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 39

Author: Brigham, Johnson, 1846-1936; Clarke (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1464

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 39

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On the 22d of June, 1910, Mr. Cavett was united in marriage to Miss Grace C. Fritz, a daughter of Henry J. and Mary (Hull) Fritz, both of whom were natives of Iowa. Her father came to Des Moines at an early day and has been

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engaged in business as a general contractor to the present time. Mrs. Fritz was called to her final rest in 1880.

Mr. Cavett gives his political allegiance to the republican party, while fra- ternally he is identified with the Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America. His wife is a devoted member of the Christian church. Though still a young man, Mr. Cavett has already attained a measure of prosperity that augurs well for the future.

JUSTICE E. SEAMANS.

Justice E. Seamans, who is secretary of the Watrous Nursery Company, was born in Westfield, Pennsylvania, on the 28th of June, 1868, and is a son of Eli B. and Maria L. (MacMindes) Seamans, the father being also a native of the Keystone state and the mother of Massachusetts. Although their years ex- ceed the number allotted by the Psalmist, the father being ninety and the mother eighty, the parents are still surviving and make their home in Pennsylvania where the father was engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1890, at which time he retired. Mr. Seamans is a veteran of the Civil war having enlisted and gone to the front under Colonel Cain in Company A, First Pennsylvania Volunteers, remaining in the service until mustered out in 1865. Being one of the sharp- shooters he participated in many notable battles and skirmishes, during the long period of his enlistment. He was wounded several times, being once shot through the head and left on the battlefield for dead. After lying there two days and nights he was taken prisoner by the enemy and consigned to Libby prison, from which he later effected his escape, making his way upon his hands and knees to the Union lines.

Being reared upon the old homestead in Pennsylvania, Justice E. Seamans acquired his education in the district schools of his native state, remaining a member of the paternal household until he was sixteen years of age. In 1884 he went to work in a sawmill, withdrawing from that occupation at the end of two years in order to become an agent of the Prudential Insurance Company. After serving in that capacity for seven years he accepted a position as sales- man and superintendent of agents with the Oliver Typewriter Company, being identified with that firm for eight years, at the end of which period he accepted a similar position with the Royal Typewriter Company.

In 1893 Mr. Seamans opened a grocery store in Degolia, Pennsylvania, but after conducting this for a year and a half sold out and returned to the road. He continued in the service of the Royal Typewriter Company until 1910, when he withdrew to engage in the nursery business with C. L. Watrous, in what was formerly known as the Capital City Nursery. He became interested in this company, which was incorporated for twenty thousand dollars under the name of the Watrous Nursery Company, with C. L. Watrous, president, and Mr. Seamans as secretary. Their nursery occupies three hundred acres of land, all of which is within the city limits with the exception of seventy-five acres, which is located in Bloomfield township. This real estate, however, is not included in the twenty thousand dollars' worth of paid-up stock which the company holds. They are located in South Des Moines, on the Fort Des Moines car line. The company employs one hundred and eighty men throughout the country and is constantly increasing the scope of its business, the magnitude of which has grown almost incredibly during the short time of their incoporation.

Mr. Seamans and Miss Laura A. Foster, a daughter of Allen T. and Ellen (Watrous) Foster, also natives of Pennsylvania, were united in marriage on the 20th of June, 1901. Mr. Foster, although engaged in agricultural pursuits, is identified with various commercial enterprises in his native state, among

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which is a large brick yard and some oil wells. Mrs. Foster still survives and she and her husband reside upon the old homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Seamans are now living at No. 2801 Cottage Grove avenue.

Mr. Seamans has always been too actively engaged in the advancement of his personal interests to participate in local politics, but at the same time he always casts a ballot on election day, his affiliation being with the republican party. Socially he is a member of the Commercial Club and also of the Wave- land Golf Club. During the brief period of his residence in the capital city he has shown himself to be a man of more than usual business ability and is well regarded by those with whom he has had dealings.

IRA COOK.

