USA > Idaho > An illustrated history of the state of Idaho, containing a history of the state of Idaho from the earliest period of its discovery to the present time, together with glimpses of its auspicious future; illustrations and biographical mention of many pioneers and prominent citizens of to-day > Part 28
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Returning to his home, he completed his edu- cation and then followed various enterprises un- til 1871, when he came to Idaho. Since that time he has been an active factor in the public life and the development of the state, ever put- ting forth his best efforts for the advancement of its welfare and the promotion of its best inter- ests. He was a member of the seventh and tenth general assemblies. In 1883-4 he served as judge of the probate court of Alturas county, and in 1885 was admitted to the bar, since which time he has engaged in the practice of his pro- fession.
In 1892 he was elected attorney general of Idaho, and in 1894 was re-elected, serving in that important office for two terms most creditably. For many years he was a stalwart Republican, an active worker in the ranks of the party and an able exponent and advocate of its principles, but when, at the national convention in St. Louis, the party declared for the gold standard, with much regret he abandoned its ranks and gave his sup- port to the cause of bimetallism, of which he is a firm believer. Soon afterward he identified him- self with the free-silver party of Idaho, by which he was once more nominated for attorney gen- eral, but on account of the division in the silver forces was defeated.
On his retirement from office he resumed the private practice of law. He is now a member of the firm of Kingsbury & Parsons, which holds rank among the leading and successful law part- nerships of Idaho. Their fine suite of rooms in the Sonna Block, in Boise, is unsurpassed in any of the western states, and is supplied with a most extensive and valuable law library. Since com- ing to the west General Parsons has also success- fully engaged in mining to a considerable ex-
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tent. While he has won distinction at the bar and honors in public life, he has at no time failed in the performance of the least duty devolving upon him, and at the time of the Indian outbreak in 1878 he raised a company and served as its captain, aiding in the suppression of the troubles.
In 1875 General Parsons was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary E. Welply, of Brooklyn, New York, and a lady of superior culture and natural refinement, who holds membership in the Episcopal church. In 1875 the General was made a Master Mason, in Alturas Lodge, No. 12, A. F. & A. M., has served as past master, and has been a most active worker. He is also a valued member of Phil. Sheridan Post, G. A. R., of Boise, is past commander of E. D. Baker Post, at Hailey, and was junior vice commander of the Department of Utah, Idaho and Montana. He is a man of fine physique, large and well pro- portioned. His entire freedom from ostentation or self-laudation has made him one of the most popular citizens of Idaho, with whose history he has now been so long and prominently identified.
WILLIAM H. BAUGH, M. D.
Dr. Baugh is the well known physician and druggist of Shoshone, and has a wide acquaint- ance throughout southern Idaho. A native of Missouri, he was born in Boonville, July 28, 1864, and is of German lineage. His paternal grandfather removed from one of the eastern states to Indiana, and there the Doctor's father, Henry Clay Baugh, was born and reared. In 1860 he removed to Missouri and married Eliza- beth Steger, of that state. He had previously crossed the plains to California, where he had en- gaged in mining with fair success. After his return to Missouri he engaged in stock-raising until 1874, when his life's labors were ended in death. He died of pneumonia when forty-eight years of age, and his wife passed away in 1880. They were both members of the Methodist church and people of much worth. They left six children.
Dr. Baugh, the eldest of the family, spent his youth in the state of his nativity, and acquired his medical education in the Missouri Medical College, at St. Louis, where he was graduated in the class of 1891. For two years he practiced in that state and then came to Idaho, forming a
partnership with Dr. Smith, at Mountain Home. On leaving that place he took up his abode at Shoshone, and from the beginning has enjoyed a large and lucrative practice, extending over a radius of forty miles. After two years he estab- lished the only drug store in the town, having a good store, twenty by ninety feet, which is sup- plied with a well selected stock of drugs, paints, oils, jewelry, stationery, cigars and tobacco. He is also the local physician and surgeon for the Short Line Railroad Company, and is a member of the State Medical Association. In addition to his other business interests he is engaged in sheep-raising, which is now a very important in- .dustry in Idaho, and like the other branches of his business it is yielding to him a good income.
