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 99

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 99

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Dr. Hobbs, of this review, was but three years old when his parents went to Greensburg and in the common schools of that city he pursued his education. He was only thirteen years of age when he united with the Christian church, of which he afterward remained a faithful and devoted member. In the year 1847 he began working at the printer's trade in Bloomfield, Indiana, on the Christian Record. His employer was James Mathews, to whom he was regularly appren- ticed. After serving two years of the term of his indenture he gave his employer a gold watch in order to secure release from the apprenticeship. He then returned to Greensburg and again entered school, continuing his course until 1851, for his previous experience in the business world had convinced him of the value and worth of liberal education, as a preparation for life's practical and responsi- ble duties and as the foundation for progress in business life. In 1851 he turned his attention to merchandising, which he followed until 1858, when, wishing to consecrate his life to the higher and holier calling of the ministry, he began prep- aration therefor by entering the Northwestern Christian University, now Butler University, of Indiana. He completed a four years' course in three years and was graduated on the 25th of August, 1862, with the highest honors of his class, being made valedictorian. Immediately thereafter he was elected chaplain of the Sixty-ninth Indiana Regiment of Volunteers, receiving his commission from

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Governor O. P. Morton, of Indiana. After a year, however, because of impaired health, he returned to Richmond, Indiana, and soon accepted a call to the pas- torate of a Christian church in Detroit, Michigan, where he engaged in preach- ing until 1867. In that year he came to Des Moines and took charge of the old Cherry Street Christian church, of which he remained the pastor for four years, within which time the church made a remarkable growth. He afterward engaged in preaching in Cincinnati, Ohio; Bloomington, Illinois; Louisville, Kentucky ; Denver, Colorado; and Wichita, Kansas; and while in Wichita he was dean of the theological department of Garfield University. The Northwestern Uni- versity conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was a close personal friend of President Garfield and of President Harrison and assisted at the funeral obsequies of President Garfield. In his Christian ministry he did splendid work for the upbuilding of the cause. He lived to see in many cases the harvests of his labors and at times the aftermath as well, and after a quarter of a century devoted to active service as a preacher of the gospel he was called, in June, 1890, to the position of dean of the Bible College at Drake University, which position he held until his death. He was extremely charitable in his thought and judgment, ever ready to help the needy, to lift up the fallen and speak a word of encouragement to the depressed. Many there were who came to him for advice and counsel in days of trouble and he listened patiently to all, giving them counsel that many times proved of most timely assistance.

Dr Hobbs was married in 1852 to Miss Rachel Logan, of Greensburg, In- diana, of which city she was a native. Her parents were Samuel and Susanna (Howard) Logan. Her father was a pioneer settler of Indiana from Virginia. He built the first brick house between Indianapolis and Cincinnati and the first railroad of that locality crossed his farm. At the time of his death Dr. Hobbs was survived by three daughters: Alice, the wife of George B. Peak, of Des Moines, who was the founder of and is president of the Central Life Assurance Society of the United States; Stella, now deceased, who was the wife of Dr. Samuel Ayres, of Kansas City; and Vesta, the wife of State Senator Thomas D. Long, of Kalispell, Montana, where he is also well known as a prominent attorney.

Dr. Hobbs passed away May 15, 1894. He was a republican in politics, but never aspired to office. When he first came to Des Moines he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres two miles south of the city and resided upon it for a year. This farm is now within the city limits of Des Moines and is owned by his widow. Mrs. Hobbs has always taken an active interest in Des Moines and its progress and has seen its growth from a very small village of a beautiful city. She shared with her husband in his active work in behalf of the church and had been his able assistant in many of the good deeds which he had per- formed for others. He was widely recognized as one of the eloquent, able and prominent representatives of the ministry of the Christian church and his death was a distinct loss to the brotherhood.

FRANK J. SCHULTZ.

