USA > Iowa > Des Moines County > History of Des Moines County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 9
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he seems to readily discriminate between the essential and the non- essential and this quality has contributed to his success in other direc- tions. He has for a long period of years been one of the directors of the Merchants National Bank, and in 1898 he aided in organizing the Clinton-Copeland Candy Company, which was incorporated with Mr. Copeland as its first president, and in that connection he has since continued, his administrative direction and executive ability being a potent force in the successful management and development of that concern. The company erected a large and splendidly equipped factory in 1905, employment is furnished to seventy-five people and this has become one of the leading manufacturing inter- ests of Burlington.
Mr. Copeland is most pleasantly situated in his home life. On Christmas day of 1879 he wedded Miss Mary A. Miller, a daughter of Henry Miller, of Burlington. Their only son, John R. Copeland, is now connected with the Clinton-Copeland Candy Company. The parents attend the Congregational church, to which Mrs. Copeland belongs, and to its support they are generous contributors.
Mr. Copeland gives his political support to the republican party. In this connection a contemporary biographer has said: "Deeply interested in politics from the point of view of the business man and citizen, his opinions carry weight in the councils of his party, yet despite his undoubted influence he has never been a candidate for office in Burlington, although while in business in Mifflin, Pennsyl- vania, he was appointed postmaster at that place, being one of the first to receive the appointment under President Arthur. He con- tinued in that position until after the election of President Cleve- land, when he resigned. On the organization of the Burlington Water Company two directors were appointed by the mayor to rep- resent the municipality on its board of directors and Mr. Copeland was first appointed by a democratic mayor and later by a republican mayor. In 1903 he was elected a director of the Burlington Hos- pital and was re-elected in 1905." He also served as postmaster of Burlington for four years, being appointed during President Taft's administration.
On the organization of the Commercial Exchange Mr. Copeland became a member and has served on its land site committee, while in February, 1905, he was elected its president. Fraternally he is a Mason and in his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. He is a man of strong and resolute purpose. His judgments are never hastily formed, but when once convinced of the righteousness of a cause or the value of a course he never deviates therefrom. He
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is firm and determined, but at all times just and reasonable. The extent and importance of his business activities and his public-spirited interest in the general welfare have made him a valued factor in connection with the work of promoting Burlington's interests.
JOHN W. SWILER.
John W. Swiler, now residing at No. 1800 River street in Bur- lington, is now enjoying a well-earned rest after a life of activity characterized by a most benevolent spirit and an earnest desire to uplift humanity. His efforts as a teacher of the deaf were most re- sultant in good, and his labors have been indeed a beneficent influence in the lives of many with whom he has come in contact.
Mr. Swiler was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, De- cember 14, 1844, a son of Christopher and Mary ( Mullin) Swiler. The father was born January 30, 1817, in Cumberland county, Penn- sylvania, and was of German lineage, his ancestors being numbered among the earliest settlers of eastern Pennsylvania. The Mullin family was of Scotch-Irish descent. Christopher Swiler was a miller by trade, and in 1852 migrated westward with his family, traveling by wagon across the country to Warren county, Illinois, where he practically spent the remainder of his life. He established the first grist mill in Monmouth, Illinois, known as the Claycomb mill, but his principal business was that of farming. He died in Burlington, Iowa, December 22, 1909, at the home of his son, John W. Swiler, at the very venerable age of ninety-three years and was laid to rest in the cemetery at Monmouth, Illinois. His wife, who was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, December 27, 1818, died in Mon- mouth, Illinois, March 24, 1899, at the age of eighty years. Both were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church and at the time of his death Mr. Swiler was probably the oldest member of the First Methodist Episcopal church in Monmouth. Mrs. Swiler's father was Alexander Mullin, a soldier of the War of 1812, while her grandfather, Michael Mullin, was a soldier of the Revolution- ary war. Alexander Mullin died in Lomax, Illinois, and was buried in Monmouth, at the age of ninety-five years. He was a blacksmith by trade and worked at the forge until more than eighty years of age. His family numbered twenty-two children, of whom Moses Mullin, now residing in Topeka, Kansas, was a soldier
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of the Civil war. A daughter, Mrs. Marjorie Atchinson, is living in Monmouth, Illinois, and another daughter, Emma, is the wife of Hiram Allen, of Albia, Iowa. It was Mary Mullin of this family who became the wife of Christopher Swiler, and they had a family of three children: John, whose name introduces this review ; Agnes, who was born in 1847 and is the widow of George Joss and resides in Monmouth, Illinois; and Mary, who was born in 1849 and died in infancy.