On the 31st of July, 1896, was celebrated the marriage of Dr. Baugh and Miss Rose Burke, a native of Watertown, New York, and a daughter of Morris Burke, now of Shoshone. The Doctor is a very prominent Mason, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter, commandery and the mystic shrine. He is an energetic business man of marked ability, a progressive citizen and justly popular in his wide circle of acquaintances.
JULIUS S. WATERS.
A distinguished jurist has said: "In the American state the great and good lawyer must always be prominent, for he is one of the forces that move and control society. Public confidence has generally been reposed in the legal profes- sion. It has ever been the defender of popular rights, the champion of freedom regulated by law, the firm support of good government. In the times of danger it has stood like a rock and breasted the mad passions of the hour and finally resisted tumult and faction." A review of the history of Julius Spencer Waters shows that his life is largely an exemplification of this state- ment; that as an individual he has shared in the work thus attributed to the class, and through many years has labored for the good of the na- tion, advocating every measure intended to ad- vance the welfare, prosperity and happiness of his people. His ancestors were among those who fought for American independence, his grand- father, Walter Waters, and his brothers all serv- ing in the colonial army. His father, William Waters, was born in Monroe county, New York,
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in 1795, and was a soldier in the war of 1812, participating in the battle of Lundy's Lane under General Scott. He was one of the pioneers of the western reserve of Ohio, locating in Ashtabula county. In 1837 he removed with his family from Ohio to Boonville, Warwick county, In- diana, and when his son Julius was eight years of age went to Iowa, taking up his abode near what is now Mount Pleasant, Henry county.
About this time the family was bereft by death of the wife and mother. Julius S. Waters was born in Warwick county, Indiana, March 25, 1838, and although now in his ninth year had had no opportunity to secure an education, having always lived in a wild frontier district, having no knowledge of what was going on in the great busy world outside. Soon after the death of the mother the family became scattered and the sub- ject of this sketch, although a mere lad, was thrown entirely upon his own resources. He has thus indeed been the architect of his own for- tunes and has builded wisely and well. He early gave evidence of the elemental strength of his character in the self-reliance, energy and true pluck which he has displayed,-qualities which have marked his entire career and have brought to him a well merited success. Under many and diversified circumstances they have enabled him to conquer obstacles and advance to a position of prominence in the professional and political world. Left alone, he began seeking a way whereby he might earn his own living, and soon secured work at driving oxen in breaking prairie sod, his wages being four dollars per month and board. He eagerly accepted this opportunity of earning his livelihood, and after four months of constant hard work he was able to boast of being the possessor of sixteen dollars cash, which he expended for such warm but cheap clothing as would protect him from the cold during the com- ing winter. It was in that winter of 1850 that he first attended school, pursuing his studies for three months, during which time he lived with an old friend of his parents, working nights, morn- ings and Saturdays in order to pay for his board. The following summer was spent as the former one, save that he received five dollars for his ser- vices, and again in the winter he attended school for three months, his wages being expended for books and clothing. At this time he could only
spell and read a little, even the simpler mathe- matics being to his mind as enigmatical as the characters on a tea chest.
In the fall of 1852 he began to have aspira- tions for something a little higher in the scale of manual labor than driving oxen and decided to learn a trade. A young acquaintance gave him such glowing accounts of the rising. town of Galesburg, Illinois, that he decided to remove thither, and with his little bundle of clothing swung on a stick over his shoulder, and only three dollars in his pocket, he started on foot for Burlington, Iowa. After a tedious and laborious journey through the then wild country he ar- rived at Burlington in the evening and at once boarded a steamboat and paid fifty cents for his fare to Oquawka. Much of the remainder of his small capital went for food,-crackers and cheese. He walked from Oquawka to Galesburg in a day and a half, and as he made his way through the streets of the town he passed a harness and sad- dle shop. Thinking he would like to learn that trade he entered and making his wishes known to the proprietor, D. M. Chapin, he entered upon an apprenticeship, during which time he not only received instructions in the business but also was given much valuable advice which he has profitably followed in late years, his employer proving to him a good friend.
