History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 8

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

USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II > Part 8

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

HISTORY OF IDAHO

Caldwell to the office of postmaster of Pocatello, but after two years spent in that posi- tion the latter resigned, at the request of some of the political leaders of the district, to take charge of the Fort Hall Indian reservation, upon which he remained for ten years or until the 1st of October, 1910, when he retired from active business. During his con- nection with the Indian agency he was instrumental in erecting the fine brick school building there found. He now spends his time between Pocatello and California, giving his attention to the supervision of his investments, which represent valuable property holdings.

On the 3d of November, 1869, Major Caldwell was united in marriage to Miss Cora Gilman, a native of Illinois, and they have become the parents of three chil- dren, two sons and a daughter: Fred G., who is interested in the Idaho Loan & Invest- ment Company of Pocatello; Orrin A., who died in Mexico eight years ago while engaged in mining in connection with the Guggenheim interests; and Uluetta, the wife of James Prinsen, of Salt Lake City, where he is connected with the Western Powder Company.

Mr. Caldwell has been an earnest republican since casting his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln while serving with the army. He has been a member of the city council but has never been a politician in the usually accepted sense of seeking office. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and he is one of the widely known and highly esteemed residents of Pocatello, where he has made his home since pioneer times. As the years have passed he has taken active interest in the wel- fare and progress of his state, contributing in large measure to its upbuilding along various lines.

HON. FRANK MARTIN.

Hon. Frank Martin, a prominent attorney of Boise, whose ability is attested in the large and distinctively representative clientage accorded him, first came to Idaho in 1878 and has resided continuously within the borders of the state since 1886, while since 1892 he has successfully followed his profession at the capital. He was born in Arkansas on the 1st of January, 1864, the younger of the two sons of Captain Benjamin Franklin Martin, a native of Virginia, who was killed at the battle of Pilot Knob during the Civil war in the fall of 1864, while commanding a company that was serving in an Arkansas regiment under General Sterling Price.

In 1878 his son, Frank Martin, came to Idaho with his mother, a brother and a sister. The family lived for a year in Ada county and then removed to Oregon, where they resided for three years. Mr. Martin of this review taught school in early life both in Oregon and Idaho but regarded this merely as an initial step to other professional - labor. Even while teaching school he devoted his leisure time to the study of law and in 1892 he was graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. On the completion of his course he at once returned to Idaho and entered upon the active practice of his profession in Boise, where his developing powers have brought him notable success. He is now the senior partner of the law firm of Martin & Martin, located in the Idaho building, his partner being his nephew, Thomas L. Martin. The only brother of Frank Martin is Thomas B. Martin, five years his senior, who recently served as United States marshal for the state of Idaho.

Frank Martin has several times been called upon for public service. He has ever been a stalwart democrat and has taken active part in both local and state politics. He served as chairman of the democratic central committee of Ada county for several terms and was chosen chairman of the democratic state convention in 1896 and again in 1918. He also served as presidential elector in 1912 and again in 1916. He has never been defeated for political office and yet he is not an aspirant for political honors and emoluments. In 1901 and 1902, however, he served as attorney general of Idaho, consenting to become a candidate for the position on the solicitation of many friends. He considers the pursuits of private life as in themselves abundantly worthy of his best efforts. Well versed in the learning of his profession and with a deep knowledge of human nature and the springs of human conduct, with great shrewdness and sagacity and extraordinary tact, he is in the courts an advocate of great power and influence, and judges and juries always hear him with attention and deep interest. He has been con- nected with much important litigation heard in the courts of the state and his increasing ability has gained him distinction as one of Boise's most able lawyers. He belongs to the American Bar Association and also to the Idaho State Bar Association, of which he

HISTORY OF IDAHO

has been honored with the presidency. In addition to his law practice he is interested in ranching in this state. He owns a fine stock farm of five hundred acres near Merid- ian, Ada county, nine miles from Boise, and takes the greatest interest in its develop- ment and conduct.

In December, 1893, Mr. Martin was married to Miss Ella L. Hall, a native of Ver- mont and a representative of one of the old New England families that rendered patri- otic service to the country in the Revolutionary war. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have become parents of two sons, Frank Jr., and Homer. The former went to camp Hancock, Augusta, Georgia, as a private in the United States army. He was a student in the University of Michigan when the war broke out and would have graduated in 1918, having finished his junior year at Ann Arbor. The younger son, Homer, is a high school student.

Mr. Martin has always been interested in educational progress and development and was regent of the Idaho State University from 1897 until 1899 inclusive. He is prom- inently known as an Odd Fellow and is a past grand master of the order in the state. He has also represented Idaho in the Sovereign Grand Lodge for the past ten years. He is a man of high personal worth and of progressive citizenship, and his endorsement of any public measure insures to it a large following.

CHARLES H. WOODMANSEE.

Honored and respected by all, no man occupied a more enviable position in the financial and business circles of Rexburg and Madison county than did Charles H. Woodmansee. His activities covered a broad scope and his efforts were of a char- acter that contributed to general progress and prosperity as well as to individual success. He was for several years the president of the First National Bank of Rex- burg, was for some time extensively connected with the sheep industry and was the original promoter of dry farming in this section. He also owned vast tracts of irri- gated lands and his extensive farming interests classified him with the leading agri- culturists of Idaho. The state therefore lost a valued and prominent citizen when he was called to his final rest.

Mr. Woodmansee was born in Ogden, Utah, June 4, 1867, a son of Charles and Harriet E. (Porter) Woodmansee, the latter a native of Vermont. The father was a merchant in early life and in the pioneer period in the development of Utah hecame a resident of that state, settling first at Salt Lake, while afterward he removed to Ogden, where he engaged in general merchandising. He remained there for several years as a merchant and then turned his attention to the real estate business and to speculative building. He erected a large number of business houses in the city which are still owned by the estate, and his widow yet remains a resident of Ogden. His death occurred in 1893.

Charles H. Woodmansee was reared and educated in Ogden and remained with his parents until he reached the age of twenty years. He worked for his father until 1887, when he came to Idaho, settling in Rexburg, then a part of Oneida county, hut now Madison county. He bought land five miles east of Rexburg, on Moody creek, and he owned and farmed six hundred and forty acres of irrigated land, which he improved and continued to cultivate until 1900, when he sold that property and bought dry land. He thus introduced dry farming into the region. He bought a relinquish- ment, as did James W. Webster, and later on they consolidated their interests and built a thirty thousand dollar canal. They owned twenty-five hundred acres, which they cultivated together for several years. Mr. Woodmansee was the business man of the company and they continued together as partners until his death, which oc- curred on the 2d of December, 1911, after an illness extending over two or three years, although he attended to his business interests until within three months of his death. Most of their farm land was devoted to the raising of Turkey Red wheat. After the death of her husband Mrs. Woodmansee sold her interest in the farm property to Mr. Webster. Mr. Woodmansee did not confine his attention to agricultural pursuits, however. He helped organize and was made the president of the First National Bank of Rexburg and his sound judgment constituted an important element in the success of every enterprise with which he was connected.

Mr. Woodmansee was married on the 26th of October, 1887, to Miss Vilate Pin- cock, a daughter of John and Isabella (Douglas) Pincock, who were natives of Eng- land and came to America at an early day, settling in St. Louis, Missouri, where the

CHARLES H. WOODMANSEE

Vol. II-5

HISTORY OF IDAHO

father was employed in various ways. Later they went to Utah, establishing their home in Davis county, and afterward they were residents of Ogden, Weber county, Utah. Mr. Pincock was connected with railroading for several years and finally re- tired. His death occurred December 15, 1905. His wife passed away August 15, 1918. Their daughter, Mrs. Woodmansee, was born in Ogden, August 24, 1867. By her mar- riage she became the mother of ten children. Grace, the eldest, is the wife of E. A. Beasley, a resident of Rexburg. Charles. R. died in May, 1911, in Switzerland, where he was filling a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, being at that time nineteen years of age. Pearl died at the age of one month. Clyde is at home. Glenn married Ruby Johnson and resides in Rexburg. Harvey and Henry are twins. Harvey married Ritta Sherwood of Rigby. Ethel died at the age of five weeks. Marion and John are also with their mother.

Mr. Woodmansee was a very public-spirited citizen and was connected with many enterprises that were of general benefit to the community. He took an active interest in educational affairs and efficiently served as school director. He had charge of the construction of a large part of the Yellowstone branch of the Oregon Short Line Rail- road and also assisted in the building of the sugar factory at Rexburg. His political allegiance was given to the democratic party. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as counselor to the president of Fremont stake, Thomas E. Bassett, for several years. His son Glenn filled a mission in the eastern states for twenty-seven months. The sterling personal worth, the business ability and the progressive citizenship of Mr. Woodmansee made him one of Rex- burg's valued and honored residents. His widow survives and has recently completed a modern brick bungalow in Rexburg which she is now occupying. She has reared a family of which she has every reason to be proud, and in the social circles of the city they occupy an enviable position.

LE ROY C. JONES.

Le Roy C. Jones, United States marshal for the district of Idaho and a resident of Boise, was born in Beatrice, Nebraska, February 12, 1864, the youngest of the seven sons of Samuel and Rebecca (Pethoud) Jones, both of whom have passed away. The father was a native of Virginia and the mother of Ohio. They became residents of Nebraska in 1857, and there the father passed away in 1872, while the mother later removed to Idaho, her last days being spent in Gooding, where her death occurred in 1872. They were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are yet living.

Le Roy C. Jones was reared upon a Nebraska farm and early became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. The winter seasons were devoted to the acquirement of a public school education until he reached the age of seventeen years. When a youth of eighteen he left home and soon became a cowboy in western Nebraska. In the spring of 1882 he arrived in Idaho and has since made his home at Gooding. He followed farming and the raising of live stock in that vicinity and still owns his farming interests there. His fellow townsmen, appreciativeof his worth and ability and his devotion to the public welfare, elected him to the office of sheriff of Lincoln county in 1898 upon the democratic ticket. He served for one term at that time and again was chosen to the position in 1906 for a two years' term. In 1915 he was appointed by Governor Alexander fish and game warden of the state of Idaho and occupied the position until May 7, 1918, when he resigned to accept the office of United States marshal for the district of Idaho, to which he was appointed by President Wil- son. He is now acting in that capacity, being capable and fearless in the discharge of his duties.

In 1885, at the age of twenty-one years, Mr. Jones was married at Hailey, Idaho, to Miss Sarah Johnston, who was born in England and was brought to America by her mother during her infancy. She was largely reared in Indiana and Colorado. Her father, Martin Johnston, was a railroad man. To Mr. and Mrs. Jones have been born ten children, eight sons and two daughters, of whom seven sons and two daughters are yet living. Their eldest child was the first white child born in Gooding, at which time the town was called Toponis. The names of the children are Norah, John B., Charles A., Stephen Le Roy, Joseph M., Samuel W., Mary Myrtle, Frank G., Alvin and Jerome and all are living with the exception of Stephen Le Roy, who passed away in childhood.

HISTORY OF IDAHO

Charles A., Joseph M. and Samuel W. were in the United States army, the two latter being on active duty in France. The daughter Norah is assistant postmaster of Gooding.

Mr. Jones has long been prominent in democratic politics in Lincoln county, serving as chairman of the democratic central committee for several terms and also as a member of the state central committee. His opinions carry weight in the councils of the party, and he has done much to shape its policy and direct its activities in this state.

HON. ISAAC NEWTON SULLIVAN.

Hon. Isaac Newton Sullivan, whose high professional attainments are attested by the fact that for twenty-six years he was a member of the Idaho supreme court, serving for eleven years of that period as chief justice, is now giving his attention to the private practice of law as a senior partner in the firm of Sullivan & Sullivan of Boise. He was born in Delaware county, Iowa, November 3, 1848, a son of Aaron Sulli- van, who was born in Logan county, Ohio, near Urbana, where he was reared, educated and married. He was a representative of one of the old families of New Hampshire and it is believed that from the same ancestry came John Sullivan, who was a delegate from New Hampshire to the first continental congress at Philadelphia in 1774. Aaron Sullivan devoted his life to farming and stock raising. He married Jane Lippincott, who was also a native of Logan county, Ohio, the wedding being celebrated in 1838. They began their domestic life in their native county but in 1844 removed westward to Delaware county, Iowa, where their remaining days were passed. They were early set- tlers of that locality and for many years were rated among its most substantial and valued citizens. The mother passed away in 1887 and the father, who was born Febru- ary 21, 1811, died in 1894 at the venerable age of eighty-three years. He was a well-to-do farmer of Delaware county and at one time owned about a section of land. The close connection of the family with the representatives of that name in New Hamp- shire comes through John Sullivan, the paternal grandfather, who was born in the Old Granite state, while his parents came to the new world from the north of Ire- land and were of Scotch-Irish descent. To Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Sullivan were born nine children, six sons and three daughters, namely: Mary Rebecca, Samuel Parker, Sarah Ellen, Andrew Jackson, Isaac Newton, Jane A., Aaron Rudolphus, Benjamin Franklin and Lucius Matlack. Singular to state, the six sons all survive, while the three daughters have passed away. Two of the sons are residents of Iowa, two of Idaho, one of Montana and one of California. The brother of the Judge living in Idaho is Andrew Jackson Sullivan, of Emmett, Idaho, where he is engaged in farming and stock raising.

Judge Sullivan was reared upon the old homestead farm in Delaware county, Iowa, with the usual experiences of the farmer boy. He attended the country schools to the age of fifteen years and afterward had the advantage of instruction in a select school. When seventeen years of age he took up the profession of teaching in the public schools of his native county, his object being to thus acquire the necessary means for a college education. He received his collegiate training in Adrian College of Michigan, which thereafter conferred upon him the Master of Laws degree.

Judge Sullivan was but twenty-one years of age when on the 14th of February, 1870, he was united in marriage to Miss Christine Josephine Moore, a native of Ohio, and they have since traveled life's journey happily together. Mrs. Sullivan took a most helpful interest in Red Cross work and other war activities.

Judge Sullivan continued to engage in teaching both before and after his mar- riage and in 1872 and 1873 was principal of the public schools of Coffeyville, Kansas. Returning to Delaware county, Iowa, he served at Delhi as deputy county clerk for a year or more and also taught school until 1875. In the meantime he had been studying law, devoting every leisure hour to that task for several years, and in 1875 he successfully passed the required examination at Delhi that secured him admission to the Iowa bar. He did not settle down to the actual practice of law, however, until 1880, although for a brief period he followed his profession at Delhi.

In 1881 Judge Sullivan arrived in Idaho, taking up his abode at Hailey, where he formed a law partnership with Texas Angel, who had come to Idaho from Wis- consin. The firm of Angel & Sullivan was maintained until November 3, 1890, when the junior partner was elected a justice of the Idaho supreme court. He not only became a member of the first supreme court of the state but, drawing the short term

HISTORY OF IDAHO

of office, also became the first chief justice. With the expiration of his term he was reelected and later reelections continued him upon the bench for twenty-six consecu- tive years, with eleven years' service as chief justice, He has been associated with many of the strongest and most capable men of the Idaho bar and is the peer of any who have sat in the court of last resort. In two decades he participated in the con- sideration and disposition of about three thousand cases, nearly all of which are writ- ten opinions and may be found in volumes III to XXX of the Idaho Reports. He has displayed a rare combination of talent, learning, tact, patience and industry, and his decisions indicate strong mentality, careful analysis, thorough knowledge of the law and an unbiased judgment. He retired from the supreme court bench January 1, 1917, enjoying the distinction of serving thereon for a much longer period than any other jurist of Idaho, his nearest competitor having been James F. Ailshie, who served for about eleven and a half years. With his retirement he formed the law firm of Sullivan & Sullivan and is now engaged in private practice.

The sons, Willis Eugene and La Verne Latimer, the only children of Judge and Mrs. Sullivan, are graduates of the Columbian University of Washington, D. C., where they completed their course in law, and both are now well known members of the Idaho bar. They have offices in both Boise and Hailey and their clientage is of a most extensive and important character.

While Judge Sullivan has ever been a most discriminating student of the law, he has also kept in touch with the trend of modern thought and research along scien- tific and literary lines. Those who meet him find him a man of very broad learning, liberal in his judgment and clear in his reasoning. In politics he has always been a stalwart republican, but as a contemporary biographer has expressed it, "He is more than a republican-he is a broad-minded, sincere, capable, honest and incorruptible American citizen."

WILLIS E. SULLIVAN.

Willis E. Sullivan, attorney at law of Boise, whose professional standing is in- dicated in the fact that he is now president of the Idaho State Bar Association, is prac- ticing as a member of the law firm of Sullivan & Sullivan, the senior partner of which firm is his father, the Hon. Isaac N. Sullivan, the other partners heing the two sons, Willis E. and La Verne L. The birthplace of Willis E. Sullivan was Coffeyville, Kan- sas, and his natal day, August 24, 1874. He came to Idaho with his parents in July, 1883, the family home being established at Hailey. There he attended the high school until 1891, in which year he entered Willamette University at Salem, Oregon, where he studied for a year. He next became a student in the Portland University, at Port- land, Oregon, where he remained for two years or until his graduation with the class of 1894. He had completed the scientific and Latin courses and he afterward spent a year in study at the Valparaiso University of Indiana. In 1896 he matriculated in the law department of the Columbian University at Washington, D. C., now the George Washington University, 'and spent three years in that institution, winning the LL. B. degree upon his graduation with the class of 1898. The following year he received the LL. M. degree from his alma mater, and during that year was president of his class. For three years he engaged in the practice of law at Scranton, Pennsylvania, and for one year was a member of the Chicago har. In 1903 he returned to Hailey, Idaho, and the firm of Sullivan & Sullivan was formed. The father was at that time chief justice of the state. The law office at Hailey is still maintained in charge of La Verne L. Sullivan. The Boise office was opened in 1907 and with the father's retirement from the state supreme bench in 1917 he joined his two sons as a member of the firm, which . occupies a place in the front ranks of the profession in the state. Willis E. Sullivan is strictly a lawyer, devoting the greater part of his time and attention to his pro- fessional interests, yet he has made judicious investments along other lines, being now the owner of farm and orchard lands and of banking interests. He is a director of the Pacific National Bank, for which the firm of Sullivan & Sullivan acts as attorneys.

On the 9th of June, 1910, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mr. Sullivan was united in marriage to Miss Helen T. Ford, her father being Charles P. Ford, a coal operator of Scranton. They have become parents of two children: Willis E., Jr., who is eight years of age; and Helen Ford, aged one.

Fraternally Mr. Sullivan is an Elk. His political allegiance is given to the re-

HISTORY OF IDAHO

publican party and he keeps well versed on the vital questions and issues of the day, nor does he hesitate to express his honest convictions, but he has never been a poli- tician in the sense of office seeking, preferring to concentrate his efforts and energies upon his professional duties, and his devotion to his clients' interests has become proverbial.

FRANK FISK JOHNSON.

Frank Fisk Johnson, whose active connection with the business interests and de- velopment of Boise is best stated in the fact that he is the vice president of the Boise City National Bank and the president of the Idaho Power Company, comes to the west from Wisconsin, his birth having occurred in Shawano, that state, on the 15th of November, 1862. His father, Albert Johnson, was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, November 4, 1837, a son of Benjamin F. Johnson and a representative of one of the old New England families. Albert Johnson was a civil and mining engineer who re- moved to Wisconsin in 1860 and in 1864 became a resident of Colorado, where he was later appointed surveyor general of the state. His last days were passed in the home of a daughter in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where his death occurred November 11, 1912. On the 17th of October, 1861, he had wedded Elizabeth S. Fisk, of Fort Howard, Wisconsin, who was born at Green Bay, that state, on the 9th of October, 1841, and died May 21, 1906, at which time she and her husband were making their home in Spokane, Washington. She was a daughter of Joel S. Fisk, a very prominent citizen of Green Bay and of Fort Howard, Wisconsin. By her marriage she became the mother of two children, the younger being a daughter, Mrs. Annie R. Jones, now living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 8

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