Lyn.

The Erbe grave markers in Boone Cemetery

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Harold E. Hughes, Iowa’s Thirty-Sixth Governor

Harold E. Hughes

Born: February 10, 1922, Ida Grove, Iowa

Died: October 23, 1996, buried, Ida Grove Cemetery,

Ida Grove, Iowa

1963-1969 Democrat

Harold E. Hughes attended Ida Grove Schools and graduated from Ida Grove High School in 1940. He was the state discus champion in 1938 and an all-state football guard in 1939. He attended the State University of Iowa for a year before joining the Army. He was a rifleman in the Army from 1942 to 1945, serving in combat in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.

Hughes campaign pin

Upon returning, he became a truck driver for the Maynard Hinrichs Truck Line in Ida Grove. He

later was a representative for the Iowa Motor Truck Association, and founded the Iowa Better Trucking Bureau. He also had an abstract agency and was a general insurance agent. He served on the State Commerce Commission from 1958 to 1962. In his early political career, Hughes was a Republican and served as a delegate to several Republican state conventions. He later became a Democrat. Hughes became governor in 1962. He received a margin of 429,000 votes in 1964, the greatest margin in Iowa History. In 1966, Hughes was elected to a third term, the only Democrat to serve three terms as governor. In his first inaugural address, he said, "It is sometimes said that the knack of skillful government is to hang back, do as little as possible, and make no mistakes. I hope there is another way – for between you and me, this prospect does not invite my soul."

During his tenure as governor, he engineered the repeal of death penalty, led the campaign to legalize sales of liquor by the drink, set up state regulation of public utilities, greatly expanded the state's community college system, and implemented a bill to control billboard advertising on state highways. He helped create the Iowa Human Rights Commission.

Hughes’ boyhood home in Ida Grove

He became a United States Senator in 1968, winning by a majority of fewer than 6,000 votes.

He was outspoken against President Johnson's war efforts, and delivered the nominating speech for Eugene McCarthy at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. He is noted for "The Hughes Act" which was the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970. He did not run for reelection. He was discussed as a dark horse candidate for a short while in the 1972 Presidential election. Early in his life Hughes had an addiction to alcohol. He was jailed in six states for drunkenness. He was open about his problem, and founded alcoholism treatment centers in Des Moines, Monticello and Mt. Ayr. He retired from politics in 1975 and began religious work. He wrote his autobiography The Man From Ida Grove, A Senator's Personal Story in 1979. He retired to Arizona, where he died in 1996.

Family Harold Hughes married Eva Mae Mercer on August 23, 1941. She was born on January 20, 1924. They had three daughters: Connie, Carol and Phyllis. Harold and Eva were divorced after forty-five years of marriage. His second wife was Julianne Henry Holm. She was born in 1943 and died on April 8, 2001.

Hughes’ grave marker in Ida Grove Cemetery

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Robert Fulton, Iowa’s Thirty-Seventh Governor

Robert Fulton

Born: May 13, 1929 at Waterloo, Iowa

1969 Democrat

Robert Fulton had the shortest tenure of any Iowa governor. He served as governor for sixteen days between the time when Harold Hughes resigned the governorship to take office as United States Senator and Robert Ray was inaugurated. Fulton was educated in the Waterloo Schools. He worked in a packing plant and served in the Air Force. He attended Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) for two years. After deciding he did not want a teaching career, he transferred to the University of Iowa where he earned his law degree.

Fulton being sworn in as governor

Fulton served two years in the Iowa house and four years in the senate. He became lieutenant governor in 1964. He lost his primary bid for governor in the 1968 election. He then returned to his law practice with the firm of Fulton, Martin and Andres in Waterloo. Fulton served as the national committee chair of the Democratic party for several years.

The Fulton home in Waterloo

Family

Robert Fulton married Rachel Breault on September 10, 1955. She was born on September 3, 1932. They have four children: Susan, Mary, Jack and James.

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Robert D. Ray, Iowa’s Thirty-Eighth Governor

Robert D. Ray

Born: September 26, 1928, Des Moines, Iowa

1969-1983 Republican

Robert D. Ray was the first governor in the state's history to serve a fourth term. He was elected governor five times. He won three two-year terms, and then two four-year terms. He was the first governor to have his inauguration celebrated live on television. He gave the longest inauguration speech which was one hour and forty-five minutes. It was so long, he later joked, "I think I slept through a lot of it!"