With many of the events that have shaped the history of Des Moines and have in a measure left their impress upon the annals of the state Ira Cook was closely connected. When Indians were more numerous within the borders of the state than the white settlers he took up his abode at Davenport and in 1855 he came to Des Moines, where for a half century he continued to reside, during which period his direction of public affairs constituted an element in the city's growth and in the standard of citizenship maintained among its people.

He was born in Union, Broome county, New York, October 16, 1821. He had reached the age of eighty years when death claimed him on the 11th of March, 1902. His life was fraught with noble purposes, good deeds and successful accomplishment of the various tasks to which he applied himself. In the year 1836 he came to this section of the country that is now Iowa, then, however, a part of Michigan. The family home was established in Davenport and soon afterward the father was appointed justice of the peace by the gov- ernor of Michigan, for Iowa was attached to that state for judicial purposes. The journey westward had been made for a distance of one hundred miles on the Allegheny river to Olean Point in Cattaragus county, New York. At that place members of the party built cabins on a lumber raft and thus floated down to Pittsburg, where they boarded a steamboat bound for Cincinnati and from that point traveled by boat on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Rock Island, Illinois. They were two months, lacking two days, in making the trip. They crossed the Mississippi at Davenport and the tract of land upon which Mr. Cook's father settled was within the corporation limits of the city and long ago has been sold and subdivided for building lots.

Ira Cook was a youth of fifteen years when he accompanied his parents to Iowa. He remained with his father until twenty-eight years of age and then began business on his own account. From that time forward until his death he was dependent entirely upon his own resources and whatever success he . achieved was attributable to his earnest and persistent labor and capable man- agement. From 1849 until 1853 he was largely engaged in surveying govern- ment land in Iowa and Wisconsin. That he was an expert surveyor is proven by the fact that the lines which he ran have been found to be absolutely correct in resurveys of later years. In 1855 he removed to Des Moines where he erected a fine residence on the bluff overlooking the city on what is now Pleasant street, and there resided until his demise. In Des Moines he turned his attention to the banking business, becoming a member of the firm of Cook, Sargent & Cook. This was one of the early and substantial organizations of the city and he thus became closely associated with the pioneer banking enterprises of the capital. He retired from the firm, however, in 1855, and joined C. C. Dawson in the conduct of a real-estate business. There was a time when he knew every piece of property upon the market, who owned it and at what figure it could be pur-

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chased. In 1862 and 1863 he occupied a position in the postoffice department at Washington, D. C., after which he returned to Des Moines, becoming again connected with the business interests of this city. In 1872 he became a member of the Iowa Loan & Trust Company, was chosen one of its directors, and later was made vice president, continuing in that position until his death. In real estate and financial circles he made continuous progress and his success brought him to a prominent position among the men of affluence in Des Moines. He was a man of determined spirit and what he undertook he accomplished. This characteristic was manifest in his public service as well as in the conduct of his private business interests.

On the 25th of April, 1854, Mr. Cook was united in marriage to Miss Mary Owens, by whom he had two children: Rachel F., at home; and Carrie L., now the widow of James Thornton. Mr. Cook figured prominently as a factor in the public life of the community, aiding largely in shaping the public policy of the city and promoting its development and progress. In 1861 he was elected mayor and filled the office for two terms, serving in that position during the momentous period of the Civil war. He is said to have been one of the most popular mayors the city has ever had. His election came to him unsought and was the expres- sion of popular approval and confidence in him. He did not know he was elected to the office until the following morning when he met a friend on the street who congratulated him upon being chosen as chief executive. He had not been a candidate nor did he seek public support. It was the spontaneous and free will expression of a belief in his ability and loyalty, and his reelection was the indorsement of the excellent work which he did for the city during his first term. In 1864 he was appointed deputy revenue collector and in addition to these offices he held several minor positions.

Mr. Cook was a pleasing and attractive writer and prepared many articles for the press that displayed wide and thorough comprehension of the subject under discussion and were widely copied by the different newspapers of the state. In addition to these articles he also published his "Reminiscences" in The Annals of Iowa, covering the period between the time of his arrival in this state in 1836 down to 1900. He was a prominent member of St. Paul's Epis- copal church and was a man of the highest personal and Christian character. All who knew him had unlimited confidence in him and this confidence was never betrayed in the slightest degree. He was ever charitable both in thought and act, speaking ill of no one and giving generously of his means to aid the poor and unfortunate. He was loved by all who knew him and young and old, rich and poor, spoke of him only in terms of friendship, honor and respect.

