USA > Iowa > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, Iowa. Containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county. Together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Iowa, and of the presidents of the United States > Part 122
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WILLIAM LARRABEE,
E. H. Williams, who was at that time living at Garnavillo, Clayton County. It was this circum- stanee which led the young boy from Connecticut to select his future home in the northeastern por- tion of Iowa. He resumed his oeeupation as a pedagoguc, teaching, however, but one winter, which was passed at Hardin. The following three years he was employed in the eapaeity of foreman on the Grand Meadow farm of his brother-in-law, Judge Williams.
In 1857 he bought a one-third interest in the Clermont Mills, and located at Clermont, Fayette County. He soon was able to buy the other two- thirds, and within a year found himself sole owner. IIe operated this mill until 1874 when he sold to S. M. Leach. On the breaking out of the war he offered to enlist, but was rejected on account of the loss of his right eye. Being informed he might possibly be admitted as a commissioned officer, he raised a company and received a commission as First Lieutenant, but was again rejected for the sanie disability.
After selling the mill Mr. Larrabee devoted him- self to farming, and started a private bank at Cler- mont. He also, experimentally, started a large nursery, but this resulted only in confirming the belief that Northern Iowa has too rigorous a eli- mate for fruit-raising.
Mr. Larrabee did not begin his political eareer until 1867. He was reared as a Whig and became a Republican on the organization of that party. While interested in polities he generally refused local offices, serving only as Treasurer of the School Board prior to 1867. In the autumn of that year, on the Republican tieket, he was elected to represent his county in the State Senate. To this high position he was re-elected from time to time, so that he served as Senator continuously for eighteen years before being promoted to the high- est office in the State. He was so popular at home that he was generally re-nominated by aeclamation, and for some years the Democrats did not even
make nominations. During the whole eighteen years Senator Larrabee was a member of the prin- cipal committee, that on Ways and Means, of which he was generally Chairman, and was also a member of other committees. In the pursuit of the duties thus devolving upon him, he was indefatigable. It is said that he never misscd a committee meet- ing. Not alone in this, but in private and public business of all kinds, his uniform habit is that of elose application to work. Many of the important measures passed by the Legislature owe their ex- istenee or present form to him,
He was a candidate for the gubernatorial nomina- tion in 1881, but entered the contest too late, as Gov. Sherman's following had been successfully organized. In 1885 it was generally eoneeded be- fore the meeting of the convention that he would be nominated, which he was, and his eleetion fol- lowed as a matter of course. He was inaugurated Jan. 14, 1886, and so far has made an excellent Governor. His position in regard to the liquor question, that on which politieal fortunes are made and lost in Iowa, is that the majority should rule. He was personally in favor of high lieense, but having been elected Governor, and sworn to up- hold the Constitution and execute the laws. he pro- poses to do so.
A Senator who sat beside him in the Senate de. clares him to be " a man of the broadest compre- hension and information, an extraordinarily clear reasoner, fair and conscientious in his conclusions, and of Spartan firmness in his matured judgment," and says that "he brings the practical faets and philosophy of human nature, the seience and his- tory of law, to aid in his decisions, and adheres with the earnestness of Jefferson and Sumner to the fundamental principles of the people's rights."
Gov. Larrabee was married Sept. 12, 1861, at Cler- mont, to Anna M. Appelman, daughter of Capt. G. A. Appelman. Gov. Larrabee has seven ehil- dren-Charles, Augusta, Julia, Anna, William, Frederic and Helen.
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Harau Pairs.
GOVERNORS OF IOWA.
150
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Boies.
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ORACE BOIES, Governor of Iowa, is a lawyer by profession, and a resident of the city of Waterloo, of this State, where he has been in active prac- 0 tice since April, 1867. Governor Boies is a son of Eher and Hettie (Henshaw) Boies, and was born in Aurora, Erie County, N. Y., on the 7th day of December, 1827. His father was a farmer by occupation, and in moderate circumstances, and Horace was reared under the healthful and moral influences of farm life. He attended the public schools, as op- portunity afforded, until sixteen years of age, when being inspired with an ambition to see more of the world than had been possible for him within the narrow limits of his native town, with the added variety of an occasional visit to Buffalo, he per- suaded his parents to consent to his departure for the West. Passage was secured on a steamer at Buffalo, which was bound up the lakes, and in due time he landed at the little hamlet of Racine, Wis. This was in the spring of 1843, while Wisconsin
was a Territory and but sparsely settled. The total cash assets of the youthfnl emigrant amounted to but seventy-five cents, which necessitated strict economy and immediate employment. Not finding a favorable opening at Racine he struck out on foot in search of work among the farmers, which le secured with a settler near Rochester, and some twenty miles from Racine. His employer proved a hard task-master and kept the boy hard at the la- borious work of ditch digging, while he stinted him at meals. After a month spent in a half- starved condition, and over-worked, the subject of our sketch received the sum of $10 for his services, and broken down in health, moved on a few miles, where he luckily fell in with a family that had moved from the neighborhood of his home. They proved true friends and kindly cared for him through a long illness, that was the legitimate con- sequence of his previous month of hardship and starvation.
