History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 4

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1024

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Mr. Falk was both a Mason and Odd Fellow and was a most prominent representa- tive of the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith. He, had no ambition along political lines, yet he served as a member of the school board and in various other positions of honor and trust in Boise at the request of his fellow townsmen. To his devotion to the schools is largely due the upbuilding of the educational system of Boise and its attainment to its present high standard of excellence. The hand of his genius was visible in many other directions. For many years he served as a director of the Chamber of Commerce and as such his name was closely associated with the good work accomplished by that body for advancing the growth and prosperity of Idaho's capital. At his death one wrote of him as "a man who was peculiarly dear to the hearts of our whole people and, chiefly because public spirit, probity and kind- ness were ingrained in his nature. Mr. Falk always took the initiative in steps of enterprise and magnitude and invariably embarked his whole soul in every cause dedicated to the betterment of Boise, a city largely the child of his enterprise and the object of his almost paternal devotion. He was indeed a man with great breadth of mind and reach of vision, one who could make his way through many difficulties and win and hold the respect of any community; a man who was morally brave, the soul of integrity, and whose influence and presence broadened and ennobled his fel- lows. Splendid are the material monuments Mr. Falk's industry and integrity have erected to perpetuate his memory, hut the place he filled in the minds and hearts of those who knew him best is his most enviable monument and encomium."

. The death of Mr. Falk occurred in Hailey, July 22, 1903. He had gone to join two of his sons in an outing near Ketchum, and becoming ill, was taken to Hailey, where the best possible medical aid was summoned, but all to no avail. At the re- quest of the board of directors of the Boise Chamber of Commerce all the business houses of the city closed at the time of his funeral and the Chamber of Commerce, the city council, the school board and every fraternal and civic organization with which he was identified passed resolutions of respect which were memorials to his high personal worth and his valuable contribution to the city's development and growth. From the poorest and the humblest to the highest and the greatest of Boise's population there were heard expressions of the deepest sorrow and regret. The news of his demise carried with it a sense of personal bereavement to every resident of Boise and all who knew him throughout the state. Perhaps no better expression of the character, ability and valuable life work of Mr. Falk can be given than by quoting those who were long associated with him. Frank R. Coffin, who for forty years was a friend of Mr. Falk, associated with him in many important enterprises, said: “I feel that I should not let my old friend, Nathan Falk, go to his last home without paying at least a hrief tribute to his memory. Our acquaintance dates back forty years and we were, I am proud to say, always friends.

"We came to Boise in the same year, 1865. He was in the employ of Hessberg & Company, whose business was on the corner where the First National Bank is located. I went to work in the tin shop of George H. Chick, who was where the Telephone building now stands.

"Mr. Falk went into husiness for himself in 1868 and I followed him in 1870, and nearly, if not the last time we met-indulging in reminiscences of our young days- we discovered that we were the only two of the old-time merchants of Boise left who were yet in business.

"The passing of Nathan Falk is to me a loss and bereavement which I deeply feel. He was a noble and generous friend, a public-spirited and unselfish citizen."

Of Nathan Falk Mayor Hawley said: "During all the many years of my ac- quaintance with Nathan Falk I never knew him to have anything to do with what was wrong, nor fail to be interested in what was right. He was a loyal, progressive citizen, a man whose personality appealed to all classes and whose purse was ever

HISTORY OF IDAHO

open when money was needed for a good purpose. His loyalty to Boise and the city's interests grew with every hour of his residence among us and he was always a safe man to appeal to in emergencies. In serving the public in what were often thank- less positions, he bestowed that careful attention to the interests of the people that he did to his own and not a detail ever escaped him.

"In commercial circles and private business transactions his word was as good as United States bonds. I never heard of his doing a mean act in his life. He was a public benefactor in every sense of the word and by his death every citizen of Boise has lost a friend."