THOMAS F. STEVENSON.

Thirty years ago Thomas F. Stevenson, now a leading lawyer of Des Moines, cast his lot with the capital city. He foresaw that great strides would be made by the magnificent state of Iowa and believed that Des Moines would share in the general prosperity. Time has vindicated his judgment and he has no reason to regret his choice as a young man in the selection of a home. He is a native of Georgetown, Kentucky, born August 17, 1853. The father, Milton Steven- son, was also a native of Kentucky and became a prominent lawyer, dying at Georgetown in 1888, where he had lived for eighty-three years. He was an active republican and a loyal Union man at the time of the Civil war. He served as county attorney and in other offices of trust and responsibility in his native county. The mother, Nancy Griffith, was also born in Kentucky and was a member of an old family of the state. She died in Iowa in 1906. The grand-

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father, Thomas Stevenson, was born in Maryland and was one of the early settlers of Kentucky. He attained prominence as an Indian fighter.

Thomas F. Stevenson acquired his early education in the public schools of Georgetown and later attended Georgetown College, from which he was grad- uated. Having decided upon the study of law, he matriculated in Harvard Law School at Cambridge, Massachusetts, and pursued the regular course in that celebrated institution, leaving at the end of the second year in 1879. He began his practice at Georgetown and in 1881 came to Des Moines, where he has since remained. He soon gained recognition in the city of his adoption and as the years passed attracted a lucrative clientage, becoming one of the best known lawyers of the city. Active and thoroughly efficient, he has kept fully abreast of the demands of the times and his clients are to be found among the leading citizens and corporations of this part of the state.

He is entirely at home in the practice of his profession. Fluent and con- vincing as a speaker and a close and conscientious student, he has a mind abun- antly stored with facts and illustrations which he marshals upon occasions with telling effect. His success in the courts may largely be attributed to thorough preparation and logical reasoning. He served with general approval as judge of the ninth judicial district for four years, since which time he has devoted his energies to his large and growing practice.

In March, 1890, Mr. Stevenson was united in marriage to Miss Jeannette Stewart, and they have two children, Stewart and Frances. Fraternally Mr. Stevenson is identified with the Masonic order. He is a prominent worker in the organization and served as master of Capital lodge for two years. At the present time he is lecturer in the order. Socially he is prominent in the com- munity and on account of his well established character is accorded a very high standing at the bar. A man of fine address, genial manner and well balanced mind, his friends are legion, and he well deserves a place in this record as one of the esteemed and progressive citizens of Des Moines.

ORVILLE S. FRANKLIN.

Orville S. Franklin is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Iowa and is himself a native of Taylor county, where his birth occurred on the 12th of August, 1877. The Franklins are of English descent, his grandfather com- ing from England to the new world. His father, Benjamin S. Franklin, was a native of Ohio and at an early period in the development of Iowa made his way to this state, casting in his lot among the pioneer settlers who were reclaiming the region for the purposes of civilization. For many years he devoted his at- tention to general agricultural pursuits. He married Sarah A. Rosenberger, who is of German descent, the original American ancestors of the family settling in Pennsylvania, whence a removal was later made to Ohio. Benjamin S. Franklin is now deceased, while the mother resides in Mitchellville, Iowa. Their family numbered five children: Mae C., now the wife of John M. Hollingsworth, also a resident of Mitchellville ; Orville S., of this review : Earl B., who was born in Taylor county, September 5, 1879, and is now a resident of Grover, Colorado ; Ethel A., who was born in Taylor county, February 26, 1881, and is now the wife of Vernon T. Hubbell, a resident of Deweese, Nebraska; and Fannie F., who was born in Taylor county, April 17, 1884, and is the wife of Dr. Earl H. Reeves, who is engaged in the practice of dentistry in Spokane, Washington.