On completing his apprenticeship, Mr. Waters began business in Burlington, Iowa, and later returned to Mount Pleasant, where he carried on operations in that line. In 1857 he returned to Indiana to visit the old family homestead and renew the acquaintances of former years, and among the hallowed scenes of his childhood he decided to remain and devote as much time as possible to such studies as would fit him for the practical duties of life. His new home, too, was situated on the banks of the Ohio, the division line between the free and slave districts, and there developed the strong anti-slavery views and ten- dencies which were so manifest in later years. The Abolition party, then well organized, found in him an ardent and energetic advocate, and in the fall of 1858, although not yet twenty-one, he was nominated as the Abolition candidate for the legislature. Such was his popularity in the coun- ty that he received four hundred votes, when only thirty-seven votes had been cast for John C.
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Fremont two years before. The county was strongly Democratic, and during the canvass made by the youthful candidate, which was very thorough and vigorous, he was frequently bru- tally treated and almost constantly threatened with violence by the opposition. After the fall election of 1858 he at once began to organize his county for the coming contest in 1860, and so well did he succeed that the Republicans had a small majority. During that campaign Mr. Waters was a delegate to the state convention which nominated Henry S. Lane for governor and O. P. Morton for lieutenant governor, while the name of Benjamin Harrison appeared at the foot of the ticket in connection with the office of reporter of the supreme court. Thirty-two years later, in 1892, he was one of the Harrison presi- dential electors for Idaho.
During all these years of great political strife Mr. Waters applied himself closely to the study of law and was admitted to the bar, since which time he has successfully engaged in practice. At the breaking out of the great civil war he devoted himself assiduously to promoting the cause of the Union and of human freedom, and never during the darkest hours did he doubt the final triumph of the northern arms. In 1865 he removed to Labette county, Kansas, becoming one of its pioneer settlers. He was one of the organizers of the Republican party there, and by his efficient labors contributed materially to its great success, attending most of the state conventions and pre- siding as chairman at many of the county and district conventions. He was admitted to the bar in 1867, was elected to the office of county attor- ney in 1869, and was re-elected in 1870, 1876, 1878 and 1880. In 1882 he was chosen to repre- sent his district in the state legislature, and in 1883 was appointed by President Arthur re- ceiver of public moneys in the United States land office, at Hailey, Idaho, at which time he removed with his family to that place, filling the position for four years, at the expiration of which period he was elected on the Republican ticket to the office of district attorney of Alturas county for a term of two years. In 1892 he was a delegate to the Idaho Republican state convention, and was there nominated as one of the Idaho presi- dential electors. He came to Shoshone in 1896, and in 1898 was elected county attorney for Lin-
coln county, in which office he is now acceptably serving. At the bar he has attained prestige by reason of ability, comprehensive understanding of the principles of jurisprudence and his accu- racy in applying these to the points in litigation. He prepares his cases very carefully, looking up the authorities and precedents and fencing his argument about with logical reasoning that is generally incontrovertible.
In 1860 Mr. Waters was united in marriage to Miss Glenn, of Indiana, but she was spared to him only a short time, her death occurring dur- ing the war. In 1870, in Labette county, Kansas, he wedded Mrs. Amy Myers, a native of Spencer county, Indiana. They have one daughter, Maude, an accomplished young lady, who is skilled both in instrumental and vocal music. The family occupy a very prominent position in social circles and their pleasant home is cele- brated for its hospitality. In 1869 Mr. Waters became a Master Mason, and the following year took the Royal Arch degrees. He has been mas- ter of the blue lodge, high priest of the chapter and eminent commander of the commandery. During a large portion of his residence in Kansas he was a member of the Press Association, being editor of the Oswego Independent, one of the leading newspapers of Kansas. Mr. Waters now occupies a position of distinction in connection with the bar and the political interests of Idaho. Starting out in life for himself ere he had attended school for a day, working at the breaking plow for several seasons, and then becoming imbued with a laudable ambition to attain something bet- ter, he has steadily advanced in those walks of life demanding intellectuality, business ability and fidelity, and to-day commands the respect and esteem not only of his community but throughout the state. Over the record of his public career and his private life there falls no shadow of wrong, for he has ever been most loyal to the ties of friendship and citizenship, and his history well deserves a place in the annals of his adopted state.
