USA > Iowa > Polk County > Des Moines > Des Moines, the pioneer of municipal progress and reform of the middle West, together with the history of Polk County, Iowa, the largest, most populous and most prosperous county in the state of Iowa; Volume II > Part 30
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On the Ioth day of June, 1899, Mr. Evans was united in marriage to Miss Nettie May Griffith, who was born at Austin, Texas, June 27, 1877, the daugh- ter of Benjamin Lundy and Rebecca (Fisher) Griffith, the former of whom was a well known dealer in carriages and buggies. The great-grandfather of Mrs. Evans was Ethan Allen, a leading patriot of the Revolutionary war.
Politically Mr. Evans is in hearty sympathy with the progressive element of the republican party. He is a Scottish Rite Mason, a Knight Templar and a prominent worker in the Shrine. It was largely through his efforts that the old Methodist church at Ninth and Pleasant streets was purchased and remodeled as a temple for the Shrine. He served for ten years as potentate of this organi- zation. He is also connected with the Yeomen of the World, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is socially identified with the Commercial, Booster, Greater Des Moines, New Des Moines, Hyperion, Golf and Country Clubs. He has never had cause to regret coming to Des Moines, as he has at- tained success such as is reached by few men at his age. He has found here home, friends and fortune and easily ranks as one of the most enterprising busi- ness men of the city.
NATHAN EMERY COFFIN.
There is undoubtedly a promising field in the practice of law for one who pos- sesses the strength of mind and body and the application and, ambition neces- sary to meet and overcome the many difficulties that lie in the way. These quali- ties belonged to Nathan Emery Coffin at the beginning of his career, and the position he occupies in the bar of Polk county, is evidence that he yielded not to discouragement. He remained manfully at his post, and after twenty-five years of arduous application, today he is one of the leading lawyers of central Iowa. He was born at Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, February 2, 1863, the son of Harrison A., and Catherine (Stevenson) Coffin. The father was formerly treasurer of the Iowa Loan & Trust Company of Des Moines. His death oc- curred in 1892.
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Nathan Emery Coffin received his early education in the public schools of Allegheny City, and after coming west entered the Baptist College of Des Moines, graduating in 1881, with a degree of B. S. Later he became a student of Har- vard University, and was graduated from that celebrated institution of learning with a degree of A. B., in 1885. After leaving Baptist College he studied law in Drake University for one year, but being under age he was not admitted to the bar. He spent one year in the office of Barcroft & Bowen, and was admitted to practice by the supreme court of. Iowa in October, 1886. He began his profes- sional career in Des Moines, and since February 1, 1891, has been associated with Charles A. Dudley, under the title of Dudley & Coffin, one of the leading law firms of Des Moines and the oldest law firm in the city. He is also identified with several business concerns, being a member of the board of directors of the Iowa Loan & Trust Company, the Des Moines Life Insurance Company, and the Ewing Investment Company. He is also a trustee of Drake University. The success of Mr. Coffin has been due in a large degree to his untiring industry, which has enabled him to prepare his cases thoroughly and present them clearly and forcible to the court or jury. He is an eloquent and logical speaker, and his voice has been heard in connection with much important litigation. In the course of an extensive practice he has won many notable victories.
On the 5th of June, 1900, at Des Moines, 'Mr. Coffin was united in marriage to Miss Winnie Belle Ewing, a native of Des Moines, and a daughter of David R. and Lucinda Ewing, one of the pioneer families of Iowa. Politically, Mr. Coffin gives his allegiance to the republican party, being a progressive, but not an insurgent. He was elected to the twenty-fourth general assembly in the fall of 1891, and his loyalty to the interests of his constituents led to an earnest demand for his reelection, but on account of the pressure of private affairs he was ob- liged to decline the honor. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias, and socially with the University Club of Des Moines, Grant Club, Golf and Country Club and Des Moines Club. Mr. Coffin is also president of the Harvard Club of Iowa. He is a stanch believer in Christianity, and is a valued member of the Central Church of Christ. In professional and business affairs he has proven himself to be thoroughly competent and reliable under all circum- stances, and the respect in which he is held by his brethren at the bar, as well as by the community where he has resided for more than a quarter of a century, is indisputable proof of his worth.
