History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
DR. JOSEPH HOWARD SMITH.
Dr. Joseph Howard Smith is the oldest homeopathic physician in South Dakota in point of years of practice, having established his first office in this state in 1882. In the years which have intervened since that time he has gained success and prominence in his profession, for the duties of which he is eminently well qualified by reason of his conscientiousness, his unselfishness and his comprehensive knowledge. He is, moreover, entitled to a place in this volume as a veteran of the Civil war.
The Doctor was born in Macomb county, Michigan, in 1843, and is a son of Moses
R. and Miranda (Howard) Smith, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of
Lynn, Massachusetts. The family is of ancient origin and has been in America
since colonial times. The father was an early settler in Michigan, locating
there in 1833 and following the lumber business for a number of years.
Dr. Smith acquired his early education in the public schools of Michigan, and
from that state enlisted for service in the Civil war at the age of eighteen
years, joining Company K, Second Michigan Cavalry. One year later he was thrown
from his horse and so severely injured that he was sent home with no hope for
his recovery. He regained his health, however, and in January, 1864, reenlisted
in Company A, Ninth Michigan Infantry, serving until the 15th of September,
1865, when he was honorably discharged. After the war Dr. Smith returned to
Michigan, where he studied medicine, later entering the Hahnemann College of
Medicine at Chicago, from which he was graduated March 1, 1868. He located for
practice first at Lowell, Michigan, where he remained ten years, after which he
removed to Pontiac in the same state. In 1882 he removed to Groton, South
Dakota, and he has since engaged in practice in this state, being today the
oldest homeopathic practitioner within its borders. Dr. Smith became a resident
of Huron in 1898, and he has here built up a large and representative patronage,
accorded to him in recognition of his superior merit and ability. He engages in
the general practice of medicine, but specializes in the treatment of diseases
of children, a field in which his gentleness and kindliness of spirit qualify
him to do excellent work. He has never been known to refuse to make a call on
account of the inclemency of the weather, and in the early days often drove many
miles through snow or rain in the performance of his professional duties. He is
imbued with a conscientious sense of the responsibilities which devolve upon him
as a physician and is ever watchful over the interests of his patients.
On the 29th of April, 1868, Dr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Ruby A.
Robinson, of Kent county, Michigan, and they are the parents of two children:
Carl, who is an engineer on the Northwestern Railroad; and Mrs. J. C. Jamieson,
of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Dr. Smith had the rather unusual distinction of
delivering his granddaughter, Mrs. Frank H. Bacheller, at birth of his
great-grandson at the grandparents' home.
Dr. Smith is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and is prominent in the affairs of the Grand Army of the Republic, having served for some time as commander of Kilpatrick Post, No. 4, and as medical director for the South Dakota department of the G. A. R. He has been twice president of the State Homeopathic Medical Society, and through his membership in this body keeps in touch with the advancement of his profession, of which he has ever remained a close and earnest student. He is held in high honor and respect in Huron, not only as a successful and able physician, but as a courteous, straightforward and upright gentleman.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
JOHN C. KLEMME.
For many years John C. Klemme figured as one of the most prominent insurance men
of Huron and his section of the state, and the agency which he established is
still conducted under his name, although he has retired from active connection
therewith. He is a well known figure in fraternal circles and is everywhere
mentioned as one of the valued residents of Huron. His birth occurred in
Franklin county, Indiana, in 1852, and in his youthful days he attended the
country schools, but his education and training have been largely acquired in
the school of experience. His father was Henry W. Klemme, a resident farmer of
Indiana, who, in 1860, removed to Winneshiek county, Iowa, where he owned large
tracts of land, being one of the leading farmers of that district. His last
years were spent in Elma, Iowa, where he owned a fine residence. A native of
Germany, he crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, eight weeks being required
in making the voyage. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Catherine Gasell,
was also a native of Germany, having been born on the banks of the Rhine in
Prussia. They became the parents of fourteen children, of whom thirteen, eleven
sons and two daughters, are yet living.