A practical exemplification of the beneficial results of industry, energy and sound judgment is presented in the career of Frank J. Schultz, a successful farmer of Bloomfield township. Although only thirty-five years of age, he has gained a competence and also a reputation for progressiveness and reliability that is greatly to be desired by any man. He was born in this township, Novem- ber 7, 1876, a son of John and Dora (Klose) Schultz, both of whom were natives of Germany. They came to America and took up their residence in Des Moines in 1868, but after one year removed to Bloomfield township, where Mr. Schultz

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rented a farm, which he cultivated for two years. He then bought forty acres of improved land, upon which he established his home, buying more land as opportunity offered until he is now the owner of a beautiful farm of three hundred and sixty acres. He is accounted one of the substantial and representa- tive men of Polk county.

Educated in the district schools of Bloomfield township, Frank J. Schultz grew up under highly favorable conditions for the development of a worthy character. He continued at home until five years ago, when he was married and moved upon one hundred and sixty acres adjoining his father's farm. He has improved his place by the erection of a handsome residence, a commodious barn and other outbuildings, thus largely adding to its value. He carries on general farming and usually maintains about forty head of cattle and nine head of horses. For the past year he has engaged in the breeding of Aberdeen Angus cattle. He is the owner of a modern threshing outfit, which he has operated since 1903, and has all the work he can possibly attend to aside from the duties pertaining to his farm.

On the 8th of August, 1905, Mr. Schultz was united in marriage to Miss Lena Hofer, a daughter of Joseph and Rickey Hofer, who were both born in Germany. They came to this country and located in Warren county, Iowa, where they have ever since resided. Three children have brightened the home of Mr. and Mrs. Schultz, namely : William J., now five years of age; Bernice M., three years of age; and Eva D., who is two years old. Politically Mr. Schultz adheres to the republican party and, while he has not aspired to public office, he has served very acceptably as member of the school board. He and his wife are actively identified with the German Lutheran church and are firm believers in its teachings. He has many acquaintances in Polk county, who are proud to call him friend, and it is through his strict adherence to what he believes to be right that he has gained this enviable position. As the head of a happy family and a successful and growing man of business he deserves adequate mention in this work.

ANGUS K. CAMPBELL.

Among the practical business men of Des Moines should be named Angus K. Campbell, also prominent for many years as a representative of the bar of Jasper county. He is now devoting his attention to an invention of which he is the originator, which gives promise of revolutionizing the system of heating of modern homes, offices and other buildings. He is a native of Ripley, Ohio, born September 10, 1834, the son of Major Charles F. and Harriet (Kephart) Campbell, the former of whom was born in Lexington, Virginia, September 20, 1803, and the latter in eastern Pennsylvania in 1813. Charles Campbell, the great-grandfather, was captain of a patriot company in the Revolutionary war and was present at the siege of Yorktown, which resulted in the surrender of General Cornwallis and his army. General William Campbell of the same family led the patriot forces at the battle of King's Mountain. He was a pronounced favorite of General La Fayette. The great-grandfather and grandfather assisted in founding Washington and Lee University at Lexington, Virginia, and the grandfather was for seventeen years treasurer and two years acting president of that institution.

The fighting blood in the family was further demonstrated in the Civil war. the father and four brothers of our subject valiantly serving under the stars and stripes. Major Charles F. Campbell was a prominent lawyer of Ohio and was appointed by Governor Tod to drill troops during the Civil war. He died in 1864 of typhoid fever contracted while engaged in that service. Mrs. Harriet Campbell survives at the age of ninety-eight and resides in Ripley, Ohio. Six

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children came to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Campbell, of whom Angus K., the subject of this review, was the eldest. The second son, Frank T., now deceased, served for eight years in the Iowa senate and for four years as lieutenant governor of the state. He was very active in politics and was one of the railroad commissioners appointed by Governor Larrabee. J. Q. A. Campbell served as an officer in the Fifth Iowa Volunteers at the time of the Civil war and for over thirty years was editor and publisher of the Bellefontaine (Ohio) Republican, one of the most prominent papers in Ohio outside of the large cities. He is now living retired at Bellefontaine. Antoinette is now the widow of Archie Christie and is living at Ripley, Ohio. William Archie is editor and publisher of the Lima (Ohio) Gazette, one of the prominent papers in the northern part of the Buckeye state. Charles D. was at one time associate editor of the Lima Gazette and is now a patent attorney and takes a very active interest in Ohio politics. He was for six years county auditor of Logan county, Ohio.