Orville S. Franklin began his education as a pupil in the district schools of his native county and afterward had the benefit of instruction in the high school of Mitchellville. He next entered the State College at Ames and was graduated with the class of 1898, at which time the Bachelor of Science degree was con-

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ferred upon him. Liberal education and a well trained mind well qualified him to take up the study of law, which he began in the law school of the University of Michigan, completing the course with the LL. B. degree in 1903.

Immediately after his graduation Mr. Franklin came to Des Moines, passed the required examination in October of that year and at once began practice. In January, 1904, he formed a partnership with Major Charles Mackenzie under the firm name of Mackenzie & Franklin, which association was continued until the death of the senior partner on the 14th of March, 1908. In May of the same year Mr. Franklin was joined by Guy A. Miller, under the firm style of Franklin & Miller, for the general practice of law. His legal business has been satisfactory, both in extent and in character, for gradually he has progressed in his chosen field of labor, being now recognized as one of the leading young lawyers of the city.

In politics Mr. Franklin is also well known as an advocate of the republican party and on its ticket he was a candidate for nomination for state representative from Polk county in 1910, being defeated by only a very small majority. He has ever been an active worker in the local ranks of the party and in support of its national principles, and his opinions carry weight in its local councils. He belongs to the Odd Fellows, to the Woodmen of the World and to the Brother- hood of American Yeomen. He also holds membership with the Waveland Golf Club, and in professional lines is connected with the Polk County Bar Asso- ciation. His religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Congregational church. He is regarded throughout Des Moines as a brilliant young man, des- tined for greater success in the future. A pleasing manner and unfeigned cordiality have won him many friends, and his position of popularity is well established.

JOHN NEWBURN.

It requires no prophet to foretell success for some men when they begin their business or professional career. Nature has provided them with abundant mental capacity and education has accomplished its part in training them for the combat in which, as by fire, they are tried, the weaker going down in the crucial test while the strong and fearless survive. Among the fortunate ones in Des Moines stands John Newburn, a prominent and successful lawyer, who in the course of fourteen years has demonstrated his ability as a safe advocate and counselor. He was born at Mount Vernon, Linn county, Iowa, February 2, 1861, a son of David and Mary (Burge) Newburn, the latter of whom was a native of Pennsylvania. The father was born in Ohio. He was a mechanic. but after learning his trade turned his attention to farming and came to Iowa in 1859, settling on a place near Mount Vernon, where he is now living at the advanced age of eighty years enjoying the fruits of many years of well directed application. The beloved wife and mother was called away October 19, 1900. having then reached the ripe age of seventy years.

John Newburn received his preliminary education in the public schools of Mount Vernon and later matriculated at Cornell College. After leaving college he became identified with the railroad business, but having decided upon a pro- fessional career he began reading law, later becoming a student in the office of C. W. Kepler. of Mount Vernon.

Subsequently he went to Greene county where he was actively identified with the real-estate and loan business, coming in 1889, to Des Moines where he continued in the same line of business and matriculated in the law department of Drake University, graduating with the degree of LL.B. in 1897. Immediately after leaving the university he began the practice of law in Des Moines in partnership with P. C. McNutt, secretary of the Drake

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Law School, under the title of McNutt & Newburn, the partnership continuing for two years. Since 1899 he has been alone and devotes his attention to general practice, specializing in real-estate law, in which branch he has attained marked success, being considered an authority on that subject in this part of the state. He has also devoted considerable attention to farming and owns five hundred acres in Polk county, which he devotes largely to the raising of fine stock.

In March, 1883, at Cedar Rapids, Mr. Newburn was united in marriage to Miss Anna F. Walker, a native of Canada, and two children have blessed this union, Edith Alma and Donald B. Mr. Newburn gives his earnest support to the republican party, but has never sought the honors of office, as he prefers to devote his time and attention to his profession. A man of broad views and large public spirit, he is ever ready to lend a hand in advancing the permanent interests of the county. He has been especially active in promoting the welfare of his alma mater and in 1909 presented Cornell College with funds to purchase an athletic park which is now one of the popular accessories of that institution.