John C. Klemme was a little lad of eight years when the family removed to
Iowa, and in the usual manner of farm lads his boyhood and youth were spent. In
1878, when twenty-six years of age, he came to South Dakota from Vinton, Iowa,
for the purpose of looking over the country. He made his way to Springfield,
this state, and was well pleased with its prospects. He returned to Vinton for
the winter, but in the spring of 1879 again went to Springfield, where he
established a real-estate and insurance office, conducting business there for
eight years. In 1886 he located in Huron, having taken up a tree claim that
included what is now the southern part of the city. For many years he conducted
an extensive insurance, real-estate and loan business in that city, having a
very large and gratifying clientage. For thirty-four years he represented the
Phoenix Insurance Company and established the Calumet agency in South Dakota and
in Iowa. For twenty-two years he was special agent and adjuster for the Phoenix
Insurance Company in North and South Dakota, and there is no phase of the
insurance business with which he is not familiar. His agency was known as the
Klemme Agency, and the business is still carried on under that name, although he
has retired. The name has become a synonym for the highest standard of service
along insurance and real-estate lines.
While at Springfield, South Dakota, Mr. Klemme was united in marriage to Miss
Florence Sandison, of Vinton, Iowa, who passed away thirteen years later. A few
years subsequent to her death Mr. Klemme wedded Mrs. L. E. Choate, of Yankton,
South Dakota, who in her maidenhood was Miss Annie E. Edwards. Her father was
one of the pioneers of the state, settling at Elk Point, Dakota, in 1860.
Subsequently he moved to Yankton, where he established a dray line. His first
home was a log cabin and the family met the usual experiences and hardships of
pioneer life, but his business grew with the settlement of this state.
Mr. Klemme has always taken a very active part in the affairs of the city, is a public-spirited man and one whose interest has been of a most helpful character. He is prominently known in fraternal circles, holding membership with the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masons. He was largely instrumental in building the Masonic Temple in Huron and became one of its largest stockholders. He is ever loyal and true to the teachings of these organizations, exemplifying in his life the spirit of fraternity. He belongs to the Episcopal church, and he gives his political allegiance to the republican party. For four years he filled the office of register of deeds in his county and for five or six years was city treasurer of Huron, discharging the duties of both offices with promptness and fidelity. In every relation of life he has measured up to high standards of manhood and citizenship and in business his record is indeed an enviable one, winning for him the regard and confidence of colleagues and contemporaries. The rest which has come to him in his retirement from business is well merited, but, while he has put aside the more arduous cares of business life, he is by no means a recluse, for he takes a most active and helpful interest in the fraternal organizations with wrhich he is connected and gives generous, hearty and helpful support to all those measures which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
THOMAS HENRY NULL.
Thomas Henry Null is a lawyer of Huron, where he has engaged in practice for
more than a quarter of a century. He was born in Warren county, Ohio, February
10, 1862. His father, Benjamin Null, was a son of Henry Null and a grandson of
Charles Null, who with a brother came to America from Germany before the
Revolutionary war, both settling in Virginia and participating in the struggle
for independence. In 1796, following Wayne's treaty with the Indians, Charles
Null made his way to the Miami valley of Ohio and was among the earliest of its
permanent settlers, taking up his abode about forty miles from Cincinnati. In
1800 he returned to Virginia and removed his family to the new wilderness home,
after which the Nulls were there represented through several generations. The
mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Mary J. Stevens and was also a
native of Ohio and a member of one of the earliest pioneer families. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Benjamin Null are now deceased.
Thomas Henry Null was the second in a family of three children. He attended
school in Warren county, Ohio, and at the age of seventeen years began reading
law, carefully mastering the principles of jurisprudence until he was qualified
for the bar. In 1883 he was admitted to practice in Dakota territory soon after
his arrival here in the same year. He settled first in Jerauld county, where he
took up a claim, and in 1884 he entered law practice at Waterbury, while in 1886
he located at Wessington Springs. He served as state's attorney there from
1886 until 1888 inclusive and proved a capable official in that position. In
1889 he removed to Huron and afterward joined John M. Davis under the firm name
of Davis & Null. In 1910 he was joined by Mr. Royhl under the firm style of Null
& Royhl, and that relation has since continued. From 1897 until 1901 he served
as special counsel to the state railway commission in the celebrated freight
rate cases. He has been connected with other important litigation and has proven
his ability to successfully solve intricate and involved legal problems.