KNOX TAYLOR.
This gentleman, who has furnished for this work the history of the mines with which he has been connected, is a native of New Jersey, born at Highbridge, on the 19th of October, 1873.
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His father and grandfather are the principal own- ers of the large Taylor Iron and Steel Works at his native place, the grandfather being the presi- dent of the company. Knox Taylor was edu- cated in the noted College of New Jersey at Princeton, graduating in the class of 1895, and he has made metallurgy and mining engineering a specialty. After graduating he went to New Mexico to engage in mining, as his chosen voca- tion.
In October, 1896, he came to Ketchum, Idaho, to take charge of the large mining interests which he now represents. He is a thorough expert in his calling, is a social and courteous gentleman, and withal an enthusiastic sportsman. Just pre- vious to his interview with the writer of this sketch he had killed five out of eight black-tailed deer in the mountains but a short distance front Ketchum; and May 23, 1899, he killed a black bear near the town. Wood river, directly at the door of the residence of the Philadelphia com- pany, where he resides, affords an abundance of fine trout.
AUGUSTUS G. UPTON, A. M., D. D.
Although Dr. Upton has been a resident of Weiser for little more than three years he has been so closely and prominently connected with the educational and moral interests of the town during that time that no history of the communi- ty would be complete without the record of his career. It is a widely acknowledged fact that the most important work to which man can direct his energies is that of teaching, whether it be from the pulpit, from the lecture platform or from the schoolroom. Its primary object is ever the same, -the development of one's latent powers that the duties of life may be bravely met and well performed. The intellectual and the moral na- ture are so closely allied that it is difficult to in- struct one without in a measure influencing the other, and certainly the best results are accom- plished when the work goes hand in hand. Christian instruction is having an influence over the world that few can estimate, for it is in youth that the life of the man is marked out, his future course decided and his choice as to the good or evil made.
It is to this work of thus instructing the young that Dr. Upton devotes his time, energies and
thought, and as the president of the Weiser Col- lege and Academy his influence in this direction is most widely felt. He was born at Heath, Mas- sachusetts, on the 7th of December, 1851, and is of English and Scotch lineage, his ancestors hav- ing located in New England at an early period in the colonial history of the country. His fath- er, Benjamin Flint Upton, was also a native of the Old Bay state, and by trade was a wagon and carriage manufacturer. In his religious views he was a Congregationalist, and thus amid the re- fined influence of a Christian home Dr. Upton of this review was reared. He was educated in Oberlin College, at Oberlin, Ohio, and on the completion of the classical course was gradu- ated in 1873. He then pursued a course in the- ology and was graduated in that department in 1876. For a time he was a member of the faculty of Oberlin College, holding the position of tutor of Latin.
On leaving that excellent institution he was ordained to the ministry of the Congregational church, after which he efficiently engaged in his chosen work as pastor of prominent churches in Ohio, Michigan and New York. In the last named state he was for some time secretary of the Congregational Home Missionary Society, but in 1888, on account of impaired health, he re- signed his position and moved to Colorado. His residence in Weiser dates from 1895, at which time he accepted the presidency of the Weiser College and Academy. Under his wise direction the school has been making rapid advances and stands among the first educational institutions of the state. He is a careful and capable financier, giving the whole energy of a thoroughly trained mind to the work of placing the school on a stable financial and educational foundation. He is also justly regarded as a talented and eminent minister of the church, and the spiritual as well as the intellectual man is given every opportunity for growth.
In 1876 President Upton was united in mar- riage to Miss Lucy H. Metcalf, of Elyria, Ohio, daughter of E. W. Metcalf, of that state. She is a Christian lady of superior education and refine- ment, and is now teaching in Weiser College and Academy, her marked ability ably fitting her for the work. Both the Doctor and his wife enjoy the esteem of their students and a large circle of
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friends, and are valued additions to the social and church circles of the place, being particularly active in the work of the Congregational church. They have one daughter, who is with them in their delightful home, which was erected by Dr. Upton and stands on an eminence overlooking the beautiful valley, forming a delightful scene.
