History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 42

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. Kimple, a resident of the state for twenty-one years, is highly respected by all who know him because of his capability and reliability in business, and his example may well serve to encourage and inspire others, showing what can be ac- complished through individual effort.

VERNON THOMPSON CRAIG.

Vernon Thompson Craig, cashier of the Bank of Emmett, of which he was one of the founders in 1906, was born May 15, 1873, at Craig, Nebraska, a town which was named in honor of his family. He is the eldest of the four children, three sons and a daughter, whose parents were Thompson and Mary Elizabeth (Moore) Craig. The father was a farmer throughout his entire life save that at the time of the Civil war he put aside all business and personal considerations and joined the Union army, becoming a private of Company K, One Hundred and Seventieth Ohio Regiment. He was born in Harrison county, Ohio, August 31, 1838, and was a son of Major Johnson Craig, who won his title by service in the Ohio State Militia. Thompson Craig rendered valuable aid to the country in the hour of civil strife and in days of peace was equally loyal to the best interests of the na- tion. He was married at Cadiz, Harrison county, Ohio, February 28, 1872, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Moore, whose hirth occurred in that county on the 12th of July, 1846, her father being John Moore. Prior to his marriage, or in 1866, Thomp- son Craig went to Burt county, Nebraska, where he purchased a large tract of land at a low figure. He there kept bachelor's hall until 1872, when he returned to Ohio and married the lady who was one of the friends of his boyhood and a schoolmate of his early days. The death of Thompson Craig occurred in Emmett, February 13, 1916, when he had reached the advanced age of seventy-eight years. He is still survived by his widow, who now resides with her only daughter, Mrs. Mabel Edgerton, of Berkeley, California. The three sons of the family are Ver- · non Thompson, Johnson and Walter D. Craig. The last two are ranchmen resid- ing near Emmett.

The first named, Vernon T. Craig of this review, was reared upon his father's farm in Burt county, Nebraska, and is indebted to the public school system of that state for the early educational advantages which he acquired. He also at- tended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the Fremont (Neb.) Normal College. He was graduated from both the high school and the Fremont Normal College and he taught school for three or four years in that state. In 1900 he arrived in Idaho and was principal of the Garfield school at South Boise for a year. He then engaged in mining at Sumpter, Oregon, for two years and in 1903 he returned to Idaho, where he founded the Meridian Exchange Bank, now the First National Bank of Meridian. Of this institution he became cashier and man- ager but sold his interests in the business in 1905 and at once removed to Emmett, where he became one of the prime movers in the organization of the Bank of Em- mett, which opened its doors for business on the 1st of January, 1906. Through- out the intervening period of fourteen years he has been its cashier. This bank is capitalized for sixty thousand dollars and is a member of the Federal Reserve System. The business has been carried on in the Bank of Emmett block at the

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corner of Main and Washington streets, which is one of the best business blocks of the town, and the success of the institution is attributable in large measure to the efforts, the enterprise and business discernment of Vernon T. Craig. He is also the owner of ranch and orchard interests in the vicinity of Emmett and his business affairs are always wisely and carefully conducted.

On the 19th of September, 1903, Mr. Craig was married in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Miss Elizabeth Pipher, who was born at West Baden, Indiana, Decem- ber 19, 1875. Both Mr. and Mrs. Craig are consistent members of the Presby- terian church. He is identified with the Masonic fraternity as a Knight Templar and Mystic Shriner and his wife is connected with the Order of the Eastern Star. She also belongs to the Woman's Relief Corps and to the P. E. O. Society. Mr. Craig's membership relations extend to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past grand, and he is also a member of the Sons of Veterans. Politi- cally he is an earnest republican and is now chairman of the republican central committee of Gem county, but while he is keenly interested in the adoption of republican principles, he has never sought nor desired office. He is fond of read- ing, especially of history, and finds recreation in motoring. His activities have been of a character which have contributed in substantial measure to the advance- ment and development of his section of the state and the consensus of public opin- ion places him among the leading citizens of Idaho.

WARREN L. SHURTLEFF.