GEORGE ELIAS KING.
George E. King was born January 7, 1846, in De Peyster, St. Lawrence county, New York. His father, Elias King, and his mother, Lucy Wheelock, were both natives of Vermont. The first nineteen years of his life were spent at home, attending school and working upon his father's farm. Then followed three years of teaching in the district and in the neighboring city of Ogdens- burg, where he studied law in the office of B. H. Vary, but in the fall of 1869 he gave up the idea of practicing law. He then went to Kansas and began the life of a business man in the employ of an uncle, Zenas King, a pioneer in iron bridge construction and head of the King Bridge Company, of Cleveland, Ohio. He remained with this company for twenty years, first as an erector, then as a contracting agent and subsequently as a partner.
In 1875 Mr. King came to make his home in this city, and here in 1889 he formed the George E. King Bridge Company of Des Moines. For thirty-eight years he continued in this business, building bridges in every western and nearly every southern state, and gaining knowledge of the scientific principles under-
GEORGE E. KING
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lying his work, making himself familiar with its most minute details as well as its most important features.
In 1878 Mr. King was united in marriage to Miss Mary Barcroft, a daughter of John R. Barcroft, a distinguished lawyer, and Susan F. Ankeny, of the well known Ankeny family. Mr. and Mrs. King have two daughters: Mrs. Edith King Bell, of Des Moines, and Mrs. Frank Rhea Bott, of Ravinia, Illinois.
Since retiring from active business, Mr. King has been interested in various enterprises. He holds stock in several state and national banks; is president of the Iowa Drug Company; has investments in farm lands in Nebraska and owns residence and business property in Des Moines.
In politics Mr. King is a progressive republican. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and is identified with the Knight Templar commandery of Des Moines, and is a member of the leading social and business clubs of the city. He is rec- ognized as a strong man, strong in his ability to plan and perform, strong in his honor and his good name. In the conditions of the growing west, he found the opportunities which he sought for advancement in business, and, in their util- ization, he has reached a creditable place among the prominent and successful residents of Iowa's capital.
E. K. MAINE.
For ten years past in the active practice of law at Des Moines, E. K. Maine has by close attention to his profession and the successful handling of important causes gained a standing as one of the wide-awake and thoroughly capable members of the Polk county bar. He was born at Grant, Montgomery county, Iowa, October 29, 1875, a son of S. N. Maine, a native of Ohio. The father came to Iowa in August, 1875, and engaged in the mercantile business at Grant until 1895, when he retired and came to Des Moines. Since 1908 he has made his home at Los Angeles, California. The maiden name of the mother was Emma King. She was a native of the Buckeye state and moved to Galva, Illi- nois, with her parents and was there married September 9, 1869, to Mr. Maine. Three children blessed this union : E. K., the subject of this review; Hattie, now the wife of Dr. Clark Keeler, of Los Angeles; and Hope, now Mrs. John Sprowl, of Cleveland, Ohio.
E. K. Maine attended the public schools in Montgomery county, graduating from the Elliott high school in 1891. Having decided upon a professional career, he matriculated at Grinnell College of Grinnell, Iowa, and continued there until his senior year when he transferred his allegiance to the State Uni- versity at Iowa City, from which he was graduated in 1896 with the degree of A. B. The year following he received the degree of LL. B. from the same university, and after spending four years in Chicago settled in practice at Des Moines, where he has since continued, showing from the beginning of his career in this city an adaptability to the legal profession which has attracted a lucrative and growing patronage.
On the IIth day of March, 1905, Mr. Maine was united in marriage to Miss Geneva Lamb, a daughter of David Lamb, a river captain who lived at Albany, Illinois, and later took up his residence at Clinton, Iowa, where he continued to live for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Maine have one son, Wilton, born April 19, 1907. Mr. Maine. ranks among the live and progressive men of Des Moines and, being a constant student and close observer, he keeps fully abreast of the times in everything of importance pertaining to the state and nation as well as to his profession. As a lawyer he has shown marked ability and his industry, energy, courage and fidelity to principle are unquestioned by those who know him. His clients are among the best business men of the city and Vol. II-13
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county. Politically he gives his support to the republican party, having great faith in its ability to carry the nation through every exigency in the future as it has in the past. Fraternally he is identified with Masonic bodies and Za-Ga- Zig Shrine. Socially he is a valued member of the Grant and Hyperion Clubs.