On the 25th of May, 1887, Mr. Null was united in marriage to Miss Innis Burton,
a daughter of James and Caroline Burton, of Jefferson, Iowa, and they have two
children, Gertrude and Fern. Mr. Null finds recreation in the study of geology,
in which he has always been deeply interested. He is an enthusiastic hunter of
big game and is an expert trap shot. Independent in politics, he leaves office
seeking to others. However, he is well known in fraternal circles as a Mason, an
Elk and an Eagle, and he holds membership in the German Reformed church. Mr.
Null is a self-educated as well as self-made man, making his own way in life
unaided from his eleventh year. In his youthful days he worked on farms, sold
papers, blacked shoes, and also served an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's
trade. While working in the blacksmith shop he boarded with students and
teachers, and this it was that aroused his ambition for an education. Once he
set his face in that direction, he never faltered, and steadily he has advanced
step by step until he is now one of the leading lawyers and citizens, not only
of Huron, but of the state.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
EDWARD H. WARREN.
Edward H. Warren, owner and editor of the Queen City Mail, published at
Spearfish, was born in Horicon, Dodge county, Wisconsin, February 6, 1859, a son
of James H. and Augusta B. (Horton) Warren. The father was born in Eden, Erie
county, New York, September 4, 1820, and his wife's birth occurred in western
Pennsylvania, March 12, 1831. In early life he went to Ohio and in 1845 removed
to Wisconsin, settling near Milwaukee. He taught penmanship and other branches
and also followed the trades of a carpenter and mason, but later in that year he
returned to Ohio, where he took up the study of medicine. He also made several
trips to the Allegheny mountains, gathering blazing star root and other herbs of
medical value, which he took to Cincinnati and sold. Returning to Wisconsin, he
settled in Dodge county, near Mayville, where he engaged in hunting, and sold
deer skins, which were manufactured into mittens and gloves. He also gathered
wild honey, for which he found a market, and in fact he resorted to every
honorable method to secure a dollar and gain a start in life. In 1852 he entered
the employ of the firm of Hamilton & Bishop, proprietors of a linseed oil mill,
remaining thu6 employed for a year or more. In 1859 he established his home in
Trempealeau county, Wisconsin. He remained for a year at Arcadia and in 1862
went to Eau Claire, where he worked for the Daniel Shaw Lumber Company as a
sealer in the summer and as head millwright in the winter months.
There he continued until May, 1866, when he built a flatboat thirty-three feet long, twelve feet wide and three feet deep. With the family aboard the boat floated down to Dubuque, where they sold the boat and by rail proceeded to Iowa Falls and thence by team to Algona, Kossuth county. They took up their abode in an old log cabin south of Algona, where a number of months were spent, and later they became residents of Algona, where the father engaged in carpenter work. In 1866 he purchased a newspaper plant of Mrs. Read and without experience in that line of work began the publication of a paper, the Upper Des Moines. In order to make ends meet he found it necessary to work at his trade of building houses, plastering or laying brick, at all of which he was proficient, and he wrote his copy for the newspaper in the evenings. During the first year or two of his career as a newspaper publisher the only press which he had was one of the Washington type, the first one brought into Iowa. In 1868 he purchased a Ruggles job press at Fort Dodge, the first ever introduced in that county, and it did service until 1880. In 1870 the Upper Des Moines purchased a cylinder press and Mr. Warren went to Milwaukee and bought a Potter cylinder, which did good service until the Upper Des Moines ceased to exist as a separate business in 1902. When he settled in Iowa the nearest railroad was eighty miles distant and the entire country round about was sparsely settled. It was uphill work establishing a profitable newspaper, for at that time paper sold for from eight to twelve dollars per bundle. He served as postmaster at Algona, Iowa, for three years and as deputy United States revenue collector for three years. He was also county supervisor at Estherville, Emmet county, Iowa. At the time of the Civil war he attempted to enlist but because of physical disability was not accepted.