John W. Swiler was a lad of about eight years when his parents removed from Pennsylvania to Illinois. He was graduated from Monmouth College with the class of 1864 and afterward received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from his alma mater. He pursued a course in Bryant & Stratton Business College at Chicago, and in Bryant & Stratton College in Philadelphia, being graduated therefrom in 1865. He taught school through the succeeding winter at Monmouth, Illinois, and later was employed in connection with a book and newspaper business there. In the fall of 1867, in response to an invitation from P. G. Gillett, superintendent of the Illinois Institute for the Deaf, Mr. Swiler went to Jacksonville, Illinois, and assumed a position as teacher in that school, with which he re- mained in active connection for thirteen years. In the fall of 1878 he was invited to Beloit, Wisconsin, to meet the board of trustees of the Wisconsin School for the Deaf, with a view to becoming super- intendent of that institution, but after fully considering the subject he decided it was an inopportune time to make any change. In the spring of 1880 he was again invited to go to Wisconsin, and at that period accepted the superintendency of the school for the deaf, assuming control of the institution in the month of June. This was the year following the destruction of the principal school buildings by fire, and at the time when he undertook the work Mr. Swiler found the school with new buildings in process of erection, which were completed the ensuing winter. He remained as superintendent of that institution through all the various vicissitudes of politics for twenty-one years, and the record which he made for capability and fidelity during that period endeared him to the community at large, while his work gave him a firm hold upon the affectionate regard of the pupils of the school. He is a man of broad experience, of sound judgment and great executive ability, and he made valuable improvements at the school, both in the introduction of mechanical appliances and in the method of teaching. He resigned that posi- tion on the ist of September, 1901, and spent the following year in Chicago and in travel through the south.
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In March, 1902, Mr. Swiler came to Burlington and has since occupied his present elegant residence. The place, which is known as Rivercrest, is one of the most attractive homes of the city, stand- ing on the river bank on top of a hill. During the period of his residence in Delavan, Wisconsin, Mr. Swiler was offered the super- intendency of the school for the deaf at Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1897, and was elected to the position, but did not accept. Since coming to Burlington he has not been actively engaged in business further than the management of his farm and other personal interests at Fort Worth, Texas. He has, however, been active in connection with affairs relating to the public, and has cooperated in many move- ments of civic virtue and civic pride. Since coming to Burlington he has served as a member of the school board for seven years and was vice president of the board for several years. While acting on the board he was instrumental in introducing manual training and domestic science into the schools. The principal school building erected while he was in office was the high school. At all times he has stood for improvement and advancement along educational lines and his efforts have done much to further the interests of the schools of Burlington.