Warren L. Shurtleff, engaged in general merchandising at Lewisville, Jeffer- son county, was born in the neighboring state of Utah, his birth having occurred at Ogden in October, 1880. His parents, Charles V. and Alzina (Smith) Shurtleff, were also natives of Utah, and the father there engaged in railroading for five years. In 1884 he removed to Jefferson county, Idaho, then a part of Bingham county, and filed on land three-quarters of a mile west of Lewisville. This he improved and developed and thereon reared his family of twelve children, namely: Charles J., George J., Warren L., Llewellyn, Joseph H., P. Ray, Eva Shurtleff Bur- ton, Leone F., Della M., John G., Olive and Jessie. The father continued to further develop and improve his farm until 1912, when he retired from active business life and turned his property over to his heirs, removing to Salt Lake City, where he purchased a nice home that he has since occupied. The mother passed away in December, 1907.

Warren L. Shurtleff was but four years of age when his parents removed to Idaho and in this state he was reared and educated. When his textbooks were put aside he took up the occupation of farming and purchased land, also renting a part of his father's place, which he continued to cultivate for three years. He then removed to Ogden, Utah, where he was employed for two years in a whole- sale house, and for six months prior to that time he acted as fireman on an engine on the Southern Pacific Railroad. After about two and a half years spent in Utah he returned home and engaged in farming for a year upon his own land. He was then called to serve on a mission, spending twenty-five months in England for the benefit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following his re- turn to his native land he again took up the occupation of farming, which he fol- lowed for three years. He later spent two years as manager with the C. A. Smith Mercantile Company at Lewisville and for one year was manager for the Inter- mountain Farmers Equity at Idaho Falls. He has recently installed a stock of general merchandise in a business block which he owns at Lewisville and is now devoting his attention and energies to commercial pursuits. He is still the owner of two farm properties, which he leases, and he likewise has city property in both Rigby and Lewisville.

In August, 1902, Mr. Shurtleff was married to Miss Laura Agren, and they have become the parents of seven children: Ellen L., Warren A., Blanche A., Vic- tor R., Ruth J., Mark A. and Daryl A.

Mr. Shurtleff remains an active worker in the church and is second counselor to the bishop of his ward. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he has filled various local offices. He is now the president of the town council of Lewisville and served on the high school board for six years, while for eight

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years he was a member of the district school board, acting as its chairman. He was a candidate for the office of county commissioner on the republican ticket in 1915 but was defeated by ten votes. He loyally supports every cause or inter- est which he believes for the benefit of the community and his efforts are of a practical and resultant character.

CHARLES A. SMITH. JR.

Charles A. Smith, Jr., a prominent merchant of Menan, Jefferson county, was born in Utah in December, 1878. His father, Charles A. Smith, Sr., who was a native of the Nutmeg state, accompanied his parents westward in 1849 when he was but a child and settled in Utah. In those days travel across the plains was a slow and hazardous undertaking, for the only means of locomotion was the ox team and prairie schooner and the country was infested with marauding bands of hos- tile Indians. It was under such conditions that Charles A. Smith, Sr., came to Utah and he made most of the journey beside the lumbering wagon on foot. He grew to manhood in the new country, enduring all the hardships incident to the life of a pioneer. He engaged for several years in freighting goods but later took up agriculture and after engaging in this occupation in a small way for a few years, bought a farm near Morgan, Utah, where he carried on stock raising and general farming on a larger scale for seven years. On the expiration of this period in 1889 he came to Idaho, locating in that section of Bingham county which later became a part of Jefferson, where he became the owner of a sizeable tract of land and resumed stock raising in a more extensive fashion than heretofore. In 1890 he forsook farming for merchandising and established the C. A. Smith Mercantile Company at Menan, carrying on a successful retail business until his retirement in 1906. However, he still retains an interest in the same. In addition to the store at Menan he also operated a retail establishment at Lewisville, Jefferson county, and had an interest in a milling business at Rigby and Menan. While he was still a resident of Utah, he was united in marriage to Sarah J. Shurtliff, the mother of the subject of this sketch and a native of that state. Since Mr. Smith left active business pursuits, he and his wife have returned to Utah and are now residing in the city of Ogden. He is seventy-three years of age and his wife is sixty-eight.