"I have known Nathan Falk for thirty-six years," said Peter Sonna, "and in my opinion his death is a serious loss to the community. I became acquainted with him in 1867, when I moved here from Idaho City, and during all the years that have elapsed I have had many business dealings with him. I have always found him to be a man of fine honor in his business relations. His word was as good as his bond; whatever he said he would do, he has always fulfilled. In every way he has been very prompt and honorable in all his business engagements.

"He was one of the most enterprising men that I have ever met in this section. He was a leader in everything tending to the advancement of the community in which he lived. He has been in the lead in all the public movements of all the years he has lived here.

"He was wonderfully well liked for a man who had the extensive business dealings he had. Everyone seemed to love him. He was universally respected and esteemed. and I take a great deal of pleasure in telling what I can of his character to honor his memory.

"I can only repeat that in the death of Mr. Faik, Boise has suffered an almost irreparable loss. It was a great loss to the town, to the community and to this part of Idaho."

Bishop Glorieux, on learning of the death of the deceased merchant, said: "I had the honor to serve on committees with Nathan Falk for sixteen years and we had not worked together long before I grew to respect the man and value his judgment. While at all times an optimist, there was nothing bombastic about Mr. Falk. He had a way of sifting everything and getting all the facts. When he differed with you he presented his side of the case in a nice, manly way and was never arbitrary. He was a man of sound judgment and the very soul of honor. Boise can ill afford to lose such a citizen. I feel that I have lost a dear friend and counselor and I sym- pathize most deeply with his family in their bereavement."

Editorially the Daily Statesman wrote: "In the untimely death of Nathan Falk this city and the state of Idaho sustain a loss so great that it seems almost irreparable. He was one of the foremost business men of the state and occupied a very large place in the commercial and social affairs of the capital city. His interests here were very large, but still larger was the influence that he exerted upon the development of the city and its trade interests, upon its business methods and upon its character as a municipality.

"No city can afford to lose such a man and The Statesman voices a universal sentiment in saying there are few if any others whose death could create such a void. Yesterday was a day of mourning throughout the entire city, for all our people hon- ored the dead merchant and all feel a sense of personal loss in his taking off.

"Nathan Falk was a model man of business, a model husband and father, a model member of society. There is no point at which one can touch his character and disclose a flaw. He was keen, alert and masterful in his business dealings, and, above all, he was guided by the spirit of bonesty and kept his escutcheon so bright that no rival could ever challenge his methods or his purposes. He had the great virtue of doing well what he had to do for himself and those dependent upon him; he bad the equally great virtue of doing vigorously and with wise discretion what he was called upon to do in the interest of the public; and he had the still greater virtues of honesty and truth and charity. He was diligent in all things; he was effective in all things; he was above reproach in all things and thus not only won the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, but commanded their affection in a remarkable degree.

"It is no exaggeration to say that Mr. Falk was beloved by this people to an extent that is seldom enjoyed by any member of a community. His friends were found everywhere, embracing the entire list of those who had any degree of acquaintance with him, and among those who enjoyed a measure of close acquaintance this friend-

HISTORY OF IDAHO

ship ripened into deep affection for him. Thus it comes about that, in addition to the universal feeling that the city has lost one who cannot be replaced easily, there exists in hundreds of breasts today a sense of personal bereavement that cannot be lightly dismissed.

"In the hour of their deep affliction the members of the family have the tender sympathy of a great multitude who enjoyed the friendship of the departed. While nothing can assuage their grief, they have the satisfaction of knowing that his work was well done; that he was prepared for the summons, and that he has left a record in which they and those to come after them in the family line will have cause to feel abounding pride. He was one who did not live in vain. His example is set before the people of this city as a shining light, and, though his body be consigned to the dark and silent grave, those who shed the bitter tear over the casket as they take their last look upon those familiar features may console themselves with the thought that he has gone to the reward that is the heritage of those whose lives are guided by the light of duty, who do justice, who love honesty, who practice charity and forbearance, who are faithful in all things and who strive, while shaping their own lives aright, to assist others in securing a firm grasp upon those virtues that constitute the foundations of character."