In the summer of 1888 he made his way to the Black Hills and in January, 1889,
established the Queen City mail at Spearfish, conducting it as a daily paper for
five years. The daily, known as the Daily Bulletin, was discontinued in August,
1894, but the weekly edition was published. Mr. Warren remained at Spearfish
until the July prior to his death and was active in the management of the paper.
He passed away August 31, 1895, and his wife died on the 8th of November, 1904.
They were the parents of three children. Eliza L., who was born February 2,
1848, was married November 9, 1870, at Algona, Iowa, to Hugh Waterhouse and died
in 1908. Robert B., born December 1, 1850, is engaged in the printing business
in Spokane, Washington.
Edwin H. Warren, the youngest of the family, attended the public schools at
Algona, Iowa, and when eighteen years of age, having previously learned the
printer's trade under his father, was employed as foreman in the office of the
Vindicator at Estherville, Iowa. He remained in that position for eighteen
months and then returned to Algona, where he continued from January, 1880, until
January, 1884. He was next at St. Paul on the Pioneer Press for several years,
after which he again went to Iowa and established a paper at West Bend, Palo
Alto county, where he continued for a year and a half. In July, 1888, he went to
Rapid City, South Dakota, where he was connected with the Daily Republican until
with his father he established the Queen City Mail at Spearfish. He has been
continuously engaged in the publication of this paper since that time except for
a period of three years following the sale of his plant, and he was also out of
the business while in the county auditor's office. He repurchased the plant and
is now actively engaged in the publication of this paper, which he publishes in
a substantial building that he owns. He now devotes his entire time to the Mail
and has made it a very readable and attractive journal.
On the 15th of July, 1881, Mr. Warren was united in marriage to Miss Flora C.
Bates, who was born July 1, 1860, in the southeastern part of Iowa, a daughter
of O. C. and Mary (Sweeting) Bates, the former a native of western Pennsylvania
and the latter of Michigan. The father was a newspaper man and went to Iowa long
prior to the Civil war. Until 1885 he was continuously enaged in newspaper
work at various points in Iowa. He removed from that state to Atkinson,
Nebraska, where he resided until about 1900 and then came to South Dakota. He is
now living retired and spends most of his time in the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Warren. His wife passed away in Aberdeen, South Dakota in 1912. He was at one
time a postmaster in Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. Warren have been bom three children.
James R., born June 19, 1882, and now serving as deputy postmaster at Spearfish,
married May 9, 1903, Olive May Packard, of Sturgis, who was born in 1882. They
have one child, Russell Edward, born February 22, 1904. Nellie G., born January
2, 1886, is a graduate of the Normal School at Spearfish and is now
superintendent of schools for Lawrence county, South Dakota. Hazel, born January
3, 1890, was graduated on the completion of a special course in domestic science
from the Spearfish State Normal School.
Mr. Warren belongs to the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in the lodge
and chapter. He has served through all of the chairs in the former and for two
terms was master of the blue lodge. He was also junior deacon pro tem of the
grand lodge in Pierre, and at Huron was appointed junior warden. In 1897 he was
appointed senior warden at the grand lodge in Mitchell. He took his first degree
of the chapter in 1901, was exalted in January, 1902, was elected scribe in 1906
and served for two years, afterward filled the office of king for one year, then
high priest for one year, and in 1912 received the degree of high priesthood at
the grand lodge in Deadwood. There is no duty too arduous for him to undertake
to advance the cause of Masonry and he exemplifies in his life the beneficent
spirit of the craft. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias and the
Owls. Politically a stalwart republican, he served for two terms in the state
legislature during the sessions of 1899 and 1901. He was also county auditor of
Lawrence county for two years and was a member of the board of education of
Spearfish for two years. His interest in public affairs is deep and sincere and
he cooperates heartily in all measures and movements which he deems of benefit
and value to the community and to the commonwealth. His life has been a busy and
useful one fraught with activity in business and in behalf of public interests
and his labors have been productive of good results.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
CHARLES PARKER WARREN.
Charles Parker Warren, attorney at law of Huron, was born at Oronoco, Minnesota,
April 28, 1873. His father, Josiah H. Warren, was both a farmer and builder and
after living for a considerable period in Minnesota removed to Dakota territory
in 1882, settling in Kingsbury county, where he engaged in farming until his
death in 1902. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary A. Gibson, is now
living in Highmore, South Dakota.