Angus K. Campbell received his preliminary education in the public schools of Ripley and was graduated from the Marietta (Ohio) College with the degree of A. M. in 1856. After leaving college he served as assistant superintendent of schools of Chillicothe, Ohio, and later as superintendent of schools at George- town, Ohio. Fifty years afterward, in 1908, he revisited the town at the head of whose educational system he had served as a young man. In 1858 he came to Newton, Jasper county, Iowa, starting the Jasper County Free Press. It was a time of great financial depression and he remembers that corn was then sold for ten cents a bushel and nearly half the real-estate in Iowa had been placed under the auction block for taxes. After serving in an editorial capacity upon the Free Press and the Headlight for ten years, Mr. Campbell turned his atten- tion to the practice of law, having studied for this profession before leaving Ohio. He devoted himself to the law for thirty years, taking up his residence in Des Moines in 1887.

However, as early as 1875 Mr. Campbell began carrying on a series of experi- ments in heating methods and appliances, putting into practical application ideas which had been in his mind for fifteen or twenty years. In 1880 he patented the "rotary air movement" and in 1883 secured additional patents covering a com- bination of heating oven, double air movement and water battery. The system which he developed is a radical departure from the old methods of furnace con- struction and introduces principles that until very recently were not recognized by the builders of furnaces. His furnace, known as the Campbell System of Heating, is now being extensively installed in many parts of the country and is beginning to be recognized in the large cities of the east, so that it promises to come into general use as the years pass. In 1871 he became one of the promoters and builders of the Iowa, Minnesota & North Pacific Railroad, planned to extend through Jasper, Story, Hamilton, Wright and Kossuth counties, connecting with the North Pacific Railway on the north and the Des Moines valley on the south. This enterprise had James R. Marshon as president; John Meyer and William Vaughan of Newton and others as directors, together with Major Hawthorne and others of Nevada, Judge Chase and Walt Wilson of Webster City, Asa Call of Kossuth and S. B. Hewitt of Eagle Grove. The road was graded for seventeen miles and bridges built; the bonds were issued and negotiated, with complete prospects for the completion of the road, when Jay Cooke failed in New York city and many roads went to the wall, every new railway enterprise in the country being abandoned. The Rock Island finally took over and com- pleted the seventeen miles of road. Mr. Campbell served as a director and as a member of the firm of Howe & Campbell, was also attorney for the road.

On the 18th day of April, 1859, Mr. Campbell was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Belle Evans, born at Ripley, Ohio, in June, 1839. She was a daughter of Daniel B. Evans, a merchant of Ripley, and her maternal grandfather was Governor Kirker, of Ohio. The beloved wife and mother was called from earthly scenes October 9, 1907, her departure being the most severe affliction Mr. Camp-

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bell has ever known. There were nine children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Campbell : Charles E., now manager of the Capital Merchants and Bankers Insurance Company of Des Moines ; Alfred O., assistant general superintendent of the Oregon Short Line Railroad; Waldo, now in charge of the Campbell business at Minneapolis, Minnesota; Horace D. and Archie, in charge of the Campbell Heating Company in Des Moines; Everett, in the heating business in Kansas City, Missouri; Edith, now Mrs. Siegfried Larsson, of Spokane; Grace, the wife of Morton McCarthy, also of Spokane; and Alice, the wife of Mack Galusha, of Des Moines.

