USA > Iowa > The United States biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self made men, Iowa volume > Part 29
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HON. MOSES BLOOM,
IOWA CITY.
M OSES BLOOM, ex-mayor of Iowa City, was born in Alsace, France, on the 28th of March, 1834. His father was a man of wealth, and until his sixteenth year Moses had all the advan- tages of an education. He attended the schools of his native town, and later entered Strasbourg Col- lege, but did not graduate, owing to the misfortune of his father, who lost his estate by becoming bonds- man for friends. In his sixteenth year he came alone to America, and started making a living un- aided by any relative, and succeeded in securing a situation as clerk in a mercantile house in New York, remaining a year, and removed to Hagers- town, Maryland. In 1854 he came west, first to Lafayette, and then to South Bend, Indiana, where he engaged in the mercantile business until 1858, when he removed to and permanently settled at
Iowa City, Iowa. Here he engaged in the cloth- ing business, and such has been his success that he now stands at the head of one of the largest establishments, in his line, in the State of Iowa. Much of his success is due to his energy, patience and perseverance, and to his undisputed reputation as a fair dealer and a liberal dispenser of charities to the needy, regardless of creed or nationality.
Not only is Mr. Bloom popular as a merchant, but also as a man and a citizen. In 1860 he was elected alderman, and in 1873 mayor of Iowa City, and, serving one term, declined a reëlection. In 1875 he received the nomination as representative to the legislature of the state, and, though running far ahead of his ticket, was defeated by only seven- teen votes. Without any solicitation on his part the democratic party of Johnson county renomi-
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nated him as their candidate for representative to the legislature, and he was triumphantly elected by a very large majority at the election of the 9th of October, 1877.
He has been connected with nearly all the enter- . prises tending to develop the interests of the city and the country, and is at present a director of the Johnson County Savings Bank, one of the solid in- stitutions of the west, of which Governor S. J. Kirkwood is president.
He was made a Mason in 1860, and was one of the originators of Teutonia Lodge of the Independ- ent Order of Odd-Fellows, of which he is a past grand and past representative in the Grand Lodge.
Though born an Israelite, he is generous in his
religious views toward people of all creeds, as his liberality toward the many churches of Iowa City have frequently demonstrated.
In politics, he is a democrat, and an advocate of reform. During the war of the rebellion, his sym- pathy, purse and voice was for the Union and right. He is a good speaker, and carries force and convic- tion in his words, and his party finds in him an able advocate of their principles.
Mr. Bloom is courteous and genial, and has the happy faculty of making and keeping friends ; has a fine commanding appearance and dignified bearing which gain for him respect everywhere. Such is the brief history of the struggles of one who has, unaided, climbed the ladder of success.
FREDERICK H. HANCOCK,
DAVENPORT.
F REDERICK HARRISON HANCOCK, pres- ident of the Board of Trade, Davenport, was born in Tazewell county, Illinois, on the 6th of November, 1836, and is the son of Harrison and Martha (Rockhold) Hancock, the former a native of New Hampshire, and the latter a native of Mary- land. His father is descended from English ances- tors who settled in New England some four genera- tions since, from whence have sprung most of the families of that name now scattered throughout the nation, the distinguished Major-General Hancock, United States army, being a connection. His mother is descended from Welsh stock who settled in Mary- land shortly before the revolution, where the name is now quite frequently met with. His father was a thrifty farmer and lumberman in his native state, where by his industry and energy he wrung from the sterile soil and flinty cliffs a comfortable subsistence, and was in easy, if not affluent, circumstances. Fol- lowing the tide of empire, they moved westward in the fall of 1830, remained the ensuing winter in Ohio, from whence they removed in the following summer to Tazewell county, Illinois, where both parents still reside in the enjoyment of health and affluence. Soon after settling in Illinois his father commenced farming on a large scale, which he con- tinued with great success for thirty-five years, when he retired. They had two sons and three daughters. The younger son died in early youth, leaving our subject the only male survivor of the children.