Charles A. Smith, Jr., was a lad of twelve years when he came with his par- ents to Jefferson county, Idaho, but after he had finished his elementary schooling he returned to his native state to become a student in a business college in Ogden. On the completion of his course he returned home and entered the employ of his father in the C. A. Smith Mercantile Company at Menan. As time passed and other business interests demanded more and more of his father's time, the son, who had acquired stock in the store, was finally given the responsibility of man- aging the concern which is still under his direction. Later he bought stock in the Rigby Flour Mills Company and in the Menan Milling Company and he has been the manager of the latter since 1910. Mr. Smith is also a stockholder in the First National Bank and the City Pharmacy Company of Rigby. Furthermore he occu- pies the official position of vice president of the Jefferson State Bank of Menan and is a director of the Idaho-Montana Asbestos Company, which promises to be the largest industry of the kind in the state.

In the month of December, 1898, Mr. Smith was married to Ida J. Poole, a daughter of John R. and Harriet (Bitton) Poole, the former originally from Iowa and the latter from England. Both were early pioneers of Idaho, being among the first to settle in Menan, where they have contributed substantially to the general development and welfare of the town and surrounding country. After the death of the father in 1894, the mother has continued to reside in Menan. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of three children, namely: Emmett O., born September 22, 1899; Altha L., born January 27, 1901, and H. Lyle, born Septem- ber 18, 1902. Mrs. Smith is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints.

Mr. Smith is affiliated with one fraternal order-the Modern Woodmen of America. He gives his political endorsement to the republican party and has been a participant in all of the activities of this organization in his section. When the Vol. 11-23

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county of Jefferson was established in 1913 he was appointed a member of the original board of county commissioners and on the expiration of his term of office he was reelected. He served as a member of the First village board of Menan and has ever been alert to the best interests of the town. Mr. Smith enjoys the high regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact through commer- cial relations. In the conduct of business affairs he uses good judgment, and the enterprise which enables him to overcome all difficulties makes it possible for him to direct his interests so that success in substantial measure is today his.

HON. GUY EMERSON BOWERMAN.

Hon. Guy Emerson Bowerman, who is first commissioner of finance for the state of Idaho brings to his official duties the broad knowledge gained from many years of experience in banking and financial circles. He was born in Coldwater, Michigan, October 8, 1866, a son of Thomas Henry Bowerman, who was a native of Detroit, Michigan, and spent his entire life in that state. In early manhood he wedded Elizabeth M. Daken, a native of Vermont and a representative of one of the old New England families. For more than a half century they occupied the same house in Cold- water, Michigan. The father has now passed away, but the mother survives and resides in San Diego, California.

Reared in his native state to the age of eighteen years and acquiring his education in its public schools, Guy Emerson Bowerman then left home to go to South Dakota, settling at Dell Rapids in 1884. He at once secured employment in a bank there and after three years, or when twenty-one years of age, was advanced to the position of cashier. He continued in active connection with banking interests in that state until 1899, when he came to Idaho and established his home at St. Anthony. The banking business of Idaho was then in its infancy and the initiative and enterprise of the young banker were at once manifest. Recognizing the opportunities of a young but rapidly developing state, and having the most profound confidence in its future, he care- fully directed his efforts along financial lines and has come to be regarded as one of the prominent bankers and financiers of the state. He was the founder of the first bank established in his district between Idaho Falls and Montana, the institution being originally called the Idaho State Bank and later converted into the First National Bank of St. Anthony, of which he remained president until 1912, when he sold his interests. He has been very active as the founder and promotor of banks for many years. He assisted in the organization of the First National Bank of Driggs, also the First National Bank of Ashton and the Fremont County Bank of Sugar City. Each of these institutions received his personal attention and became valuable factors in the development of the communities in which they are located. After the experimental stage was passed and the banks were placed upon a substantial basis Mr. Bowerman withdrew from the first two. He is still, however, connected with eight different banks in the state. He was one of the organizers of the Idaho State Bankers Association, of which he has been honored with the presidency, and he has also served as a member of the executive council of the American Bankers Association.