On the 9th of June, 1869, Mr. Swiler was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Chandler, the only child of George and Matilda B. Chandler, of Spring Grove, the wedding ceremony being performed by the Rev. H. W. Thomas, a distinguished divine of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Swiler was born in Des Moines county, February 14, 1847, attended Elliott Seminary and afterward was a pupil in a private school conducted by the Misses Cutter. She was a daughter of George Chandler, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Swiler have been born three children. Ruth Ella, who was born on the old home farm in Des Moines county, October 18, 1870, was married September 19, 1896, to J. B. Googins, of Fort Worth, Texas. With the exception of two years spent in Chicago and St. Louis, the entire period of their married life has been passed in Texas. They have three chil- dren: David Swiler Googins, born in Delavan, Wisconsin, Septem- her 18, 1897; John Chandler, born in St. Louis, December 9, 1899; and Ruth Josephine, born at Fort Worth, November 1, 1908. Mrs. Googins was educated in Oberlin College, where she was graduated in the class of 1893. George Chandler Swiler, born in Jacksonville, Illinois, August 3, 1872, was educated in Beloit College, of Beloit, Wisconsin, and in the University of Wisconsin. His early business experience was acquired through nine years' connection with the
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Drovers' National Bank of Chicago, which eminently qualified him for the position of cashier in the Burlington Savings Bank, the duties of which office he assumed in July, 1904, aiding in the organization of the bank at that time. He has since acceptably filled the position and is widely and favorably known in Burlington. He married Miss Daisy Hudson, the only daughter of T. J. Hudson, traffic manager for the Illinois Central Railroad Company at Chicago. Their mar- riage was celebrated in Chicago, October 10, 1900, the Rev. George Bixby, rector of St. Paul's church, performing the ceremony, and they now reside at No. 1724 River street, adjoining his father's home. They have two children: Wesley Hudson, who was born in Bur- lington, December 22, 1904; and Thomas Hudson Swiler, born March 8, 1909. Elsie Marie was born in Delavan, Wisconsin, Jan- uary 8, 1887, attended the public schools of Delavan, Wisconsin, and the Hyde Park high school, of Chicago. She was also a student in the Burlington high school, from which she was graduated in 1905, and she afterward attended Putnam Hall Academy and Vassar College at Poughkeepsie, New York, completing her education by a trip to Europe in 1908. She was married June 11, 1910, to Parkin Thomas Sowden, of Burlington, by the Rev. Samuel Van Pelt, and went at once to her new home in Toronto, Canada, where her hus- band is manager of the Standard Silver Company works. They have two children: Thomas Chandler, born in Toronto, March 1, 1911; and George, born December 24, 1912.
In politics Mr. Swiler has always been a republican and became well known in Wisconsin as the only superintendent of a state insti- tution who survived the administration of George W. Peck, the democratic governor, who, in what was known as the Little Red Schoolhouse campaign, defeated Governor Hoard, the republican candidate. At the time when Mr. Swiler resigned his position as superintendent of the institution for the deaf he was the vice presi- dent of the national convention of the American Instructors of the Deaf. He is prominent in the Masonic fraternity, which he joined soon after attaining his majority. He holds membership in the dif- ferent Masonic bodies in Burlington and in the consistory at Mil- waukee, being at present eminent commander of St. Omar Com- mandery, No. 15, K. T., of Burlington. He is a director of the Burlington Savings Bank and is now the president of the Visiting Nurses' Association of Burlington. Both he and his wife have always been prominent and devoted members of the Methodist church, in which he has filled the various church offices. While they have lived in Burlington for only a comparatively brief period, they
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have endeared themselves to many of the people of the city and are widely known and honored by all. Their home is one of refinement and culture, and Mrs. Swiler dispenses a cordial hospitality to all who visit beneath their roof. Their lives count as factors for good, for their influence has always been on the side of betterment and uplift, and they are numbered among those who have dispensed much of life's sunshine in words of encouragement, sympathy and understanding and in kindly assistance.
FRANK S. LINELL.
Frank S. Linell, who has been vice president of the Burlington Soap Company since its organization in 1905, was born in Oquawka, Illinois, on the 27th of March, 1866, a son of Joseph and Frances Linell. The father was engaged in the harness and lumber business in Oquawka, where he also became connected with the cattle trade and with other business undertakings. At the time of the Civil war, however, he put aside all commercial pursuits and personal interests in order to respond to the country's call for troops, and went to the front, doing valiant service in defense of the Union. He rose to the rank of captain and returned to his home with a most creditable military record.
Frank S. Linell made his initial step in business circles when he had completed a public-school education and worked for his father until twenty-four years of age. At that time he became connected with the pearl button industry at Oquawka, spending several years in that way. In 1905 he bought an interest in the Burlington Soap Company, and, in fact, became one of the organizers of the business, of which he has since been the vice president. The company was formed in that year and entered upon a prosperous existence, for from the beginning the trade has steadily increased, and has now reached substantial and gratifying proportions. A record of the business is given at length on another page of this work. From the outset success has attended the venture because of the business capa- bility of the officers and their determined purpose, together with the strictly reliable methods instituted. Their plant is located at Nos. 508-14 North Main street and they occupy three floors of a building one hundred and twenty by one hundred and seventy feet. Employ- ment is given to twenty-six people in the factory, while five traveling salesmen are kept upon the road, covering a large part of the middle
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west. They also sell through brokers upon the Pacific coast and in the south and their trade now covers a large territory. The plant is splendidly equipped with modern machinery, they utilize the latest improved processes in manufacture, and are now producing twenty different kinds of toilet and laundry soaps, together with special brands for special orders.