In his political views he is an independent Re- publican, but takes no active part in political work, his time being fully occupied by his school and church duties. At this point it would be al- most tautological to enter into any series of statements concerning his high intellectuality, broad human sympathies and tolerance or to the effect that he is imbued with fine sensibilities and clearly defined principles, for all this has been indicated in the account of his work. Honor and integrity are synonymous with his name, and he enjoys the respect, confidence and high regard of the community.
HON. JAMES GUNN.
To the energetic natures and strong mentality of such men as James Gunn, member of congress from Idaho, is due the success and ever increas- ing prosperity of the Populist party in this state, and in the hands of this class of citizens there is ever assurance that the best interests and wel- fare of the party will be attended to, resulting in a successful culmination of the highest ambitions and expectations entertained by its adherents. Given to the prosecution of active measures in political affairs, and possessing the earnest pur- pose of placing their party beyond the pale of possible diminution of power, the Populist lead- ers in Idaho are ever advancing, carrying every- thing before them in their irresistible onward march. Certainly one of the most potent ele- ments in the success of the Populistic movement in Idaho is James Gunn, who throughout his life has been a loyal citzen, imbued with patriotism and fearless in defense of his honest convictions. Through the long years of the civil war he fol- lowed the Union banners on southern battle- fields, and to-day, just as fearlessly and just as loyally, he is advocating in the halls of congress and before the people the principles which he believes will best advance the welfare of the na- tion. Such is the man whose life history forms the theme of this article.
Mr. Gunn was born on the 6th of March, 1843. His parents were John Gunn and Mary (Kerns) Gunn, the former of whom died before the war of the Rebellion. The mother survived him for many years and was almost a centenarian at the time of her death. James Gunn is the eldest of their four children. He attended the public schools, also acquiring an academic education, and began to earn his own living by working as a farm hand, at eight dollars per month. He saved all of his money and used it in the acquire- ment of an education. In this way he fitted him- self for school-teaching, and after pursuing that profession for a time he became imbued with a desire to study law. With him to will has ever been to do, and accordingly he entered the office of Judge Mills, of Grant county, Wisconsin, under whose direction he read law until 1862, when, feeling that his country needed his ser- vices, he put aside all personal considerations and responded to the president's call for troops. In August of that year he joined Company G, Twenty-seventh Wisconsin Infantry. He parti- cipated in the siege of Vicksburg and in the operations that drove Price out of Little Rock, Arkansas. He was afterward transferred to the Department of the Gulf, and was connected with the expedition against Mobile, participating in the siege of that city. He was on duty the night the Confederates evacuated the fortifica- tions, and after the close of operations in south- ern Alabama, he joined the army that was massed on the banks of the Rio Grande river for the pur- pose of overawing the French in Mexico. In October, 1862, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, and at Fish river, Alabama, in March, 1865, was made captain. He served until October of that year, when he was hon- orably discharged. He made for himself a most honorable military record. Always found at his post of duty, fearlessly discharging every task assigned to him, he battled earnestly for the cause of the Union, and to-day deserves the thanks of a grateful people for what he and his comrades in arms did for the nation.
After the war Mr. Gunn removed to Colorado, where he resided during the early days of its territorial existence, becoming an important factor in its development and improvement, and where he was associated with some of the most import-
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ant enterprises connected with the opening up of that country to settlement. He assisted in building some of the first wagon roads across the crest of the Rocky mountains-by this means establishing communication between the eastern and western sections of the state. He served as mayor of Georgetown, Colorado, for four years and was one of the committee that drew up the charter for that city. In 1875 he removed to Vir- ginia City, Nevada, visited various places in Cal- ifornia and was finally attracted to Idaho by the Wood river silver excitement in 1881-82. He thus became one of the pioneers of the Wood river valley, and in many ways aided in advanc- ing civilization and progress in that part of the state.
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