Mr. Campbell ever since arriving at the age of manhood has given his support to the republican party. He has not been a seeker for office, preferring to devote his attention to his private affairs, but for eight years he served most efficiently as regent of the State University of Iowa. His brother Frank was one of the foremost leaders in a vote for the state control of railroads and Mr. Campbell of this review assisted him vigorously in every movement. The test case was carried to the supreme court of the United States and a ruling was issued by that tribunal, establishing the right of the state to the control of the railroads, thus settling the question constitutionally and making state control of railroads a prominent issue throughout the entire Union. Mr. Campbell takes a deep interest in public affairs generally and his influence is always exerted in behalf of what appears to his cool judgment to be just and right. Through persistent and well directed effort he has won the high position he occupies in the estimation of his friends, and that his reputation is well deserved is attested by the respect in which he is held by the entire community.

SAMUEL STEPHEN ETHRIDGE.

It is the commonly accepted opinion that the professional man does not pos- sess the ability that insures success in the management of commercial or indus- trial enterprises, but the life record of Samuel Stephen Ethridge disproves this belief for not only did he win prominence as a practitioner at the bar but also became one of the most extensive and successful operators in the coal fields of Iowa. In each field he displayed a spirit of enterprise and determination that led him gradually to the goal of success.

He traveled life's journey for seventy-one years, his birth having occurred at Sandwich, Carroll county, New Hampshire, March 1, 1838, his death in Des Moines on the 7th of June, 1909. He acquired his early education in Newbury, Vermont, and supplemented his preliminary training by a course in the Wesleyan University at Middletown, Connecticut, from which he was graduated. While a student there he was an active member of the Alpha Phi Delta, a college fra- ternity. His more specifically literary education being completed, he took up the study of law, which he pursued in a law school, and following the Civil war he was admitted to practice at the Iowa bar in 1866. He came to Des Moines in 1863 and soon afterward enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a mem- ber of Company F, Forty-seventh Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry. With that command he went to the front and was engaged in active duty until the close of hostilities. He was admitted to the bar in the class of Colonel Godfrey, Thomas Wright and B. F. Kauffman, and J. S. Polk was a member of the ex- amining board. He at once began practicing in Des Moines, where he spent his entire professional life. Gradually in the field of law he made progress un- til he was accorded a prominent position as a strong and able advocate and wise counselor. He remained a student of his profession, and his continued reading

SAMUEL S. ETHRIDGE

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and research brought him a wide acquaintance with the principles of jurispru- dence and with precedent.

For a number of years Mr. Ethridge held public office. On the 19th of Jan- uary, 1869, he was appointed United States commissioner and continued in that position for many years. In 1874 he was made deputy United States marshal and referee in bankruptcy and in 1877 was appointed to the office for a second term. It was during his incumbency in that position that he made a name for himself through his instrumentality in driving out squatters from the river bot- tom along the Des Moines. In office and in professional connections, and in the relations of private life as well, he sought always justice, truth and progress. In addition to his professional and official duties he became known in business connections and for several years was one of the largest coal operators in the state, being president of the Eclipse Coal Company, which owns some of the richest mines of Iowa.

In 1874 Mr. Ethridge was united in marriage to Miss Mattie Le Bosquet, a long-time resident of this city, her father having been one of the early settlers here. She is a daughter of Henry Le Bosquet, who came to Des Moines from West Virginia in 1865 and was engaged in merchandising. He figured for a long period as a prominent and influential citizen and continued a resident of Des Moines until his death on the 20th of July, 1899. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ethridge were born two sons, Henry Le B., who died in infancy ; and Charles A., who is now engaged in the insurance business.

Mr. Ethridge was a man of unquestionable integrity and honor, whose busi- ness dealings were ever above reproach. He never sought to take advantage of the necessities of another and would always rather suffer an injustice than cause another to do so. The years not only brought him success but also an irreproach- able record, and it was thus that he established himself in a most creditable and enviable position among the citizens of the capital. His memory is dear to many who knew him and most of all to his immediate family, to whom he was ever most devoted. He likewise held friendship inviolable. His was the aristocracy of worth rather than of wealth and no man was quicker to recognize and appreciate true worth in others.

THOMAS FLYNN.