On recovering his health, young Boies continued at farm work until a year liad elapsed since he had left his home. He then returned to his native town, having learned the useful lesson of self-re- liance, which in after years enabled him to more easily overeome the difficulties that beset the way
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HORACE BOIES.
of him who has to hew out his own road to success.
On his return to Aurora, Mr. Boies pursued a course of study at the Aurora Academy, and later spent one winter in teaching school in Boone County, Ill. Returning to New York, he was mar- ried in Aurora, on the 18th of April, 1848, to Miss Adela King, a daughter of Darius and Hannah King. Mrs. Boies was born in Erie County, N. Y. Three children were born of their union, of whom only one is now living, a daughter, Adela, who was the wife of John W. Carson, now deceased. Mrs. Carson resides at Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
In 1850 Mr. Boies began the study of law in Au- rora and pursued it in that place and also in Bos- ton, of Erie County ; and was admitted to the bar at Buffalo, at the general term of the Supreme Court in November, 1852. He pursued the prac- tice of his profession in Buffalo and vicinity with marked success, and in the fall of 1857 was chosen to represent his district in the New York House of Representatives, for the session of 1858.
In the autumn of 1855 Mr. Boies was called to mourn the loss of his wife, who died in November, of that year. He was married again in December, 1858, in Waterloo, Iowa, to Miss Versalia M. Bar- ber, a daughter of Dr. P. J. Barber. Mrs. Boies was born in Boston, Erie County, N. Y., and had removed to Iowa six months prior to her marriage. She died in April, 1877, leaving three children, a daughter and two sons. Earl L., the eldest, was graduated at Cornell College, studied law with his father, was admitted to the bar in 1886, and is now his father's partner. Jessie, the only daughter, is her father's companion and housekeeper. Herbert B., the youngest, is a law student, reading law in his father's office.
Mr. Boies after pursuing the practice of his pro- fession at Buffalo and vicinity for fifteen years, re- moved to Iowa, and settled at Waterloo, in April, 1867. He at once formed a law partnership with H. B. Allen, and for a time the firm was Boies & Allen, then Carlton F. Couch, the present district judge, was admitted to membership, and the firm name be- came Boies, Allen & Couch. That connection was continued until 1878, when Mr. Allen, on account of failing health, was obliged to withdraw. The firm continued under the style of Boies & Couch until
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1884, when Mr. Couch was elected Judge of the Ninth Judicial District. Mr. Boies was then alone in business for a short time, until joined by his eldest son, E. L. In 1886 Mr. James L. Husted was admitted to membership in the firm, which has since continued under the name of Boies, Husted & Boies, and which is widely known as a leading law firm of Eastern Iowa.
Gov. Boies was a Whig in early life, and on the disruption of that party and the formation of the Republican party, he joined the latter. But he was never ambitious to serve in official positions, and with the exception of one term in the New York Legislature and one term as City Attorney at Wa- terloo, he held no office of consequence until elected Governor of Iowa in the fall of 1889. He main- tained his connection with the Republican party until 1882, since whichi time he has affiliated with the Democrats. Gov. Boies enjoys the distinction of being the first Governor of Iowa elected by the Democratic party for a period of thirty-five years, and was the only successful candidate of his party on the State ticket at the late election. Consider- ing the fact that the State was carried the year pre- vious in the Presidential election, by a majority of thirty-five thousand in favor of the Republicans, the success of Gov. Boies may be said to have been a marked compliment to him as a man and a leader. without disparaging the splendid campaign work of his party managers, or ignoring the effect of the evi- dent change in popular political sentiment in Iowa.
As a lawyer, Gov. Boies lias won prominence by his ability and well-grounded knowledge of law, an earnest and conscientious regard for the inter- ests of his clients, and the confidence and respect he never fails to command in addressing the court or jury. His life has been a busy one, and success has been achieved by indefatigable industry, close study, and strict integrity of character. He is not a politician in the common acceptation of the term, and the nomination for Governor came to him un- sought and was only accepted through a sense of duty to the party with whose principles he was in close sympathy. He enters upon the discharge of his official duties under peculiar circumstances, but with the confidence of all parties that his adminis- tretion will be able. honest and fair.
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