A. L. STEELE.
Among the lawyers of the Des Moines bar who have attained distinction by ability and years in successful practice should be named A. L. Steele. He is a native of Pennsylvania, being born at Brookville, April 8, 1864, and a son of William Steele, who was born in the Keystone state October 22, 1823. The mother was Margaret Farley before her marriage and was born October IO, 1830. She is still living. The father passed away December II, 1877, at the old home near Brookville. He was a devout member of the Methodist church and politically was identified with the republican party. There were twelve children in the family, eight of whom are now living.
A. L. Steele received his early education in the country schools and at the Corsica (Pennsylvania) Academy. Later he attended the Valparaiso (Indiana) Normal School and the Iowa Wesleyan University. He pursued his law studies in the office of Judge George W. Crozier, Knoxville, Iowa, and in the law depart- ment of Drake University, and was admitted to the bar October 7, 1891. On January 1, 1892, he opened an office where he has ever since been located. Hav- ing made systematic preparation for his profession he soon gave evidence of being able to protect the interests of his clients, even when pitted against the oldest practitioners. He ranks well among the clearest expounders of law at the Des Moines bar, and his liberal patronage is evidence of the success of his efforts.
Politically, Mr. Steele gives his support to the republican party. While he devotes his best energies to his profession, he is not unmindful of the obliga- tions which rest upon a public-spirited citizen to assist in every reasonable way in the advancement of the community. He is ever ready to promote the cause of education or good government, and his cooperation may always be counted upon for the promotion of friendly relations between men. He is a valued member of various organizations, among which are the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, and is a sincere believer in their fraternal teachings. Pleas- ing in manner and generous and manly in sentiment, he readily makes friends and is, therefore, greatly esteemed by all who know him.
IRA M. EARLE.
While Ira M. Earle became known to the Des Moines public as an able lawyer and yet occupies a prominent position as a representative of corpora- tion law, he has also become recognized as a factor in commercial and indus- trial circles, his efforts and activity along those lines constituting a force in the business development of the capital as well as a feature in his individual suc- cess. He was born in Brattleboro. Vermont. September 7, 1849, a son of Rufus and Marilla (Stoddard) Earle, who were likewise natives of the Green Moun- tain state, the mother having been born in Brattleboro. Both are now deceased. In the public schools of his native state Ira M. Earle began his education and afterward attended school at Guilford, Vermont, pursuing his studies through consecutive grades until he left the high school at the age of nineteen years. During the period of his boyhood and youth he resided upon the home farm and
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aided in its cultivation and improvement. Early recognizing the fact that in- dustry is the basis of all success, he has throughout his entire life closely applied himself to the work at hand and his preserverance and energy have enabled him not only to overcome the difficulties in his path but also to work his way steadily upward to success. He was a young man of about twenty-six years when in 1875 he came to Iowa, first settling at Pella. He took up the study of law in the Iowa College of Law, from which he was graduated with the LL. B. degree with the class of 1877. For nine years thereafter he engaged in general practice in Pella and in 1888 came to Des Moines, where he entered the law practice in partnership with P. H. Bousquet under the firm name of Bousquet & Earle. This association was maintained for two years, after which the firm was dissolved and Mr. Earle was joined by Judge S. F. Prouty under the firm style of Earle & Prouty. They practiced together for four years and were accorded a large and distinctively representative clientage during that period. The business firm of Bousquet & Earle also directed their efforts into other chan- nels outside the practice of law. In connection with G. C. Van Ginkel they purchased the Dallas Consolidated street railway of Dallas, Texas, which the operated for about three years. They then sold out and in 1903 Mr. Earle became general counsel for the Bankers Life Insurance Company, which posi- tion he now fills, also serving as one of the directors of the company. More- over, he is extensively connected with corporate interests which have benefited by his sound judgment and business discrimination as well as professional coun- sel. He is one of the directors of the Des Moines Hosiery Mills, the Des Moines Clay Manufacturing Company, The Red Clover Land Company and the Western Clay & Gypsum Products Company. The last company is operating in New Mexico and Mr. Earle is president as well as director of it. In commercial and industrial affairs his judgment is sound, his sagacity keen and his enterprise unfaltering.