Ray campaign pin

Ray was born and raised in Des Moines. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the United

States Army, serving in post-war Japan. He received two degrees from Drake University—one in Business Administration in 1952, and the other in Law in 1954. Ray joined the law firm of Verne and Jim Lawyer, which became Lawyer, Lawyer & Ray. Ray became part owner of radio stations KLIR in Estherville and WMT in Cedar Rapids. He served as a law and reading clerk in the Iowa senate. He worked for the Republican Party and rose to chairman of State Central Committee. He ran for county attorney in 1956 and state representative in 1958, but was not successful. Terrace Hill was given to the state in 1972 for use as the governor's mansion. The Ray family moved into the mansion in 1976. Perhaps most significant event of his administration was to establish Iowa as a haven for Vietnamese "boat people" refugees. This initiative helped resettlement of 9,000 refugees in Iowa. Ray also helped engineer a law for deposits on bottles and cans to clear up trash along roadsides. His administration also strengthened the community college system,

established the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, and worked for the passage of the Iowa Small Business New Jobs Training Act. Other important legislation passed during his tenure as governor include the establishment of the Department of Environmental Quality, lowering of the voting age from twenty-one to nineteen, removal of sales tax from food and prescription drugs, granting collective bargaining rights to all public employees, establishment of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and creation of the Department of Transportation. In 1972, Ray led a delegation of twelve governors on a State Department Mission to Japan. In 1974, he was chosen as one of six governors to tour the Peoples Republic of China, and the following year was one of seven governors who visited the Soviet Union. After serving as governor, Ray held a variety of positions. He served as president and CEO of Life Investors, Inc. Insurance Company, and also president and CEO of Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Iowa (now Wellmark). He has served on the

board of directors of several corporations, as well as public service organizations. Ray served as interim mayor of Des Moines and interim president of Drake University. He was co-chairman of the National Leadership Commission on Health Care, and chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health Care. He also served as Chairman of the Institute for Character Development. Ray served as a United States Representative to the United Nations in 1984. He declined appointment as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. In honor of his work, Ray has received many awards and honors. He has honorary degrees from at least seventeen colleges and universities. Other honors include being named "Most Influential Iowan" and The Des Moines Register's first "Iowa Star Award”. In 2005, Ray received the Iowa Award, which is the state's highest award for an Iowa citizen.

Family

On December 22, 1951, while a student at Drake University, Ray married Billie Hornberger of Columbus Junction. She was born on May 16, 1928. They have three daughters: Randi, LuAnn and Victoria.

The Ray home in Des Moines

The Ray family at Terrace Hill

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Terry E. Branstad, Iowa Thirty-Ninth Governor

Terry E. Branstad

Born: November 17, 1946, Leland, Iowa

1983-1999 Republican

At the age of thirty-six, Terry E. Branstad was the youngest man to be elected governor the State of Iowa. (Territorial Governor James Clarke was thirty-two.) He served four, four-year terms, making him Iowa's longest serving governor. Throughout his political career, he never lost an election. Branstad grew up on the farm owned by his family for over a century. He graduated from Forest City High School. He then received a B.A. in political science from the University of Iowa in 1965, and a Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School in 1969. While in the Army he received a commendation medal. Upon returning from the service, he worked as an attorney and farmer. He represented parts of Emmet, Hancock and Kossuth counties in the Iowa House from 1973 to 1979, and was then lieutenant governor from 1979 to 1983. During his administration, state-owned liquor stores were eliminated and liquor sales went to

private enterprise. A law was passed that arranged for prison inmates to work for private industry. He supported economic development and tourism. The state income tax was lowered by ten percent.

Branstad while serving in the Iowa legislature

Family

Branstad married Christine Johnson on June 17, 1972. She was born on April 8, 1952. They have three children: Allison, Eric and Marcus.

The Branstad family

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Thomas Vilsack, Iowa’s Fortieth Governor

Thomas Vilsack

Born: December 12, 1950, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1999-2006 Democrat

Thomas Vilsack was orphaned at birth and adopted in 1951. He received a degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York and a law degree from Albany Law School. He moved to Mt. Pleasant and practiced there, joining his father-in-law's law firm. He was elected mayor of Mt. Pleasant in 1987. He was elected to the Iowa Senate in 1992. Vilsack was elected governor in 1998 and reelected in 2002. He was the first Democratic governor in over thirty years. Major commitments of his administration were to education and economic development and improved health care coverage. He helped establish the Iowa Values Fund, an $800 million fund, to make direct investments in Iowa companies. He also began the Vision Iowa Program which utilized a $270 million fund to attract investments and create new jobs. During his tenure, he vetoed a bill to allow dove hunting in Iowa. He signed legislation which

exempted school aid and Medicaid from 2001 budget cuts.