In their family were four children, of whom Charles Parker Warren is the third
in order of birth. He was a lad of nine years when brought to this state and in
the district schools he acquired his early education, later attending the high
school at Iroquois, South Dakota, and the Western Normal School at Lincoln,
Nebraska. He then entered the University of South Dakota, in which he pursued
his classical course, and afterward became a student in the Law University of
Minnesota, from which he was graduated with the class of 1901. Mr. Warren
located for practice at De Smet, South Dakota, and while there residing served
for two terms as states attorney, making a creditable record in that position.
After a residence there of about nine years he removed to Huron in 1910, joining
ex-Governor Coe I. Crawford in a partnership under the firm style of Crawford &
Warren. This relation is still maintained and the firm occupies an enviable
position at the bar of the state.
In his political views Mr. Warren has always been a republican since age
conferred upon him the right of franchise. He is identified with several leading
fraternal organizations, including the Masons, the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He
is a member of the Huron Commercial Club and is filling the office of
president. His interest in behalf of the general welfare is manifest in many
tangible and effective ways and his cooperation proves a potent force in
advancing the general interests of the community. He belongs to the South Dakota
State and the American Bar Associations and in his profession has steadily
advanced. He worked his way through college, teaching at intervals between
college terms, and the strength of character which enabled him to pursue that
course has been one of the potent elements on which he has builded his later
success. Since beginning the active work of the profession he has constantly
advanced, and the court records bear testimony to his ability in the practice of
law.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
REV. ANDREW P. PALM.
Rev. A. P. Palm, pastor of the Swedish Baptist church at Lake Norden, has had
marked influence over his fellow countrymen and those of Swedish lineage among
whom he has lived and labored for the cause of moral progress. Born at Nerike,
Sweden, on the 15th of February, 1853, he represents an old family of that land,
his parents living and dying there. He was reared at home and in the acquirement
of his education attended successively the public and high schools in Sweden.
His father was a farmer and he early became familiar with the work of tilling
the soil and caring for the crops, applying himself to that occupation in early
life.
In 1883, determining to better his condition, Andrew P. Palm came to the new
world, making his way to Lake Norden, where he arrived on the 20th of May. He
had previously engaged in preaching to some extent in Sweden, but was not an
ordained minister. He reached Lake Norden on a Sunday afternoon. That evening he
delivered a sermon in one of the homes of his fellow countrymen and from that
time on has preached almost every Sunday. On the 17th of September, 1888, he
joined with others in organizing the Swedish Baptist congregation, of which he
was chosen the pastor, and on the 20th of the following month he was regularly
ordained to the ministry. For twenty years thereafter he held services in the
schoolhouse in the summer months and during the winter seasons the services were
usually held in his home—a large residence on his farm two miles from Lake
Norden. In 1908 the congregation built a modern church building in Lake Norden
and Rev. Palm continues to preside over the congregation. During the years
1893-4-5 he filled the pulpits of the churches at Lake Norden and Huron and his
influence has been a potent force in promoting the religious work of his section
of the state, especially among the Swedish-speaking people.
Rev. Palm also owns a farm of two hundred and thirty acres in Norden township,
Hamlin county, on the shore of Lake Norden, and thereon resided until 1914, when
he purchased his town property and took up his abode in the city, renting his
farm to his son, A. W. Palm, who has been running it in addition to his work in
Watertown, to which reference is made further on in this review. Aside from his
other interests Rev. Palm is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company, of
which he served as president for two years.
It was on the 2d of June, 1883, tllat the Rev. A. P. Palm was united in marriage
to Miss B. Mary Lindell, a native of Sweden, who with her brother, John Lindell,
came to the United States in 1880, and each homesteaded a quarter section of
land in Hamlin county. To this marriage have been born four children: Anna
Maria, the wife of Carl Hawkinson, a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ellen
Augusta, the wife of E. A. Olson, a farmer of Hamlin county; Andrew W.,
superintendent of the Better Farming Association of Codington county and a
graduate of Brookings College, since which time he has been a prominent figure
in agricultural circles, especially in disseminating the knowledge of modern
scientific methods; and Hannah Lydia, the wife of V. E. Frantz, a druggist and
the postmaster of Lake Norden.
In public affairs Rev. Palm has borne an active and helpful part. He was for
many years a leading worker in the republican ranks, but in recent years has
allied himself on the side of the prohibition cause and was one of the leaders
in the organization of the prohibition party in Hamlin .county. He has, indeed,
done much to advance the interests of temperance, which he has emphasized in his
preaching and on many other occasions. He served for fifteen years as treasurer
of the school board, was a member of the township board and has been township
treasurer for eight years. His position is never an equivocal one. He is always
found on the side of advancement, of truth, justice, reform and improvement and
his efforts have, indeed, been a potent force for good.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
CHARLES M. HARRISON.
In business circles of Sioux Falls Charles M. Harrison has won a creditable and
enviable position. He successfully practices law and is also conducting a
real-estate, loan and insurance business which is bringing him substantial
success.
The birth of Mr. Harrison occurred in Springfield, Ohio, June 22, 1851, his
parents being Thomas and Michael (Morris) Harrison, who were natives of England
and of Ohio respectively. The father came to the United States in 1836. He was a
journeyman printer and upon his arrival in the new world began preaching as a
local minister, exerting a strong and wide-felt influence through his efforts to
advance moral progress. He became very well known in educational as well as
religious circles and was called to the editorship of the Western Christian
Advocate at Cincinnati. He was likewise president of a Methodist college and of
various other schools. Gifted by nature with strong mentality, he used his
talents wisely and well and made for himself an enviable name in those circles
where mental force wisely directed by a sense of moral obligation is doing
effective work for the uplift of mankind. He achieved much more than local
prominence as a man of letters and contributed several valuable volumes to the
literature of the country. He was always a champion of the cause of education,
which became his life work. He taught through the press, in the schoolroom and
from the pulpit, ever bearing a message that carried with it a recognition of
the true meaning of life and its obligations. His death occurred after he had
retired from active labor in Shelbyville, Indiana, when he had attained the
venerable age of ninety years but his memory still remains as an inspiration and
a blessed benediction to all who knew him. His widow survived him for but thirty
days. In their family were three sons: Charles M.; Robert, a resident of
Shelbyville, Indiana; and Thomas, who resides in Cincinnati.
In the public schools of Springfield, Ohio, Charles M. Harrison pursued his
education to the age of thirteen years and then entered the preparatory
department of Moore's Hill College at Moore's Hill, Indiana, when his father
became president of that institution. He continued his studies there for six
years, or until he reached the age of nineteen, and was graduated in 1870 with
the Bachelor of Arts degree. In the course of time his alma mater conferred upon
him the Master of Arts degree. After leaving college he became an instructor in
high schools, devoting four years to that profession. He regarded this, however,
as an initial step to further professional activity and began reading law in
Shelbyville, Indiana, devoting three years to law reading in that city and in
Indianapolis. He was admitted to practice in 1878 and entered upon the active
work of his profession in Lebanon, Indiana, where he remained until 1883,
winning a creditable name and place for himself in legal circles of that
section.
Attracted by the opportunities of the northwest, Mr. Harrison came to South
Dakota in 1883, settling in Huron, where he concentrated his efforts upon
commercial law practice, remaining in that city for a decade. He has never
carried on a general law practice but has always adhered to commercial law and
has attained marked skill and distinction in the field of his specialty. In 1891
he was elected a member of the second state legislature as representative from
Beadle county. In 1893 he removed to Sioux Falls, where he has since maintained
his home, continuing in the practice of commercial law and also extending the
scope of his activities to include a real-estate, loan and insurance business.
Substantial success has crowned his efforts. His wise judgment has enabled him
to carefully direct his own interests and those of others intrusted to his care.
He is now secretary and manager of the Realty Company, which has played an
important part in the development of Sioux Falls in laying out and improving
subdivisions and additions to the city. It is still an active corporation and
Mr. Harrison devotes much time to the business of that company, also to the
conduct of the loan agency and to individual operations in the field of real
estate.
In 1880 Charles M. Harrison was married to Miss Anna R. Shirk, a native of
Newcastle, Indiana, and they have become the parents of three children: Ruth,
now the yife of Fred I. Powers, of Bozeman, Montana; Ben Tom, a resident of
Dallas, Texas; and Florence, the wife of Sam L. Stutes, of Sioux Falls.
Mr. Harrison is a member of Minnehaha Lodge, No. 2, A. F. & A. M.; Sioux Falls
Chapter, R. A. M.; Lafayette Commandery, K. T.; and El Riad Temple, A. A. O. N.
M. S. His political faith throughout his entire life has been that of the
republican party and he has long been active in its councils. In 1912 he was an
alternate national delegate from South Dakota to the republican convention in
Chicago and his opinions have done much in shaping the policy of the party in
his state. For thirty-two years he has been a member of the Congregational
church and in its teachings have been found the motive springs of his conduct,
making him in every relation of life a man worthy of the esteem and confidence
of his fellowmen. Life has ever meant to him opportunity—opportunity for
advancement along the lines of legitimate business, for cooperation in all those
movements which promote the political, educational, social and moral interests
of the race.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
S. P. MALONE.
S. P. Malone, the efficient and capable postmaster of Huron, was born in
Baltimore, Maryland, August 6, 1858. He is a son of James and Mary (Brown)
Malone, natives of Ireland, who emigrated to America in early life. They settled
in Nebraska in 1869 and there the father engaged in farming.
S. P. Malone learned the boiler-maker's trade in Pennsylvania and followed it in
that state until 1881, when he came to South Dakota, settling in Huron. He
secured a position with the Northwestern Railway Company and continued in the
employ of that concern until March 28, 1908. He was in the passenger service for
some time and in September, 1885, was given charge of an engine, which he ran
until the close of his railroad career. On the 1st of April, 1908, Mr. Malone
was appointed postmaster of Huron and has served since that time, having been
appointed January 24, 1912. He discharges the duties of the office in a prompt,
capable and reliable manner, and his work has received widespread commendation.
On the 14th of June, 1888, Mr. Malone was united in marriage to Miss Ellen E.
Sullivan, a native of Columbia, Brown county, South Dakota, and they have become
the parents of two children: Robert E., now attending Brookings College; and
Lucy R., employed in the money order department of the postoffice.
Mr. Malone is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and is
affiliated also with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He gives his
political allegiance to the republican party and takes an intelligent interest
in public affairs, although he is not an office seeker. He is numbered among the
early settlers in Huron and during the period of his residence here has gained
the respect and confidence of all with whom business, official or social
relations have brought him into contact.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
EDGAR J. MILLER.
Edgar J. Miller holds a position of distinctive precedence in financial circles
of Huron as cashier of the First National Bank, with which institution he has
been connected since 1881. He is a representative of one of the best known
families in the city and his record is a credit to a name that has long been
held in high honor and regard in the community.
Mr. Miller was born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, June 19, 1864, and is a son of
John H. and Harriet (Pratt) Miller, the former born in New York, March 4, 1831,
and the latter in the same state. Their marriage occurred in Wisconsin, November
14, 1861, and five years later they removed to Iowa. The family came to South
Dakota in 1880 and the father homesteaded land one mile west of Huron in the
following year. After he had proved up on his claim he moved into the village,
where from that time until his death he remained an active and valued citizen.
In 1882 he aided in the organization of the First National Bank and he remained
a director in that institution for many years. He was at all times active in
municipal work and held a number of county offices, serving from 1885 to 1887 as
county treasurer and for four terms as county commissioner. It was he who laid
out the grounds in the courthouse square at Huron and superintended the planting
of the trees. He died June 2, 1912, and his passing was widely and deeply
regretted, as it deprived Huron of a man who had been for over a quarter of a
century an active factor in development. John H. Miller was a member of the
Methodist church, was connected fraternally with the Benevolent Protective Order
of Elks and gave his political allegiance to the republican party. He had three
children: Edgar J., of this review; Mrs. Amy K. Glenn, of Huron; and Mrs. C. C.