Fraternally Mr. Newburn is identified with the Masonic order, being a member of Pioneer Lodge, No. 22, A. F. & A. M., Des Moines Valley Consistory, No. 3, S. P. R. S., A. A. O. N. M. S., also being connected with Des Moines Lodge No. 25, I. O. O. F. Having made thorough preparation for his profes- sion and also having had an extensive business experience, bringing him into close contact with the world, Mr. Newburn was well equipped for his vocation when he started as a lawyer, and today he is one of the highly successful prac- titioners at the Polk county bar.

CLYDE KIRK.

Among the younger representatives of the Des Moines bar Clyde Kirk is prominent, possessing ability that has gained him prestige as a corporation and real-estate lawyer. For thirteen years he has been a legal representative of the loan department of the Equitable Life Insurance Company and at the same time gives some attention to the general practice of law. Numbered among Des Moines' native sons, he was born October 31, 1872, his parents being Cyrus and Etta S. (Miller) Kirk. The ancestral history of the family is tracedj back to Ireland, whence Rodger Kirk came to America, settling in the southern part of what is now Chester county, Pennsylvania, as early as 1712. He was married about 1714 to Elizabeth Richards, and Clyde Kirk is numbered among his de- scendants of the seventh generation. His great-grandparents were Levi and Rachel Kirk, and his grandparents were Isaac L. and Jane M. (Milner) Kirk, the latter a daughter of Cyrus and Sarah Milner. Both Isaac L. and Jane M. Kirk were natives of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Their son, Cyrus Kirk, is now president of the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa, and con- nected with other important financial interests of Des Moines. In 1867 he be- came a resident of Des Moines, and he was married July 29, 1869, in Chester county, Pennsylvania. Extended mention of him is made on another page of this volume.

Cyrus Kirk is the father of Clyde Kirk who, spending his youthful days. under the parental roof, pursued his education in the public schools of the capital city and was graduated from West Des Moines high school with the class of 1893. He won his professional degree, that of LL. B., on the completion of the law course in the State University of Iowa in 1895, and in June of the same year began practice in Des Moines. Although advancement at the bar is proverbially slow, he applied himself with such thoroughness and prepared his cases with such care and precision that he gradually worked his way upward. Each step in his career has been a forward one and has brought him to a prom-

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inent position in legal circles. For two years he was associated with the firm of Park & Odell, and for about a year with C. C. Nourse, In 1898 he became attorney for the loan department of the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa and has since remained in that professional connection, also engaging to some extent in general practice and specializing in the field of real-estate law, in which branch he has become particularly proficient.

On the 8th of July, 1907, in Des Moines, Clyde Kirk was married to Miss Lillian Pegg, a daughter of L. L. and Virginia Pegg, of Columbus, Ohio. Socially prominent, they have many friends in the city. They hold membership in the Methodist church and Mr. Kirk belongs also to the Knights of Pythias lodge, to Grant Club, and to the Hyperion Field and Motor Club. In politics he is a conservative republican, whose course is based upon the close and discrim- inating study of the issues of the day. His analytical mind enables him to form a very correct judgment not only in political matters but in the solution of other problems, for it is his custom to view any question from every possible stand- point and thus his opinions are evenly balanced.

CHARLES NOYES KINNEY, A. C., M. S.

Among the distinguished chemists of the country is Professor Charles Noyes Kinney, for many years past at the head of the chemical department of Drake University and an expert whose name is known throughout the country. He was born at lowa City, Iowa, April 21, 1869, a son of George W. and Elizabeth Noyes Kinney. The father was born near Dayton, Ohio, in 1835, and at four- teen years of age came to Iowa City, subsequently removing to Des Moines, where he engaged in the boot and shoe business and later opened a grocery store on the spot later occupied by the old Congregational church and at the present time by the Chamberlain Hotel. Closing out his grocery, Mr. Kinney engaged in the pottery business opposite the dam, and after a few years moved to a farm which he owned near Mitchellville. At the end of ten years, on account of the death of his wife, he returned to Des Moines and reentered the grocery business, from which he changed to the proprietorship of a drug store, continuing in that line until his death, which occurred in March, 1893.

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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 39

Author: Brigham, Johnson, 1846-1936; Clarke (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Brigham, Johnson, 1846-1936; Clarke (S.J.) Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1464