On the 5th of October, 1876, Mr. Earle was united in marriage to Miss Anne Julia Morgan, a daughter of Edward D. Morgan, of Pella, Iowa. His wife holds membership in the Christian Science church and he is identified with sev- eral of the leading societies and clubs of the city, including the Golf and Coun- try Club, the Grant Club, the Commercial Club and the Des Moines Club. Polit- ically he is a strong republican and while he does not seek nor desire office he knows the living issue and feels the palpitating poetry of politics. He ranks among those who are prominent in furthering the professional and business development of the capital city and is also classed with those who owe their present enviable positions to their personal worth, character and ability.
HENRY CHARLES HANSEN.
It is not every man who has the capacity to engage successfully in several lines of business at one and the same time. Such men are rare, as it usually requires the best energies of an individual to keep pace with one branch of busi- ness and meet the keen competition everywhere to be observed in this age of tireless rivalry. However, Des Moines presents an exception to the rule in the person of Henry Charles Hansen, who has won success as a druggist, hotel man, clothing merchant and financier.
He is a native of Christiana, Norway, and is a son of Christopher and Mar- tha Hansen. He came to America in 1857 with his parents, the family living in Chicago for a short time, and from there they removed to Vernon county, Wisconsin, where the father purchased a farm. At the age of fourteen our subject entered school at Chicago, where he continued for one year, and then pursued his education for three years at La Crosse, Wisconsin. After leaving
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school he engaged in the paint and oil business at Chicago, working for an uncle until the great fire of 1871. Having decided to become a druggist, he entered the Chicago Pharmaceutical College and thoroughly prepared himself for the busi- riess, coming in 1876 to Des Moines. He conducted a drug store on East Locust street until 1905, when he removed to his present location in the Wellington Hotel, which he had previously erected and is now operating, his drug store being in the hotel building. He also conducts the Garfield Clothing Store on the east side, which is the leading establishment of the kind in this part of the city. He was for seventeen years the president of the Home Savings Bank and is the owner of much valuable real estate in various parts of the city. He has been remarkably successful financially, being the possessor of a judgment in business affairs which is seldom at fault. He has great faith in the future of Des Moines and has demonstrated his faith by investing his money in Des Moines property, his example having greatly encouraged others to do likewise.
On the 15th of February, 1899, Mr. Hansen was married to Miss Rose Wel- ton, a daughter of Charles W. and Serena (Beem) Welton. The father was born in Canada and the mother in Columbus, Ohio. Four children have bright- ened the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hansen, namely: Henry Charles, Jr., Martha Serena, Rose Marie and Emerett Christopher.
Mr. Hansen was fortunate in being born with an ambition to win an hon- orable name in the world and his early dreams have perhaps been more than realized. He was also fortunate in receiving good educational training. He made practical application of his knowledge and is today one of the highly re- spected citizens of Des Moines and one of its most successful financiers. He has just reason to be thankful of the day he landed on the soil of America and also of the selection of Des Moines as his home. He and his family are members of the English Lutheran church. Fraternally he is well known, being a thirty- second degree Mason and Shriner and a member of the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias.
JULIUS MANDELBAUM.
Few men of seventy-four years possess the activity, the alertness and the en- terprise of Julius Mandelbaum, whose name for many years has been a synonym for all that is standard and all that is progressive in mercantile life in Des Moines. Success has come to him as the gradual development and unfolding of his pow- ers and the wise use of opportunities and the execution of carefully formed plans. Germany claims him as a native son and his record is a credit both to the land of his birth and the land of his adoption.