Frederick H. Hancock received the rudiments of his education in the common schools of his native county, and afterward took a thorough course at a private academy in Pekin, Illinois, conducted by a Rev. Mr. Bailey, studying, besides the usual branches of higher education, the German language. He subsequently received a very superior business edu- cation at a commercial college in the same city, and was thus fitted for success in the business of life.
From a very early period his leading desire was to be a merchant, in which even then his fancy por- trayed the success which has since crowned his intelligent efforts. It was the wish of his father, however, that he should continue the pursuit of husbandry, from which he had already reaped a bountiful reward, and in deference to the parental wish he entered extensively upon the business of farming, which he conducted in its various depart- ments for six years with very satisfactory results. His penchant for mercantile enterprise was, however, unabated, and he regarded his farming operations as simply a means to an end. Accordingly, as soon as he had accumulated sufficient capital, he engaged in the grain and produce business, which he con- ducted for three years with marked success af An- nawan, Illinois. He moved, in 1867, to Davenport, Iowa, where he formed a partnership with Dow Brothers and S. F. Gilnian, Esq., in the grain, mill- ing and elevator business, which has grown to be one of the largest and most prosperous concerns in
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the west, the firm also owning extensive grain ele- vators at Annawan, Illinois, Atlantic and Wilton, Iowa, besides the Star Flouring Mill and a capacious elevator at Davenport. Mr. Hancock is likewise the proprietor of many thousands of acres of excellent farming lands in the states of Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, and is justly recognized as one of the capitalists of the west. His superior business qual- ifications and sterling integrity. were appropriately recognized by his election to the presidency of the Davenport Board of Trade in 1875, to which he was reëlected in 1876, being probably the youngest merchant who was ever honored with a position of like responsibility and eminence. His characteris- tics as a business man may be inferred from the success which has attended his brief but brilliant career. A sound judgment, united with the most scrupulous integrity of moral principle, an intuitive perception of men's motives and character, quick- ness to adapt himself to unexpected events, and prompt decisive action when he has made up his mind, are doubtless the chief qualities that have contributed to his business success, to which may be added that push and energy characteristic of so many successful western men. He, moreover, pos- sesses a genial and affable temperament, and is one of the most devoted and unchangeable of friends.
Generous and charitable, he witnesses with pleasure the success of others, and cheerfully gives a helping hand to worthy young men beginning in life.
He was brought up under Methodist influence, but is now a regular attendant on the services of the Presbyterian church, to the support of which, as well as to charitable and benevolent objects gener- ally, he is a generous contributor.
In politics, he is a staunch and earnest republican ; but has never held any office, except of a local or municipal character.
Mr. Hancock is a distinguished Mason, a Knight Templar of No. 9, St. Simon of Cyrene, and was during his residence in Illinois four years master of lodge 352.
He was married on the 5th of December, 1867, to Miss Mary E., daughter of Rev. Samuel B. Hard- man, a veteran minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, a lady of rare personal beauty, and of the highest mental endowments; amiable, graceful, ac- complished and vivacious. She diffuses happiness and sunshine amidst a large circle of devoted friends and admirers. She is, moreover, an exemplary member of the Presbyterian church, and illustrates her christian principles by a life of consistency and usefulness. They have one child, Harry Walton, born on the 12th of May, 1870.
HON. EZEKIEL S. SAMPSON,
SIGOURNEY.
E ZEKIEL SILAS SAMPSON, member of con- gress for the sixth district of Iowa, was born in Huron county, Ohio, on the 6th of December, 1831, and is the son of Ezekiel Sampson and Polly née Merifield. Ezekiel Sampson was third in de- scent from Ezekiel Sampson, - supposed to have been a native of Massachusetts, but of English par- entage,-who, in 1766, united with Warwick Baptist Church.