On the 21st of April, 1892, Mr. Linell was united in marriage to Miss Mary Alice Ryerson, of Oquawka, a daughter of George and Angeline Ryerson, who were farming people of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Linell have become the parents of two children: Frances, the wife of Otto J. Carow, a resident of Burlington; and Mary, at home.
Mr. Linell holds membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Rebekahs, the Moose, the Travelers' Protective Association, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Sons of Vet- erans, and is popular in these different organizations and is in sym- pathy with the fraternal spirit which exists, recognizing the brother- hood of mankind and the obligations which it imposes. He is a member of the Christian church, while the religious faith of his wife is that of the Baptist church. In politics he is a standpat republican, believing firmly in the principles of the grand old party. He gives to it loyal support and he always keeps well informed on the ques- tions and issues of the day. Business affairs, however, occupy the greater part of his time and attention, yet he is not remiss in the duties of citizenship when it comes to helping any movement or measure that will advance the public welfare.
CORNELIUS L. POOR.
Cornelius L. Poor ranked not only as one of lowa's most eminent and successful lawyers and as one of the foremost citizens of Bur- lington, but also as one of the most highly respected and best loved residents of the community in which he made his home and in the welfare of which he manifested such a deep and helpful interest. In matters of citizenship he held to the highest ideals and constantly employed the most practical efforts for their adoption and embodi- ment. As president of the Hawk-Eye Publishing Company he did much to raise the standard of journalism, making it ever a factor in public progress and improvement until the paper had a much more than state-wide reputation.
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CORNELIUS L. POOR
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Mr. Poor was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1845, and was descended from good old colonial stock. After com- pleting his more specifically literary education in the State Normal School at Edinboro, Pennsylvania, he became a law student in the office of a firm of prominent attorneys of Pennsylvania and was admitted to the bar in 1874. The following year Mr. Poor arrived in Burlington and was thereafter closely identified with the inter- ests of the city until his demise. At one time he practiced in partner- ship with E. E. Milspaugh and afterward with Charles Baldwin, hut for many years was alone in practice until joined by his young- est son, Ben Perley Poor. The father was eminently successful in his chosen profession. Thoroughness and care were salient features in the preparation of his cases, which were presented in clear, log- ical manner, his deductions being sound, his reasoning strong and forceful. He knew the law, was familiar with principle and prec- edent and was seldom if ever at fault in its application to a point in litigation. As the years went on his clientage grew, and the court records attest his ability in the number of favorable verdicts which he won. In addition to practicing law, Mr. Poor was the pres- ident of the Hawkeye Publishing Company and among its em- ployes has been greatly missed, for they always found him a wise and friendly counselor. That famous paper, the Burlington Hawk-Eye, in large measure reflected his sturdy views and unselfish policies.
Mr. Poor gave his political allegiance to the republican party from the time that age conferred upon him the right of franchise, and he did valuable service in behalf of his party as a campaign speaker and as a worker in other connections. The honors and emoluments of office had no attraction for him and the only political position which he filled was in the strict path of his profession. He was city solicitor from 1878 to 1882 and again was called to that office in 1910, following the adoption of the commission plan of gov- ernment, so that he was acting in that capacity at the time of his demise. In this connection the Burlington Hawk-Eve wrote: "Step- ping into the solicitor's office with the first commissioners under the new plan of city government, his services were of the greatest value to the city. The success of the commission plan in Burlington is due perhaps more to his wise counsel and his thoroughness and careful- ness than to any other one thing. There were no mistakes of a serious nature and much trouble was avoided and much money was saved the city because the commissioners had infinite confidence in their adviser and were guided by his advice in every matter of impor-
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tance that came before that body. There remain many problems to be solved and his guidance will be missed by the new council."