The life record of Thomas Flynn remains as a creditable chapter in the history of Des Moines and is a notable example of the fact that opportunity is open to all. It is the man who dares to face the situation and who calls forth the powers of energy, determination and resolution, who comes off victor in the battle of life. Mr. Flynn was but a young man when he came to the new world, having been born in Ireland in 1853. His parents were Dennis and Catherine Flynn. In his native land he pursued his education and when twenty- two years of age crossed the Atlantic and made his way to Des Moines where he joined his uncle Martin, whom he assisted for a number of years in railroad building. He then invested the proceeds of his labor in farming land on the outskirts of the city and thereon made his home throughout his remaining days, becoming one of the prominent representatives of agricultural life in this part of the state. He followed general farming and stock-raising and also conducted an extensive dairy business. To his place he added all of the improvements and accessories of a model farm, erected thereon substantial buildings and developed a valuable property, constituting one of the attractive features on the landscape. He was most highly respected by all who knew him and his business integrity and enterprise won for him the admiration and kindly regard of many friends.

In 1885 Mr. Flynn was united in marriage to Miss Julia Mckeon, and unto them were born two sons, Fay and Leo. Mrs. Flynn still continues to make

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her home on the farm at Hickman and Beaver avenues and the property which she owns is valuable and productive. There the death of Mr. Flynn occurred on the 14th of April, 1908, when he was but fifty-five years of age. He was respected by all who knew him, because of an honorable, upright life and unfaltering loyalty to the principles which he espoused. He was always active in the affairs of the community and was interested in anything for the better- ment of the city and county. He stood for progress at all times, not only in individual affairs but in municipal life as well, and his cooperation could always be counted upon to further measures for the public good. His sound . judgment prompted him to make wise use of his time and in his business career he early learned to discriminate as to what was essential and what was useless. He therefore discarded the latter and utilized the former to the best advantage. Each year saw him in a position in advance of what he had attained the previous year. Thus he gradually worked his way upward and never felt that he had occasion' to regret his determination to come to the new world, where warm friends as well as success awaited him in a country, where there is comparatively little of the class feeling and where recognition is given to genuine worth and manhood.

DOUGLAS L. SKINNER.

The life record of some men indicate that even in youth they have a purpose in view and direct their energies toward an ultimate conclusion, as is evidenced by the career of Douglas L. Skinner, who today occupies a position of responsi- bility in one of the leading grocery firms of Des Moines. He was born in this city December 29, 1873, a son of Philip H. and Kate D. (McClarrey) Skinner, the former of whom was born July 29, 1849. The mother's birthplace was Washington, D. C., and they were married in York, Pennsylvania, where her family was prominent in business circles. The father of our subject came to Des Moines half a century ago, at which time the present city was but a mere village, and here he engaged in the banking business, becoming within a few years a well known factor in commercial circles throughout the state of Iowa, very materially assisting in the financial development of the city. His grand- father, Horace L. Skinner, was one of Iowa's pioneer settlers, having come to the state in the early '6os when it was but sparsely inhabited. Philip H. Skinner was a man of the highest integrity and in all his business dealings ever had the interest of his fellow citizens at heart. He remained prominently identified with the banking business in Des Moines until his death, which occurred June 4, 1906. He is survived by his widow, who resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The preliminary education of Douglas L. Skinner was obtained in the public schools, supplemented by a course in the West Des Moines high school, from which he was graduated in 1892. In that year he accepted a position with the Pratt Grocery Company, with which he remained for six years, and then became associated with the C. C. Prouty Grocery Company as cashier. By close appli- cation to the business, combined with his energy and perseverance, he demon- strated his worth and was appointed secretary and credit man, the duties of which position he has fulfilled with the utmost efficiency and to the entire satis- faction of his employers.

Mr. Skinner was married October 4, 1899, to Miss Stella M. Collins, and of this union has been born one child, William Russell, whose birth occurred September 4, 1903. He is a pupil in the Byrd School.

In politics Mr: Skinner casts his vote for the republican party, being num- bered with the progressive element. Socially he is a member of the Hyperion Golf and Motor Club. He is a young man of exemplary character who has attained a modicum of success that many an older man would be proud of. He has acquired a fair share of this world's goods and is an excellent example of

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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 99

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