He was born in the town of Langenzenn, Bayern, Germany, on the 13th of March, 1837. his parents being Meyer and Jetta Mandelbaum, the former a dealer in wool and hops. At the usual age the boy was sent to the public schools of his native town and continued his studies until fifteen years of age. when he sailed for America, attracted by the broader business opportunities which he heard were to be secured in the new world. He went from New York city to Albany and friends there found him employment in and around the stores. so that he learned something of the English language and something of trade. It was his ambition to become a merchant and while he did not reach the goal of his hopes by leaps and bounds, he steadily made his way upward, day by day developing his powers in a way that has given solidity to all of his later service in the commercial field.
In time his ambition to do something for himself led him to invest his savings in a small stock of merchandise and he engaged in trade in the country around New York. The stalwart boy had a pleasing address, he made friends, dealt
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fairly and usually returned to Albany with his pack of goods well depleted. While thus traveling he formed the acquaintance of N. L. Goldstone and a friend- ship sprung up between them. Each found that the other was alike ambitious to go into the business on his own account and discontinue the sale of goods from packs. They studied maps, read whatever they could find concerning the far west, talked with men who had been beyond Chicago and the Mississippi and at last concluded that their opportunity lay in that western country. They were both young men of unlimited industry, if of limited means. For a brief period Mr. Mandelbaum had engaged in the retail dry-goods business with his brother at Gardnersville, near Albany, but joining Mr. Goldstone they started for Chi- cago, thinking probably they would continue their journey to the Pacific coast. having Walla Walla in mind as their destination. At Chicago, however, they became acquainted with traveling men who covered Iowa and they were so en- thusiastic about Des Moines, describing the city and surrounding country. in such glowing terms, that the young men determined that they would try the new state capital as the seat of their business. On the 4th of September, 1864, there- fore, they reached Des Moines. There is not a mercantile establishment of any kind in Des Moines which had had a longer existence than that of which Mr. Mandelbaum is proprietor.
On their arrival in this city forty-seven years ago Mr. Mandelbaum and his associate, N. L. Goldstone, opened a dry-goods store on the corner of Court avenue and Second street, having but a small stock which they purchased with the limited capital that they had managed to save from their earnings. They equipped the little frame building, twenty by forty feet, and above the door the firm name of Goldstone & Mandelbaum was painted. A few years later Mr. Goldstone retired and Mr. Mandelbaum joined forces with another merchant of the city under the style of Jacobs & Mandelbaum. Later, however, the latter became sole proprietor and was alone in business until the firm name was changed to J. Mandelbaum & Son and, subsequently, to J. Mandelbaum & Sons, as Morris and Sidney Mandelbaum became associated with their father in the ownership and conduct of the business. The enterprise has steadily grown in volume and importance.
In the early days Mr. Mandelbaum personally attended to the wants of his customers, but was forced to gradually increase the number of his clerks as he enlarged his stock and developed the store in proportion to the growth of the city and his trade. There are those now who come to the store and ask for the senior partner, who is always ready and willing to meet the customers of pio- neer days. One of the Des Moines papers about three years ago wrote of him : "He is still strong and vigorous, his eye is as bright as ever and he has lost none of his interest in life or in his business. He is never ill, thank to his abstemious habits and a mode of living that has been clean and wholesome from the days of his youth. His frame is still strong and erect in spite of the years which it car- ries and his step is still firm and elastic. There is not a day that he doesn't come down to business. He doesn't concern himself about details, for he has left these to others, but he watches closely the general course of trade. His whole career has been based upon the cardinal virtues of honesty, industry and a liberal application of common sense to every problem that arises."
On one occasion when questioned as to the cause of success Mr. Mandel- baum replied: "Work alone makes success. No success worth while comes without work. You have to go after things to be sure of getting them. They don't come to you. Cultivate common sense. You come to lots of places in life and in business where you are in doubt about which way to turn. Just use com- mon sense at these times; that will solve most problems. Don't try to accumu- late money for money's sake. The money craving is not an uplifting desire. Of course no business can succeed if it doesn't make money, but the mere mak- ing of money in business doesn't mean success. The business ought to be an ex-
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