Tradition says that said Ezekiel was a lieutenant in the revolutionary war, and subsequently pastor of a church in Shohockton, Delaware county, New York. A paragraph in "Whaley's History" states that the first wedding in Mount Pleasant, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, which occurred on the Ist of January, 1796, was that of Silas Kellogg and the eldest daugh- ter of Josiah Mumford. " The ceremony was per- formed by Ezekiel Sampson, a Baptist minister ;
there was then no resident clergyman or magistrate. Mr. Sampson came from the Delaware, twenty miles distant, guided by marked (or 'blazed ') trees. It was a gay new-year's party, for nearly every man, woman and child in the town was present, and all were accommodated in one room,"-from which it may be inferred that the room was either very large, or the town very small. Later authentic records inform us that this same "Elder" Sampson, " recognized " at Mount Pleasant, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, on the 29th of October, 1806, the first Baptist church organized in that county. He came from "Eighth" town, a point between Owego and Ithaca, New York, and preached before Chenny Association. The records touching the time and place of his death are conflicting : one account says that he died in the " Lake country" at an advanced age, another says that he died in Detroit, Michigan.
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Isaac Sampson, son of "Elder" Sampson, as he was called, was also a soldier in the revolutionary war during the entire struggle, and afterward re- moved from Delaware county, New York, to Ontario, near Geneva ; thence to Rochester ; thence to Huron county, Ohio, and thence, about the year 1835, to Fulton county, Illinois, where he died soon after. Isaac Sampson was the father of Ezekiel Sampson, the father of our subject, who was born in the State of New York in 1793. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was married in Monroe county, New York, to Polly Merifield, in 1816. He removed thence to Huron county, Ohio, and from there to Fulton county, Illinois ; thence to what is now Keo- kuk county, Iowa, in 1843-the first year the whites were permitted to enter upon that portion of the territory called the "New Purchase." He took and improved a claim, and subsequently entered a part of it. This he continued to improve and cultivate until the time of his death in 1853. He was a very energetic, hard working man, and acquired considera- ble property in his younger days, but lost it all in the hard times of 1836-40, and came to Iowa a very poor man ; but by hard work at his trade of stone- mason, and plasterer part of the time, and close at- tention to his new farm, assisted by his family, he was enabled to save the money to enter his place, by the time the land came into market.
He and his wife were once members of the Baptist church, but while yet in Ohio, and early in life, they united with the Christian church, and maintained that connection till the time of their death. He was an elder and leading member of the organization, near Springfield, Keokuk county, for many years before his decease, and was highly respected and honored by all who knew him.
Although he had received but a limited education, yet he was extremely fond of reading religious and historic works, and afterward became possessed of considerable information.
The mother of our subject was a native of Ver- mont, and the daughter of Joseph Merifield, who in early life (from about 1790 till 1806), in addition to farming in a small way, assisted in the mainte- nance of his family by hunting and trapping along what are now the historic banks of Otter creek. Her leading traits of character were, strong attach- ment to localities, conscientious regard for religion, order and deliberation in her movements, and pre- cision, accuracy and ingenuity in all work where these qualities were called into requisition. She died
in 1870, aged eighty-two years, in the full assurance of faith and in hope of a blessed immortality. She had made her home for several years previous to her death with our subject, who is the youngest of a family of eight children, of whom but four survive.
Ezekiel S. Sampson, our subject, attended the public and subscription schools a portion of the time between the age of seven and twelve years. From twelve to nineteen he worked on his father's farm, attending school but one winter. He was, however, a diligent student, and extremely fond of books. He studied arithmetic and grammar at night and during the intervals of labor, often carrying Kirkham's grammar to the corn-field, to read while his jaded horses would rest. His father, being in limited circumstances, was able to render but little assistance to his son in the way of procuring an education, so that he was mainly thrown upon his own resources.
From 1850 till 1853 he attended the high school of Professor S. S. Howe, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. In addition to the management of his academy, the professor published a newspaper, and gave his stu- dents the privilege of learning to set type, an oppor- tunity of which young Sampson availed himself until he became so proficient at the business that during the last two years of his stay at the academy he was able, by working Saturdays, and mornings and evenings, to pay his board and tuition fees. In the autumn of 1853 he entered the sophomore class of Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, and passed through the year on very scanty means, working to help pay his expenses, when the work could be pro- cured. His father died during this year, which ter- minated his educational privileges. He had acquired a fair knowledge of mathematics, Latin, and the sciences generally, and a considerable understanding of Greek. He had also developed a taste and apt- ness for professional studies, and accordingly in the autumn of 1854 commenced the study of law in the office of Messrs. Enoch Eastman and S. A. Rice, then in the practice of law at Oskaloosa. In the year fol- lowing he was admitted to the bar, and in the spring of 1856 moved to Sigourney (which has since been his home) and entered upon the practice of his pro- fession. In the month of August following he was elected county prosecuting attorney, and held the position till January, 1859, carrying on a general civil practice at the same time. In the autumn of the last-named year he was nominated by the re- publicans for representative of Keokuk county in
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the general assembly of the state, but was defeated by a majority of thirty-four votes.