On the 18th of September, 1888, Mr. Bowerman was married in Mitchell, Ontario, when twenty-two years of age, to Miss Susanna Priscilla Wilson, a native of Ontario. To them has been born a son, Guy Emerson, whose birth occurred August 29, 1896. He was graduated from the high school of St. Anthony and had just completed his fresh- man year at Yale in June, 1917, when at the age of twenty years he enlisted in the Yale Ambulance Unit for service in the great war. He sailed for France on the 7th of August, 1917, and when his unit reached that country it was at once assigned to duty with the French army and so continued to the end of the war. Guy E. Bowerman, Jr., was decorated with the Croix du Guerre for conspicuous bravery and devotion to . duty, having volunteered to go to the rescue of the wounded during a full bombardment. He was one of the first thirty thousand Americans to reach France and spent twenty months in that land. He returned to the United States in 1919, reaching his native shores on Easter morning, and he will re-enter Yale, continuing his course in the university.

Mr. Bowerman is well known in Masonic circles, belonging to the lodge, the com- mandery, the consistory and the Mystic Shrine. He is also an Elk. a Knight of Pythias_ and an Odd Fellow. He is a past chancellor in the Knights of Pythias, a past noble

HON. GUY E. BOWERMAN

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grand in the Odd Fellows and past master in the Masons. In politics he is a republican and for one term, during the twelfth general assembly, he served as a member of the Idaho house of representatives, which honored him with the chairmanship of the com- mittee on appropriations and a member of the committee on banks and banking. He has served as mayor of St. Anthony and his administration was marked by the utmost efficiency and economy. His interest in the affairs of community and commonwealth has been of a vital and valuable character and he has always been a willing volunteer in any cause that has had for its object the welfare of state or nation. He has served as a member of the Idaho Liberty Loan Committee and as county chairman for the Liberty Loan drives in Fremont county that have made such a remarkable record. His deep interest in every moment calculated to advance the welfare of the soldiers in the field or support the cause of America and the allied forces has made him a leader in all war work. Another fact in his career is that his moral support of any project has been also further endorsed by his financial aid. A most public-spirited citizen, he has constantly put forth effective effort for the general good and the high place which he had won in financial circles led to his appointment as commissioner of finance in the cabinet of Governor Davis. The appointment came to him on the 31st of March, 1919, and he assumed the duties of the office on the 6th of May following. This was entirely contrary to his wish. He had no ambition for public life and it was only under great pressure that he was induced to accept the office, which he has done at the sacri- fice of his personal interests. Such a man, however, is invaluable in the cabinet and the choice has heen most strongly endorsed by public opinion, for Idaho's citizens recognize in Guy Emerson Bowermau a man whose initiative, enterprise and progres- siveness have been, and will continue to be of the greatest value to the state.

RICHARD S. WILKIE.

On the roster of Teton county's public officials appears the name of Richard S. Wilkie, who is now prosecuting attorney and who makes his home at Driggs, the county seat. Almost the width of the continent separates him from his birth- place, for he is a native of Hartford, Connecticut. He was born November 22, 1875, his parents being Frederick C. and Sarah (Adams) Wilkie, who are men- tioned in connection with the sketch of A. H. Wilkie on another page of this work.

Richard S. Wilkie was reared in Washington county, Idaho, for his parents brought their family to the west when he was but eight years of age. There he pursued his education, having to go a distance of three miles to school on snow- shoes during the winter. After he attained the age of sixteen he attended night schools and also pursued his education through correspondence schools. Subse- quently he took up his abode in Boise, where he learned the printer's trade, and while thus engaged he attended business college at night, embracing every oppor- tunity that would enable him to advance his education and thus promote his effi- ciency in the business world. He worked at the printer's trade for about seven . years and then turned his attention to mining, leasing and operating mining prop- erty. He also traveled as a mining expert for two years, reporting on claims for different companies. Much of his attention through seven years was devoted to mining and when twenty-five years of age he took up the study of law through correspondence courses and also took a complete mechanical course in the Amer- ican School of Correspondence. Having qualified for law practice, he was ad- mitted to the bar on the 7th of September, 1915. From 1911 until 1915 he had practiced law without being licensed, and he also conducted a real estate office in Adams county. In 1915 he entered into partnership with a brother at Ashton and they have since continued together in the practice of law. On the 9th of November, 1915, however, Richard S. Wilkie removed to Driggs, where he opened an office and has since been closely identified with the bar of Teton county under the firm style of Wilkie & Wilkie. In the fall of 1916 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Teton county and was reelected to the office in the fall of 1918. He possesses a splendid law library and prepares his cases with the utmost thoroughness, being always well equipped for the presentation of his cause when he enters the court. From 1915 until 1919 he also served as city attorney.