Governor Vilsack unveiling the Iowa quarter

Vilsack is chair of the Democratic Leadership Council and is former chair of the Democratic Governors' Association, the Midwest Governor's Conference, the Governors' Biotechnology Partnership, Jobs for America's Graduates and the Ethanol Coalition. He is also a member of the

National Governors Association Executive Committee.

Mrs. Vilsack

Family

Vilsack married Ann Christine Bell on August 18,1973. She was born on July 5, 1950. They have two sons: Jess and Doug.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, Anne Beiser, "Friendly's Frontier; Images from the Life of Friendly Lucas, Iowa's First 'First Lady" The Palimpsest, Vol. 73, Number 1 Spring, 1992, pgs. 18-31 Brigham, Johnson, Iowa Its History and Foremost Citizens, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Chicago, Des Moines, 1918 Carpenter, Cyrus c., "James W. Grimes, Governor and Senator," Annals of Iowa, Vol. J, # 7, October, 1894, pgs. 505-525 "Carroll, Iowa Governor for 2 terms, Dies,” The Des Moines Register, December 17, 1939, pg. 1, col. 6 Clarke, W. Penn., "Governor John Chambers," Annals of Iowa, Vol. I, # 6, July, 1994, pgs. 425- 445 "Crash Kills Beardsley," The Des Moines Register, November 22, 1954, pgs. 1, 3

"Death Takes Clyde L. Herring," The Des Moines Register, September 16, 1945, pgs. 1, 5 Eagle Grove Iowa Centennial, 1981 "Early Iowa Governors," January 1935, Vol. XVI, The Palimpsest Erbe, Norman, A Ringside at the Fireworks, Toreador Press, Des Moines, 1997 "Ex-Governor Blue Dies at 91, Championed Iowa's Elderly," The Des Moines Register, December 16, 1989, pg. 1 "Former Governor Clarke Dies at 84," The Des Moines Register, November 29, 1936, Section 6, pgs. 1, 4 "Former Governor Jackson Dead," The Des Moines Register, November 16, 1938, pg. 1, col. 5 "Former Senator Wilson Dies," The Des Moines Register, September 9, 1953, pgs. 1, 3

"Gov. Chambers Brought Slaves Here With Him," Hawkeye Gazette (Burlington), August 6, 1946 (clipping) "Harding Body to Lie in State Before Rites," The Des Moines Register, December 18, 1934, pgs. 1, 14 "Hickenlooper Iowa Rites on Thursday," The Des Moines Register, September 5, 1971 pgs. 1, 4 Hoegh, Former Governor, Dies, The Des Moines Register, July 18,2000, pg. 3B, cols. 1-4 "E D. Jackson, Former Iowa Governor, Dies," The Cedar Rapids Gazette, November 17, 1938, pg. 8 "Gen. Drake's Illness Fatal," Register and Leader (Des Moines), November 21, 1903, pg. 1 Fleming, William H., "Governor John Henry Gear," Annals of Iowa, Vol. V, # 8, January, 1903, pgs. 583 – 600 "Iowa Against the Anthills," Time, Vol. LXVIII, No. 17, October 22, 1956, pgs. cover and 22-26.

Iowa Biographical Dictionary, Somerset Publishers Inc., Clari Shores, MI, 2nd ed., 2000 Iowa Official Register, State of Iowa, Publisher, Various editions "Iowans Remember Hughes," The Des Moines Register, October 25, 1990, pgs. 1, 5 "John Hammill Dies in Hotel Room," The Des Moines Register, April 7, 1936, pgs. 1, 13 "Kraschel, Former Governor, Dies at 67," The Des Moines Register, March 16, 1957, pgs. 1, 5 "Leslie M. Shaw, 84, Is Dead," The Cedar Rapids Gazette, March 28, 1932, pg. 1 "Loveless Dies at 77; Former Iowa Governor," The Des Moines Register, May 5, 1898, pgs. 1, 3 "Many Will Attend Larrabee Funeral," The Register and Leader (Des Moines), November 17, 1912, pg. 1

Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa, A, Volume II, Lewis Publishing, Chicago, 1896 Mills, George, Iowa's Governors, published by Terrace Hill Society, 2001 Mills, George, Rogues and Heroes from Iowa's Amazing Past, Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1972. "Noticed Deaths," Annals of Iowa, Vol. VI, # 1, July, 1903, pgs. 154-155 Peterson, William J., "Governor Chambers' First Annual Message," The Palimpsest, Vol. XXXVI, No. 12, December 1955, pgs 493-498 Peterson, William J., "Robert Lucas," The Palimpsest, Vol. XLIV, No.6, June 1963, pgs. 241- 252, Reprint of article in the August, 1938 issue of the The Palimpsest. Recollections of Britt, Iowa, Britt Centennial Committee, pgs. 211-212

Sage, Leland L., A History of Iowa, Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1974 "Senator Cummins is Dead," The Des Moines Register, July 31, 1926, pg. 1 Schapsmeier, Edward and Frederick H., "Strong Voice for Keeping America Strong, A Profile of Senator Bourke B. Hickenlooper," Annals of Iowa, Vol 17, No.4, Spring 1984 Schroder, Alan M., "William M. Stone: Iowa's Other Civil War Governor," The Palimpsest, Vol. 63, No.4, July/August 1982, pgs. 106-118 Shambaugh, Benjamin E, editor, The Messages and Proclamations of the Governors of Iowa, State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City, 1903 (seven volume set) "State to Pay Ex-Gov, Boise Tribute Today," The Des Moines Register, April 6, 1923, pgs. 1, 14 Story of Iowa, The, The Progress of an American State, Vol III, Family and Personal History, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1952

Swisher, Jacob A., The Governors of Iowa, Klipto Loose Leaf Company, Mason City, no date (1946?) "Turner, Iowa Governor in the '30s, Dies," The Des Moines Register, April 16,1969, pgs. 1, 3 United States Biographic Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self Made Men, Iowa Volume, American Biographical Publishing Co., 1878 "William Larabee Dies at Clermont," The Register and Leader (Des Moines), November 17, 1912, pg. 16

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many individuals assisted in the research and production of this book. I wish to give a special thank you to Martha Hayes for proofreading the text and giving many suggestions for improvement. As I visited sites associated with the governors, I always stopped at the local library for assistance. Without exception, the librarians were most pleasant and helpful. If they didn't know the answers, they would call the "local historian" who usually provided the information. I owe a thank you to those librarians and local historians for their kind help. Many members of the staff of the State Historical Society of Iowa, both in Des Moines and Iowa City provided helpful advice and assistance. I also wish to thank Jim Slife and Steve Seemann of Pioneer Communications, Inc. for their production assistance.

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PHOTO CREDITS

Ray photos courtesy Robert D. Ray, Branstad photos courtesy Terry Branstad, Vilsack photos courtesy Thomas Vilsack. Carpenter photos courtesy Webster County Historical Society, James Clarke, Grimes and Gear portraits courtesy Burlington Public Library. Drake portrait courtesy Centerville Public Library, Kirkwood and Mrs. Kirkwood portraits courtesy State Historical Society of Iowa (Iowa City), Blue cartoon courtesy Eagle Grove Eagle, Terrace Hill photo by David L. Cordes, Terrace Hill Foundation. Courtesy state Historical Society of Iowa (Des Moines): First ladies photos, Old Capitol, Hempstead with daughter, Lowe grave, Merrill home, Larrabee family, Jesse Boies, Capitol under construction, Jackson and employees, Cummins and officials, George Clarke reviewing troops, Harding marker, Hammill planting tree, Turner basketball team, Herring with scouts, Herring inspecting troops, Kraschel and wife with Eleanor Roosevelt, Hickenlooper at ordnance plant, three governors at Clear Lake, Blue family, Beardsley funeral, Elthon swearing in, Hoegh inauguration.

Other photos taken by the author or in the author's collection.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Kramme was born and raised in Des Moines. He attended Grand View College, and then the University of Northern Iowa where he received his B.A. and M.A .. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Kramme taught at the high school in Washington, Iowa. He then taught and served as Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Culver Stockton College in Canton, Missouri. Dr. Kramme is the author of thirteen books published by Mark Twain Media/Carson Delosa. His articles have appeared in The Palimpsest, Iowa History Illustrated, The Missouri Magazine, Theater History Studies and The Old West Magazine. He is currently the executive director of the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance.