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 59

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 59

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JAMES W. BROWN.

One of the well known and prominent real-estate men of Des Moines is james W. Brown, whose birth occurred in Dewitt, Iowa, on the 25th of Septem- ber, 1841. His father, who was a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, but of English extraction, migrated to Iowa in 1839, locating upon some government land in the vicinity of Dewitt, where he continued to live until his decease. He married Philena Evans, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Iowa from New York with her parents in the early forties.

Being reared upon a farm James W. Brown acquired his early education in the district schools of his native county, completing the high school course in 1859, following which he attended Mount Vernon for two years. The Civil war breaking out about the time he left college he enlisted in Company F, Twenty- sixth Iowa Volunteers, going to the front on the 15th of August, 1862, where he served for thirty-two months. He participated in some of the notable con- flicts of the Rebellion being present at the first attack on Vicksburg and the siege of Vicksburg, as well as the capture of Jackson. He entered the army as a cor- poral, but was mustered out with the rank of first lieutenant, and during the entire period of his service he was neither wounded or captured. He contracted fever and ague, however, which incapacitated him so that he was finally dis- charged.

Returning home from the war he entered the office of John C. Polly, of Dewitt, where he read law, being admitted to the bar in 1867, following which he engaged in general practice. From Dewitt he removed to Grand Junction where he resided for three years and then came to Des Moines, taking up his residence in the latter city in 1878. Mr. Brown continued to practice law for several years after his arrival in the Capital city, withdrawing from it finally to go into the real-estate business, which had always been congenial and more to his liking. He has ever since continued to be identified with this field of activity, in which he has met with marked success, having handled some of the most valuable properties in the city in the course of his transfers. He has a very large clientele, which includes the names of some of the most extensive realty owners in the city.

On the 20th of June, 1865, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Regina E. Young, a native of Indiana and later a resident of Mount Vernon, Iowa, and a daughter of Robert S. Young, a circuit rider of the Methodist denomination. One son was born of this union, Ernest E., the secretary and treasurer of the Inter-State Business Men's Association of Des Moines. The religious views of Mr. and Mrs. Brown conform to those of the Methodist Episcopal denomina- tion, in which they hold membership. Fraternally Mr. Brown is identified with the Masonic order, in which he has attained the rank of Master Mason, while

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he maintains relations with his comrades of old through the medium of the G. A. R.

A strong advocate of the principles of the republican party Mr. Brown always supports the men and measures of that body. He takes an active interest in all governmental affairs, and does a great deal of campaign speaking. During the period of his residence in Grand Junction he was the choice of his constituency for mayor, which office he held for one term before removing to Des Moines. During the thirty years of his residence in the city Mr. Brown has noted its development from a thriving town to the commercial center of the state, in the advancement of which he has ever taken an active interest because of his civic loyalty and pride.

OTTO B. MACK.

Many successful business men of the west have been attracted to Des Moines as a flourishing and growing city and have here established themselves in lines that are each year reaching out into wider channels. Otto B. Mack, who is well known in real-estate and insurance circles, has demonstrated the advantages of this city for the branches of business he represents, having built up a large clientage in a few years.

He is a native of Madison county, Iowa, and was born November 16, 1871, a son of W. E. Mack, who was born at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1839. He came to the United States at the age of twenty years and engaged in this country as a pharmacist. He was a soldier for the Union at the time of the Civil war, serving in an Ohio company. He carried dispatches and was with Sherman on his march to the sea. His death occurred after his retirement from active business affairs. The mother, Elizabeth A. Faulkner before her marriage, was a native of Marion county, Ohio. There were seven children in the family, namely : Millison, now the wife of C. H. Marine, who is connected with the United States pension office in Des Moines ; Otto B., the subject of this review ; Abbie, the wife of J. E. Winters, who lives at Lincoln, Nebraska ; Carl F., who is married and engaged in the insurance business at Des Moines; Harry L., who became a dentist and is now deceased; W. E., who is married and lives at Sheridan, Wyoming; and Mary, now living with her mother at Lincoln, Nebraska.

Otto B. Mack was educated in the public schools of Madison county, later attending the high school at St. Charles, from which he was graduated with the class of 1890. He began his active career by working upon the home farm, but later came to Des Moines and entered the real-estate business, in which he con- tinued for seven years. His next experience was at Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he spent five years raising graded stock upon a ranch of which he was the owner. Not being entirely satisfied with this line of activity, he accepted a position as traveling emigration agent for the Northwestern Land Company with headquarters in St. Paul, continuing with this organization for one year. Having gained practical knowledge in handling lands he decided to establish an office upon his own account and accordingly came to Des Moines, where he has since been highly successful in land transactions and has also been connected with the insurance business. He is secretary and treasurer of the Income Ac- cident Association, and district manager of the Standard Accident Insurance Com- pany of Detroit, Michigan. As his efforts are intelligently directed, his enter- prise has yielded substantial returns and each year witnesses an enlargement of his field of operations.

In 1895 Mr. Mack was united in marriage to Miss Susie Breeding, a native of Warren county, Iowa, and a daughter of James Breeding, a farmer and

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stock-raiser. She passed away in 1897, leaving one child, Burnel, who was born in Madison county, Iowa, August 22, 1896. On January 15. 1900, Mr. Mack was again married, the lady of his choice being Miss Ella Clay, who was born in Guthrie county, Iowa. a daughter of John and Mary (Ricker) Clay. The father was a farmer of this state and is now deceased, having been called away in 1905. Mr. and Mrs. Mack are the parents of one child, Wilmoth Clay, who was born December 30, 1903, in South Dakota.

Mr. Mack is identified with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias and is a stanch believer in the principles of brotherhood upon which these or- ganizations are founded. He is a member of the Christian church, and both he and his wife are greatly esteemed by many friends whom they have made since taking up their residence in this city. Politically he is connected with the re- publican party and, although he has never sought honors or public office, as a patriotic citizen he gives due attention to political questions and votes for the men who in his opinion are best qualified to advance the public welfare.

F. E. V. SHORE, M. D.

Dr. F. E. V. Shore has gained recognition among the distinguished mem- bers of the medical profession in Des Moines not because he has sought the prominence of wide recognition but because of his fidelity to the onerous duties that have devolved upon him and his conscientious service in behalf of his fellow- men. In keeping with the strongly marked tendency of the times, he has special- ized in a particular field of practice, giving his attention to the diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. Canada numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Ontario on the 7th of December, 1864. His father. Richard Shore, a native of Canada, spent his entire life in that country. He was of Irish lineage, while his wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Taylor, was a representative of an old Canadian family.

Dr. Shore pursued his early education in the public schools of Toronto and afterward attended the collegiate institute there. Later he pursued his studies in Winnipeg for two years and afterward entered the medical department of the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated in 1886. Having determined to make his home on this side the border, he located for practice at Algona, Iowa, devoting four years to the general practice of medicine. but his attention was directed toward his present specialty and, becoming deeply interested therein, he studied in order to do special work in the treatment of dis- eases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. His studies were pursued in New York. London and Paris, where he came under the instruction of some of the eminent oculists and aurists of America and of Europe. Seeking a broader field of labor than was offered in Algona, he removed to Des Moines in 1891 and has firmly established himself in a good practice in the field of his specialty here. He be- longs to the Polk County Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society and the American Medical Association and since 1900 he has been eye and ear surgeon for the Rock Island Railroad Company at Des Moines.

In 1889 Dr. Shore was married to Miss Bertha Call, a native of Algona. Iowa, and a daughter of Ambrose Call, who was the founder of that town and an old and respected pioneer resident of the state. Her mother bore the maiden name of Nancy Henderson. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Shore have been born five chil- dren : Philip, Bertie, Ambrose, Richard and Victor.

Dr. and Mrs. Shore are prominent in the social circles of the city and he is now regarded as a leading Mason here, belonging to Capital Lodge, A. F. & A. M .. the Knight Templar commandery and to the Mystic Shrine. He is likewise a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge and has filled all of the chairs. His

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religious faith. is indicated in his membership in St. Paul's Episcopal church. In all of his professional service he is actuated by a sense of conscientious obligation that has made him a most able practitioner. In the field of otology and laryngology he has carried his investigations far and wide and as an oculist and aurist has displayed skill far above the average. He could never be content with mediocrity and his studies have been so vigorously and systematically prosecuted that his skill is such as at once inspires confidence on the part of a patient-a most valuable element in successful practice.

F. H. PEASE.

F. H. Pease, the secretary of the Pease Hay Commission Company, is one of the well known and highly respected business men of Des Moines. His birth occurred in Perry, Iowa, on the 18th of October, 1879. his parents being James S. and Alice M. (Thornburg) Pease. The father, a native of New York, took up his abode in Perry, Iowa, in 1870 and five years later, in association with his brother, George A., organized Pease Brothers, a copartnership. In 1902 the brothers retired from business and George A. now resides in California, and James S. is a resident of Basin, Wyoming.

F. H. Pease obtained his early education in the public schools of Des Moines and is a graduate of the North Des Moines high school. He subsequently spent three years at Oberlin and alse pursued the prescribed course of study in the Capital City Commercial College. He left Oberlin College earlier than he an- ticipated because of the fact that his father was anxious to have him enter the commission business, wishing to retire as soon as his son could be entrusted with the management of the enterprise. Our subject entered the firm in 1898 and since the retirement of his father and uncle has acted in the capacity of secre- tary. In 1904 R. M. Galbraith became connected with the Pease Hay Commis- sion Company, now serving as the chief executive officer. The continued growth and success of the concern is atributable in large measure to the excellent busi- ness ability and keen dircrimination of Mr. Pease, who has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful man of business and is known for his straightforward and honorable methods, which have won him the deserved and unbounded confidence of his fellowmen.

In April, 1902, Mr. Pease was united in marriage to Miss Mabel L. Gal- braith, a daughter of R. M. and Mary L. (Cable) Galbraith. They have one son, Galbraith, whose natal day was June 14, 1906. Mr. Pease belongs to the Grant Club, being a valued and popular member thereof. He has won a cred- itable degree of prosperity for one of his years and undoubtedly a bright fu- ture lies before him.

JOHN A. SANDHOLM.

John A. Sandholm, a resident of Des Moines since 1872 and connected with the drug business of this city since that date is now widely known as a manufacturing pharmacist, in which connection he has built up an extensive and growing business. He was born in the southern part of Sweden, January 8, 1858. a son of John and Hulda Sandholm. Reared and educated in his native country. he had the usual experiences which fall to the lot of farm lads, his father being a well-to-do agriculturist. In the year 1868 the father came to America, settling in Dayton, Webster county, Iowa, where both he and his wife passed away.

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John A. Sandholm attended the common country schools until eight years of age and afterward worked upon a farm for two years. He was a. little lad of only ten years when he first became connected with the drug business, to which he has devoted his energies continuously since 1869. He was first employed at Dayton, Webster county, and in 1871 removed to Boone, Iowa, but the following year came to Des Moines. Here he has since resided and his association with the drug trade is a well known feature in the commercial history of the city. He first began business on his own account in 1882, being for a short time located on the east side, in the Capital City Hotel building, where he remained for five years. In 1884 he established the Oxford Pharmacy in the Kirkwood Hotel building and it was afterward known as the Kirkwood House Pharmacy. About five years ago he disposed of his retail interests but continues as a manufacturing pharmacist, making drugs and his own preparations. In this he is meeting with excellent success, the product of his laboratory finding a ready sale on the market and enjoying a constantly increasing patronage.

On the 23d of November, 1886, at Rockford, Illinois, Mr. Sandholm was married to Miss Sadie B. Doyle, a daughter of M. V. and Katherine Doyle, both of whom are now deceased. Mrs. Sandholm was highly educated and accom- plished in all that is good. She holds membership in the Episcopal church. Mr. Sandholm was reared in the Methodist faith but is. not affiliated with any church organization at the present time, nor is he a member of any club although he has belonged to many. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias and with the Masons, while his political allegiance is given to the republican party. Ever recognizing the fact that the present and not the future holds the oppor- tunity, he has made good use of his time and talents and his progress is at- tributable entirely to his own labors. There are few who have to start out in the business world as early as he did, but energy and determination are un- conquerable forces and those qualities have gradually brought him to the present enviable and prominent position which he occupies in connection with the manu- facturing and commercial interests of Des Moines.

CHARLES ELBERT RAWSON.

Charles Elbert Rawson has builded a splendid monument to himself in the Des Moines Life Insurance Company, which, based upon sound business prin- ciples and conforming at all times to the highest business ethics, has become one of the strongest and foremost insurance companies of the middle west. In the establishment and control of business Mr. Rawson has shown an initiative spirit and aptitude for successful management that places him in a prominent position among the capable and successful men of Iowa. There are no halfway meas- ures with him, and determination and energy have enabled him to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles that beset every path of business.

A native of Illinois, Charles E. Rawson was born in Batavia, Kane county, on the 5th of March, 1849, his parents being H. M. and Mary A. (Daniels) Raw- son. The ancestral line is traced directly to Edward Rawson, secretary of the Massachusetts colony, who came from England in 1636 and became the progen- itor of the first family of the name on American soil. His descendants are now numerous and are widely scattered over the United States. Abner A. Rawson, the grandfather of Charles E. Rawson, was a native of Rochester, New York, and at an early epoch in the history of Illinois removed to the latter state, settling on a farm near Batavia. After devoting many years to general agricultural pur- suits he retired from the farm life and took up his abode in Batavia, where he passed away at an advanced age. His son, Harvey M. Rawson, was reared to the occupation of farming and engaged not only in the tilling of the soil but

CHARLES E. RAWSON

MRS. LOUIE C. RAWSON

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also in merchandising at Batavia, Kane county, Illinois, until 1853. In that year he removed with his family to Iowa, settling in Clinton county, where he se- cured a tract of land which he converted into highly cultivated fields. His wife was a native of the Empire state but in early childhood removed to Michigan. Their family numbered ten children, eight sons and two daughters, of whom Charles E. Rawson was the third in order of birth.

The removal of the family to Iowa occurred when Charles E. Rawson was in his fourth year and he was reared to farm life, early becoming familiar with the work of the fields, in which he rendered assistance to his father until he had attained his majority. In the meantime his education was acquired in the pub- lic schools, the vacation periods being devoted to farm work. He also had the benefit of private instruction at the old home near Maquoketa, Iowa. In his youthful days he earned his first dollar by building fires in the country school- house. His early recognition of the fact that industry is the basis of success has constituted one of the strong forces in his later life. He has been identified with the insurance business since he attained his majority. He was first farm solicitor for the State Insurance Company, making his first contract with Hon. John M. Coggeshall, president of the company at that time. He afterward be- came special agent and adjuster. He has made progress in his chosen field until his name today is a familiar one throughout the middle west, wherever the patrons of life insurance are found. For some time he represented several eastern and home insurance companies and in 1889 formulated the plan of reor- ganizing and developing the company of which he is now president. He set to work to reorganize the business along new lines. The company had its in- ception in 1885 but made no headway until Mr. Rawson became manager. He completely changed the plan of insurance, at that time establishing the business on what is known as the stipulated premium plan. For some time offices were maintained in rooms at the corner of Eighth and Walnut streets, in the Foster Opera House building, but later the growth of the business justified the erection of a fine seven-story structure at the corner of Seventh street and Grand ave- nue, known as the Des Moines Life building. In this the offices were located and the building, moreover, is a source of profitable rental to the company. From the time Mr. Rawson assumed management the company has met with marked prosperity. All interests are conducted in accordance with the most reliable and progressive methods of insurance and the splendid success of the business has its root in Mr. Rawson's thorough understanding of every branch of insurance in principle and detail, to his careful systematization of the work and the adoption of a progressive policy which leads to constant expansion. The Des Moines Life Insurance Company is today one of the foremost organi- zations of its kind in the land and its business has been extended into every hamlet and township of the middle west states. He was honored with election to the presidency of the National Insurance Convention of Mutual Life and Underwriters in 1896.

At Storm Lake, Iowa, Mr. Rawson was united in marriage to Miss Louie C. Benson, a daughter of Elias W. and Sarah A. (Parkinson) Benson. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Rawson was a successful teacher of much ability and has had liberal training in music and the languages. Two sons have been born of this marriage: Benson Charles, who died in infancy ; and Homer Elbert, nine- teen years of age, now a student in Harvard.

Mrs. Rawson has not only largely filled in an ideal manner the position of wife and mother in her own household but has also been in fullest measure a help- mate to her husband. She possesses that resourcefulness not infrequently found in women that enables them when the emergency demands to take up new work. Among the women of Iowa who have won signal success in business she is notable. She was at one time secretary of the company of which Mr. Rawson Vol. II-25

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is the president and rendered him no inconsiderable aid in making it one of the strongest insurance companies of the middle west. She afterward became vice president and since her husband's failing health has represented him in the capac- ity of president of the company. Her remarkable work in the development of this great undertaking and her equally successful effort in its management and con- trol bespeak her a woman of superior business ability, capacity and intellectual and executive force. It has been said by one who has been a close observer of her connection with business interests that she "is succeeding by the same meth- ods exactly which are employed by men and adding to this her woman's tact and patience. All the while she is a lovely and gracious home-maker and mother, a queen in society, loved and honored by her friends and actively interested in the social, charitable and civic life of the community. The splendid discipline of her offices is but another expression of her capacity as a home-maker and proves that a woman can use effectively in business the same methods pursued in a comfortable and attractive home."

Both Mr. and Mrs. Rawson hold membership in Plymouth Congregational church and Mr. Rawson is in entire sympathy with the fraternal spirit and purposes of the Odd Fellows, Woodmen and Knights of Pythias lodges, in all of which he holds membership. Something of the nature of his recreation is indicated in the fact that he belongs to the Golf and Country Club. In politics he is a stanch republican, believing firmly in the principles of the party and is one of the influential members of the widely known Grant Club of Des Moines, yet the honors and emoluments of office have no attraction for him. In matters of citizenship, however, he stands among the foremost of those who are aiding most largely in the work of municipal progress and improvement. No project or measure for the public good seeks his aid in vain and his cooperation is of a most substantial character. Moreover, he knows the living issues and feels the palpitating poetry of politics. He and his wife are prominent in the social cir- cles of the city. Their home, The Oaks, on Arlington avenue, is a stately man- sion, surrounded by fine old trees and spacious grounds, and while one of the handsome residences of the city, it is also one of the most hospitable.

JUDGE LAWRENCE DE GRAFF.

Because of his special ability in a profession that calls for the brightest talent Judge Lawrence De Graff was chosen to fill the responsible position he now occupies upon the bench of the ninth judicial district of Iowa. Although not yet forty years of age he has attained an enviable reputation as a jurist, and he justly ranks high in the estimation of the practicing attorneys of Polk county and of litigants seeking in the courts their just rights. He comes of Dutch and English ancestry and was born at Apple River, Jo Daviess county, Illinois, June 24, 1871, the son of Hiram and Sarah (Eplett) De Graff, the former of whom departed this life August 9, 1891, and the latter on May 25, 1910. There were two children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. De Graff, Lawrence, and Ella.

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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 59

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