E. CURTIS WARREN.

Among the substantial moneyed institutions of Idaho is numbered the First Na- tional Bank of Burley, of which E. Curtis Warren is the president. To his onerous and responsible duties in this position he brings broad experience gleaned from pre- vious service in connection with banking interests, and in the conduct of the First National Bank he is displaying keen sagacity combined with a progressiveness that is tempered by a wise conservatism.

He was born in Lincoln county, Nevada, December 28, 1884, and is a son of George V. and Maud (Newman) Warren. His boyhood days were passed in his native state and his early education was there acquired, while later he attended the University of Utah at Salt Lake City. being graduated from that institution with the class of 1905. His early business training was received in the Walker Brothers Bank, in which he occupied a clerical position, and after leaving Salt Lake City in 1912 he removed to Burley, Idaho, and has since been identified with the interests of Cassia county. In 1913 he organized the First National Bank with a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars. The bank was established in the Terhune building and in 1915 the present bank building was erected, the first floor being used for the bank, while the upper floor serves as a hotel. Mr. Warren remains as the president of the First Na- tional Bank and is also vice president of the Warren-Thompson Furniture Company of Burley, so that he is closely associated with the business development and enter- prise of the town.

Mr. Warren is a western man by birth and training and imbued with the spirit of western enterprise and progress that has been the dominant factor in the wonderful development of this section of the great west. His plans are at all times carefully made and promptly executed and the results achieved constitute factors not only in the upbuilding of his personal fortunes but in the advancement of public prosperity as well.

ETHEL EMILY REDFIELD.

Ethel Emily Redfield, state superintendent of public instruction in Idaho and a resident of Lewiston, was born in Kamiah, Idaho, April 22, 1877, a daughter of Francis M. and Elizabeth A. (Farrell) Redfield, who came from Oregon to Idaho in 1872. The father was born in Vermont, September 6, 1842, but became one of the pioneers on the Pacific coast and is now living in Oregon. He was In the United States federal service on the Nez Perce Indian reservation. The Redfield family comes of New England ancestry that was represented in the Revolutionary war.

Ethel E. Redfield was reared in Albany, Oregon, and attended the public schools there, after which she won the degree of Bachelor of Arts on the completion of the classical course in the Albany College in 1897. The following year the B. S. D. degree

HISTORY OF IDAHO

was conferred upon her by the normal department of Albany College. Taking up the profession of teaching, she was identified with rural and town schools in Oregon for five years and for eight and a half years was at the head of the Latin department of the high schools of Albany, Oregon, and of Lewiston, Idaho. spending three years at the former place and five and a half years at the latter. In the fall of 1912 she was elected county superintendent of Nez Perce county, in which position she served for two terms, and in November, 1916, public franchise called her to the office of state superintendent of public instruction in Idaho. She is one of the eight women state superintendents in the Untied States and the first native daughter of Idaho to be so honored. She belongs to the National Education Association and has been identified with many movements and projects of far-reaching importance and benefit. She is a member of the state board of land commissioners of Idaho, is national secretary of the Women's Executive League and is one of the vice presidents of the National Federation of College Women's Clubs. During the year 1918-1919 she was president of the Inland Empire Teachers Association, an association embracing the states of Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho. Her father is a prominent Mason and Miss Redfield has become a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Her religious faith is indi- cated by her membership in the Presbyterian church. She is a close student of all the vital questions which have to do with the welfare of state and nation and par- ticularly along the line of educational development. Her work as state superin- tendent of public instruction is giving marked satisfaction, for she is actuated by the highest ideals, while at the same time her methods are most practical and resultant.

HON. JOHN W. HART.