On the 5th of January, 1917, Mr. Wilkie was married to Lillian Loyson and to them has been born a daughter, Jannet, who was born July 23, 1918. By her

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former marriage Mrs. Wilkie has three children: Dean, who was born in October, 1911; Melba, born in April, 1913; and Lenford, born in March, 1915. Mrs. Wilkie is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In his political views Mr. Wilkie is a republican, and fraternally he is con- nected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He certainly deserves much credit for what he has accomplished. Starting out in the business world at an early age, he has made steady advancement through his unremitting industry and the wise use he has made of his time and opportunities. Step by step he has ad- vanced and there is much in his life record that should serve as a source of encour- agement and inspiration to others.

ARTHUR O. SUTTON.

Arthur O. Sutton, member of the bar and probate judge of Gem county, re- siding at Emmett, was born in Arkansas, July 23, 1891, and is the only child of Charles W. and Alice (Webb) Sutton, who now reside on a ranch about seven miles southwest of Boise. The family left Arkansas before Arthur O. Sutton was a year old and removed to Kansas and later to Oklahoma. The father was one of the pioneers in the Cherokee strip when it was opened for settlement. In 1899 the family came to Idaho, settling on a ranch near Salubria, in Washington county.

Arthur O. Sutton passed his youth mainly in Washington county and was graduated from the Cambridge schools. He next entered the preparatory depart- ment of the University of Idaho in 1909 and continued his studies until gradu- ated. from the law department of that institution with the class of 1914. Since 1915 he has continuously practiced law in Emmett. He is both a self-educated and self-made man, for he made his own way through the university by doing various kinds of work both during the terms and in vacation periods. At the latter time he acted as cook in lumber and railroad camps and thus he earned the money that enabled him to pursue his university course. He thus displayed the elemental strength of his character-a strength that has carried him far toward success and prominence in the legal profession. In June, 1916, he was appointed probate judge of Gem county to fill a vacancy and has twice been elected to the office, first in the fall of 1916 and again in the fall of 1918, having no opposition at the last election, receiving the vote of both parties though he is a republican.

On the 11th of September, 1916, in Moscow, Idaho, Mr. Sutton was married to Miss Mary Helen Cozier, daughter of the late Hon. Robert V. Cozier, former- ly speaker of the Idaho house of representatives and at one time United States district attorney for Idaho. He ranked as a prominent lawyer in his day, resid- ing first at Payette and later at Blackfoot and at Moscow. To Judge and Mrs. Sutton has been born a daughter, Heleu Ann, whose birth occurred August 12, 1917.

Judge Sutton is a Master Mason and is now senior warden of Butte Lodge, No. 37, A. F. & A. M. He is also a member of the Phi Alpha Delta, a law fra- ternity. He has made steady professional progress and has grown as well in the regard of his fellowmen, as his sterling traits and qualities have been manifest in his professional and official career.

H. ORTON WILEY.

Earnest of purpose and endowed by nature with keen intellectuality, which he has used in effective work in the upbuilding of one of the strong educational insti- tutions of Idaho, H. Orton Wiley is today well known as president of the North- west Nazarene College of Nampa. He was born at Marquette, Nebraska, Novem- ber, 15, 1877, and was but eight years of age when he accompanied his parents to California. His public school education was supplemented by study in the Uni- versity of the Pacific and in the Pacific Theological Seminary at Berkeley, where he was graduated in 1910, on the completion of a four years' course in theology. He then took charge of the Nazarene College at Pasadena, California, where he

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History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 42

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