Following his demise, Frank C. Norton, mayor of Burlington, said: "I was greatly grieved when I heard of the death of our solicitor, Mr. Poor, last evening. I have known Mr. Poor for over thirty years and during that period I know of no act of his but what was promoted by the best and purest motives for the furtherance of Burlington's best interests and for the betterment of humanity. The loss of his wise counsel and mature judgment is, indeed, a great loss to the city administration, particularly at this time when questions of importance are demanding our attention. Mr. Poor had the con- fidence of all; and the questions arising between corporations or individuals and the city were easily and justly settled. City coun- cils need just such men as Mr. Poor as their councilor; we feel in his sudden departure that the city has suffered a great loss and all of us personally a warm friend."
Cornelius L. Poor was united in marriage to Miss Sarah M. Goodban, in Erie county, Pennsylvania, on the 20th of March, 1867. She was born in Sugar Grove, that state, and is of English descent. Following their marriage they began their domestic life in the Key- stone state, whence they came to Burlington in 1875, and here Mrs. Poor still makes her home. Theirs was a very happy marriage, blessed with the presence of four children, Fred L., Mrs. George Millard, Mrs. Edward Disque and Ben P.
Mr. Poor's devotion to his family was one of his marked char- acteristics, and his home life was largely ideal. The family circle was first broken in his death, which occurred on the 12th of May, 1912. He had long been a devoted member of the First Methodist Episcopal church, generous in his support and loyal to the best interests of the organization in every particular. He passed away the day before the sixty-seventh anniversary of his birth and left a place in the community life of the city of Burlington which was hard to fill. His disinterested patriotism found expression in a re- sponsible form of American citizenship that is seldom found in men of great affairs. He not only talked "public weal before private interests," but in his own life placed the public welfare before those advantages from which profit might have accrued to him if they interfered with projects which he considered necessary to the general welfare.
Seldom have been heard on all sides such genuine expressions of grief and regret as were expressed when Cornelius L. Poor was called from this life. Hon. Charles Mathes said: "Mr. Poor was
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a good fellow in the best sense of the word, and as such he was a friend of all good fellows and is mourned by all. I became acquainted with Mr. Poor shortly after he arrived in Burlington and our rela- tions were always very pleasant. He was a very valuable man and a safe adviser for the city. I was a member of the council when he was first chosen city solicitor, and I wanted him retained after a turn of the political wheel brought a change. He will be missed everywhere, and more especially by the present city administration."
None ever questioned his deep interest in and unselfish devotion to the welfare of the city. Civic virtue and civic pride were among his strong characteristics and he did everything to aid Burlington in reaching the high ideal toward which public spirit is now tending. Another said in this connection: "In his position as the legal rep- resentative of the city, he guarded her interests with the most pains- taking care and always stood for the right. He did not want more than was coming to the city, but he wanted all that the city had a right to ask, and he got it." Speaking of him in personal relations, Dr. E. Poppe remarked: "I shall ever remember him as a man of kind heart, a courteous gentleman and a man in every sense of the word." Another said: "His relations to the community as a cit- izen and a lawyer were such as to commend him to the respect and good judgment of all who knew him. One marked feature of his character as a lawyer and man of affairs was his candor and his broad- mindedness in matters of controversy. Others learned to rely upon his legal opinions as worthy of great consideration, for he stood very high as a lawyer." Hon. Thomas Hedge voiced the following: "He was a man of great mental and bodily strength and health. He reasoned in straight lines. He was a close student and untiring worker, loyal to his friends and faithful to the ethics of his profes- sion. His mental methods were deliberate, careful and accurate, so he became naturally a leader in his profession." Another spoke of him as "a man of sincere conviction, dignified demeanor and kindly fellowship. A lawyer of great force in court and extreme caution in council and a citizen of the very first rank in our city and state." Charles C. Clark said of Mr. Poor: "His convictions were strong and there never was any doubt at any time as to where C. L. Poor stood. In a law suit he was an antagonist to be feared because he always went to the bottom of his case and if he did not win it, it was not because he had left a single stone unturned, and his pertinacity when he knew he was right turned many an apparent defeat into victory and at times won verdicts from protesting judges and juries. Taking the keenest interest in the welfare of the state, he never
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