One of the most prominent citizens of Rigby and of this section of the state is the Hon. John W. Hart, who has served in the general assembly of Idaho, first as representative and then as state senator, and who takes a prominent part in the important business, political and religious activities of Jefferson and neighboring coun- ties. He was born in Ogden, Utah, November 14, 1866, the son of John I. and Martha (Barton) Hart, natives of England, who on coming to America in 1853, went directly to Ogden, Utah, and there settled. The father immediately engaged in farming and stock raising, which he carried on steadily until 1899, when he began his well earned retirement. He resides now at Hooper, Utah, at the advanced age of ninety-six years. The mother, however, is not living, her death occurring in November, 1904, when she was 54 years of age.

Until he was twenty-six years of age, John W. Hart lived in Utah and it was in the city of Ogden that he received his early schooling. After he had reached man's estate he started out on his own account, engaging in farming and stock raising, in which he has been more or less interested ever since. It was not until 1895 that he decided to cast his lot with the people of Idaho, and in that year he left his native state and with his family located in that part of Fremont county which later became a part of Jefferson county. Here he bought a farm which he still operates, carrying on general farming and stock raising.

Since his coming to Jefferson county, Mr. Hart has not devoted himself entirely to agricultural pursuits, a fact which is shown in one way by the deep interest he has taken and is taking in the development of the business activities of this section, espe- cially banking. In 1913, he, with other men of the community, purchased the Rigby State bank, which they operated under the same charter until 1919. For some time it seemed to Senator Hart and his associates that the economic development of this section demanded that the credit facilities of the Rigby State bank be extended; accord- ingly the capital was increased and the bank converted from a state to a national bank in 1919 under the national banking laws of the United States and it now does business under the name of the First National Bank of Rigby with a capital stock of sixty thousand dollars and surplus of twenty thousand dollars. Especially marked has been the growth of the bank in the last six years since its purchase, at which time its deposits were fifty-three thousand dollars while opposite the same item on the bank's most recent financial statement is four hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Besides Mr. Hart, who is president, the other officers of the bank are Josiah Call, vice president; F. B. Ellsworth, cashier, and Clarence Hart, assistant cashier. In November, 1918, Sena- tor Hart with others organized the Jefferson State Bank at Menan, Jefferson county, and

JOHN W. HART

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of this he is also president. In addition to his banking interests in Jefferson county he is a director of the Farmers & Merchants bank at Idaho Falls.

Aside from banking, Mr. Hart has business interests of a more general and varied nature. He is president of the C. A. Smith Mercantile Company of Menan; president of the City Pharmacy of Rigby; president of the Hart-Ellsworth Auto Company of Rigby and Rexburg, Idaho; and general superintendent of the Woods Live Stock Company of Jefferson and Clark counties. The last mentioned is the largest of the kind in the state, and, in addition to raising cattle, horses and sheep, they also carry on general farming on an extensive scale.

For a number of years Mr. Hart has taken a very prominent part in the publiq and political affairs of his state and community. He is a stanch republican and has devoted much of his time and talents to furthering the interests of that party hoth locally and nationally, having served for the past seven years as a member of the republican national committee. He has twice had the honor of nominating Senator Borah for the United States Senate and Senator Heyburn once. He was chosen to represent his district in the sixth session of the lower house of the state legislature and on the expiration of his term, his constituents were so fully satisfied with the quality of his work that he was chosen to represent his district in the state senate during the eighth session, serving continuously until the fourteenth session with the exception of the eleventh. An interesting sidelight of his senatorial experience occurred when Mr. Hart who, for two sessions was president pro tempore of the upper body, served as governor of the state for thirty days during the absence of the governor and lieutenant governor.

On December 2, 1886, Senator Hart was united in marriage to Elizabeth J. Hogge and to this union have been born thirteen children, of whom two are deceased, namely: Vera, who died in 1911, and Martha, whose death occurred in 1898. The others are as follows: John W., Jr., a rancher in Jefferson county; Elizabeth E., the wife of Alvin S. Green, who is cashier of the Jefferson State bank at Menan; Clarence, the assistant cashier of the First National bank of Rigby; Charles O. and George L., both farmers living near Menan; Sarah Z., the wife of David H. Manwaring, a resident of Rexburg, Idaho; and Veda, David F., Cecil E., Joseph I., and Ivey Katherine, all of whom are living at home.