Immediately after the fall of Fort Sumter, in April 1861, he volunteered with a sufficient number of others from the county, to form a company, which was tendered to the governor on the first call for troops, but on account of the many earlier offers of others, more convenient of access, the company was not actually mustered into the service till the 15th of July, 1861, when it became company F, 5th Iowa In- fantry. Our subject served as captain of this com- pany till September, 1862, when he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and served in that capacity until mustered out in Sep- tember, 1864. He participated in all the marches, fatigues, hardships and privations, and shared in the triumphs and glories achieved by his gallant com- mand, in the advance on New Madrid, capture of the rebel force of Island No. 10, and the manœuvres against Corinth under General Halleck, in the battle of Iuka, the battle of Corinth under General Rose- crans, trip down the Yazoo Pass, battle of Jackson (Mississippi), battle of Champion Hills, and assault on Vicksburg, on the 22d of May, 1863,- in which last three engagements he commanded the regi- ment. He was also in command from the time the army under Grant left Milliken's Bend to cross the river below Vicksburg, till some time after the last-named stronghold was invested. He also par- ticipated in the battles of Mission Ridge, near Chat- tanooga. In one of these engagements, Champion Hills, his horse was shot under him, a minie-ball entering his left side near the heart. With blood streaming, and frantic with pain, he plunged down the hill among fallen trees, where the colonel was compelled to dismount, abandon him and proceed with the formation of his regiment in line of battle. The horse ran back. a short distance and expired. In other engagements Colonel Sampson twice felt the rebel lead on his person, but so lightly as not to disable him from duty. His conduct at the memo- rable battle of Iuka, one of the fiercest contests of the war, is complimented in the highest terms by his colonel in his report of that encounter.
So pleased and filled with admiration were the off- cers of his regiment by his courage and skill, that as a fitting expression of their sentiments with regard to his conduct while in command, that they had manufactured a magnificent and costly sword, with appropriate devices, which was presented to him with an address soon after. Among the devices
on the one side of the weapon is an illustration of the regiment in battle,-the colonel's horse expiring on the field, while he on foot is issuing his com- mands to the regiment; on the other side is the following inscription :
Presented to Lieutenant-Colonel E. S. Sampson by the officers of the 5th regiment Iowa Infantry, in token of our appreciation of his gallant services in the fields of Jackson, Champion Hills and Vicksburg.
This well-earned and highly complimentary memen- to of his gallant services to his country, from his copatriots, will be a source of just pride and grati- fication to his descendants to the remotest genera- tion, and will be cherished by them as a priceless souvenir.
On retiring from the army he entered again upon the practice of the law in partnership with G. D. Woodin, Esq., and soon took a leading rank at the bar.
In the autumn of 1865 he was elected to represent his county in the state senate, and served in the session of 1866, being a member of the committees on the judiciary, constitutional amendments and corporations, and making a most excellent record as a legislator. In the autumn of the latter year he was elected judge of the sixth judicial district of the state, and served in that capacity till the end of 1874, being reelected in the autumn of 1869 without opposition. In this situation he won and maintained the reputation of being one of the foremost jurists in the state, receiving on his retirement the most flattering testimonials as to his ability and impar- tiality from the bar of every county in the district. While yet on the bench, and after having declined to become a candidate before the convention, he was nominated to represent the sixth district of Iowa in the forty-fourth congress. He accepted the nomination with the understanding that he would serve out his term as judge, and was elected by a majority of two thousand seven hundred votes. He served on the committees on patents and "Freed- man's Bank." As measures which received his special attention as a member of the committee on patents, were the limitations of terms of patents granted, first in foreign countries and afterward in this ; and what interest, if any, an officer of the army detailed to make experiments in improvements of arms or ammunition might have in new and useful discov- eries thus made ; on both of which subjects he sub- mitted reports to the house, which were adopted.