Both the senator and his wife are stanch and valued members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rigby, and Mrs. Hart has served as state president of the Woman's Relief Society. Mr. Hart has also served the church for a number of years in official capacity. Under his administration the splendid stake tabernacle was erected in Rigby, and in 1886-87, he did missionary work in the southern states. For several years he was bishop of the ward of Menan, which position he relinquished to accept the presidency of the Rigby stake, in which capacity he has served for the last five years. All during the World war Mr. Hart devoted a large portion of his time to the government war activities, being chairman of each Liberty Loan drive in Jefferson county, which exceeded its quota each time and that without one penny's cost to the government.

WILLIAM HARRY HOLDEN. 1714354

William Harry Holden, attorney at law practicing at Idaho Falls, was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, February 14, 1868, a son of William C. and Louise (Ross) Holden, who were natives of Indiana and of Iowa respectively. The father's people were of English lineage, while the mother was of Scotch descent. William C. Holden was a newspaper man throughout his entire life save for the period of the Civil war, when he responded to the country's call for aid, enlisting as a member of Company K, Second Iowa Infantry. He served for four years and six months and was twice wounded, having participated in some of the most hotly contested engagements which led up to the final victory that crowned the Union arms. When the war was over he returned to Iowa and again engaged in newspaper publication at Ottumwa, while later he was a newspaper man of Red Oak. He resIded in Iowa until 1869, when he removed to Nebraska and conducted a paper at Melrose for a number of years. Later he established his home at Kearney, where he conducted the Central Nebraska Press for several years. He next went to Kansas City, Missouri, where he published a paper for a long time, and then went to Hutchinson, Kansas, to visit a daughter. While there

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he passed away in the summer of 1900 at the age of fifty-two years. His widow sur- vives and now lives at Idaho Falls.

William H. Holden, whose name introduces this review, was reared and educated largely at Kearney, Nebraska, and after mastering the branches of learning taught in the public schools began reading law in the office of Thompson & Oldham of that place. That firm of well known attorneys directed his studies for a year and a half, at the end of which time he entered the State University at Lincoln, Nebraska, and was graduated on the completion of a law course with the class of 1893. In 1895 he , came to Idaho Falls, where he entered into partnership with H. K. Linger, with whom he was associated for a time, but afterward practiced independently. He has since had several partners, however, during the past twenty-five years and is now associated . with his brother, E. M. Holden. There were eleven children in his father's family, of whom four died in infancy. The four sons who reached adult age are all lawyers in Idaho Falls, these being William H., Edward M., Arthur and Wesley. Some years ago all four were associated in a law partnership. The daughters of the family were: Cora, who became the wife of Marion Lloyd and died in October, 1905, leaving two children: Catherine, the wife of Charles Eckhart, of Boise, Idaho; and Nellie L. The family name has become a prominent and honored one in Idaho Falls and is especially well known in legal circles.

On the 19th of August, 1896, Mr. Holden was married to Miss Mary L. Clark, and they have become the parents of seven children: Geraldine, twenty-one years of age, who is attending the University of California; Harriet L., nineteen years of age, who has just completed the freshman year in the University of California; W. Harold, Jr., a lad of fifteen, also attending school at Berkeley, California; Robert, who died at the age of four years and four months; John, who died at the age of two years and . eight months; Richard, who passed away March 30, 1918, when eight years of age; and Mary, who is in her first year. Mr. Holden's family has resided in Berkeley, California, for the past four years.

Mr. Holden, however, maintains his connection with the bar of Idaho Falls and has a most elegantly appointed law office, containing a fine library, with the contents of which he is largely familiar. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained high rank, and has become identified with the Mystic Shrine. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Politically he is independent, and his religious belief is that of the Methodist Episcopal church. Through the period of his residence in Idaho he has become widely and favorably known, his ability in the practice of law having gained him high standing at the Idaho bar.

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History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 4

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1024

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1024