He also had charge of a senate bill for the pun- ishment of the counterfeiting of trade marks, on
T.N. Burdick
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which he submitted many important amendments for the consideration of his committee, which were adopted by the committee, and afterward by the house and senate. He also favored the bill for the counting of the electoral vote, on which he de- livered a speech of great ability and wisdom, in which the patriot rose above the partisan. He was reëlected to congress in 1876, by a majority of four thousand votes.
In politics he has always affiliated with the repub- lican party since its organization.
While quite young he became a member of the Christian church, but since arriving at manhood has not been a member of any church. He frequently attends the services of different denominations, and liberally assists in the maintenance of all Evangelical churches.
Mr. Sampson is a man of singular coolness and self- possession, and although naturally of quick temper, is seldom known to be excited, or to manifest feel- ings of anger or bitterness. In manners he is quiet, unassuming, courteous and dignified, and universally beloved by all classes of society, while his home is the synonym of all that is generous and affection- ate. He is also characterized by great industry, being always employed, if not for himself, for others ; although of small stature, and apparently delicate framework, he possesses great energy and endurance.
In appearance he is quite youthful, fair and ruddy complexion, blue eyes, and light hair unmixed, as yet, by a single thread of gray. He is governed by the most rigid principles of honesty and integrity- a stranger to deceit, cunning, and other vices so frequently chargeable to members of the bar. His mind is of an eminently legal cast, and as a prac- titioner his forte is in being thoroughly prepared, and never taken by surprise.
As a judge, he was most careful and conscien- tious, taking as many cases as circumstances would permit, under advisement, and studying them thor- oughly ere he rendered decisions, which were as impartial as the code of the state, and he left the bench unanimously regarded as among the ablest of the district judges in Iowa.
In the year 1855 he married Miss Eunice Ellen, daughter of William McCann, formerly of Indi- ana, afterward of Keokuk county, Iowa, a lady of great amiability of character and modesty of dis- position, devoted to home and the interests of her family. They have had a family of seven children, all living, two sons and five daughters. The sons are Lee and Edmund; the daughters are Flora, Leona, Clara, Ellen and Lavina. Flora is the wife of C. M. Brown, Esq., an attorney residing in Sigour- ney ; the others are still at home, but preparing for lives of usefulness and honor.
HON. THEODORE W. BURDICK,
DECORAH.
T HEODORE W. BURDICK, congressman elect to the forty-fifth congress from the third dis- trict, is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born at Evansburgh, Crawford county, on the 7th of October, 1836, his parents being Nelson and Amanda Mason Burdick. His father was treasurer and recorder of Winneshiek county from 1854 to 1858, and has long been one of the leading citizens of Decorah. His grandfather was Sheffield Burdick, of Wyoming county, New York, and his great-grandfather was Adam Burdick, third son of Nathan Burdick, of Rhode Island, whose two sons bore a conspicuous part in the struggle for our national independence.
At the age of seventeen. Theodore was prepared to enter Oberlin College, Ohio, but at that time his father and the whole family immigrated to Iowa, reaching Decorah in the spring of 1853. During
the summer of that year a school-house was com- pleted, and during the following winter the subject of this sketch became the first teacher.
In the spring of 1854, when his father assumed the responsibilities of the county office or offices already mentioned, the son took charge of the books, keep- ing them until, in 1857, he became of age ; when his father's term of office expired, the son, in compliance with the vote of the people, succeeded him, holding it until he resigned to enter the military service.
In October, 1862, Mr. Burdick was commissioned captain of company D, 6th Iowa Cavalry, its field of operations being on the western frontier. He participated in three battles with the Indians : White Stone Hills, Dakota Territory ; Tah-kah-o-kuta, near the line of Dakota and Montana Territories, and Bad Lands, on the Little Missouri river. He served
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