Langley, of Santa Ana, California.
After acquiring a public-school education Edgar J. Miller attended the Iowa
State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at Ames. He begun his independent
career as an employe of the Northwestern Railway and the American Express
Company and in 1881 became connected with the First National Bank of Huron,
South Dakota, with which he has since been identified. About 1898 he was made
cashier of that institution and has capably filled that position since that
time, displaying in the discharge of his duties insight, business ability and
discrimination.
In 1886 Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Giehm, of Tracy,
Minnesota, and they became the parents of a daughter, Margaret, who died at the
age of thirteen years. Mr. Miller belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Elks
and the Eagles and to the Masonic lodge, chapter, commandery and Shrine. He
gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is interested and
active in public affairs. For six years he served as alderman from his ward and
is at present serving a three years' term as a member of the executive council
of the American Bankers Association. He has large farming interests in the
vicinity of Huron and occupies a leading place in financial circles of the city,
being known as an able and discriminating financier.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
A. CLAY DARLING.
A. Clay Darling, engaged in the general pratcice of law in Aberdeen, South
Dakota, was born in Lincoln county, this state, November 7, 1884. He is a son of
Emory J. and Alzora E. (Parke) Darling, the former of whom came from Wisconsin
to Lincoln county, South Dakota, in 1871, while the latter arrived in that
county from Iowa in 1870. Their marriage was celebrated in Lincoln county in the
year 1877. Emory J. Darling took up a quarter section of land upon which he
resided until 1913, when he retired, moving to Aberdeen, where he and his wife
now reside. In their family are three sons: Dr. Seeley A., a dentist of
Aberdeen; A. Clay, of this review; and Dr. Harry R., also practicing dentistry
at Aberdeen.
A. Clay Darling acquired his early education in the public schools and later attended Sioux Falls College, graduating in 1902. He then enrolled in the law department of the South Dakota State University at Vermillion and received his degree from that institution in 1906. Following this he spent three years as brief clerk under Attorney General S. W. Clark and in 1909 entered into a partnership with W. F. Corrigan in the practice of law at Mellette, South Dakota. The firm came to Aberdeen in December, 1912, and here practiced successfully until the partnership was terminated in September, 1914, since which time Mr. Darling has been alone. He enjoys an extensive and representative patronage and is thus connected with a great deal of important litigation.
On October 11, 1910, Mr. Darling was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Notson, of
Mitchell, South Dakota, a daughter of Rev. G. T. Notson, who was for several
years superintendent of the Huron district of the Methodist church and is now
actively connected with the Dakota conference of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. and Mrs. Darling have four children: Cecil Parke, Dorothy Louise, Robert
Clay and Emory Alden.
Mr. Darling is connected with the Masonic order, gives his political allegiance
to the republican party and is a member of the Methodist church. He is a young
man of energy, resource and ability and has already become well known in the
ranks of the legal profession in Aberdeen.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
R. E. CONE.
R. E. Cone is a prominent representative of financial interests in Huron as
president of the James Valley Bank, of which institution he has served as the
chief executive officer since 1911. His birth occurred in Iowa in 1881, his
parents being James W. and Emily (Staples) Cone, who came to Brule county, South
Dakota, in 1883. The father, an attorney by profession, was engaged in the
abstract business at Sioux Falls. He died October 10, 1913.
R. E. Cone acquired his early education in the public schools and subsequently
attended the Baptist College. After putting aside his textbooks he secured a
position as stenographer and in January, 1902, became identified with the
banking business at Mitchell, entering the service of the Commercial & Savings
Bank, with which he remained for nine years and eight months, acting as cashier
of the institution for several years. In September, 1911, he came to Huron to
take up his duties as president of the James Valley Bank, in which important
capacity he has served to the present time. The bank was incorporated on the
15th of May, 1902, with the following officers: George S. Hutchinson, president;
C. H. Bonesteel, vice president; John J. Greene, M. L. Tobin and William Waibel,
directors; and Frank J. Sauer, cashier. On the 13th of July, 1911, R. E. Cone
bought out Mr. Hutchinson and succeeded the latter as president of the
institution, which owns a handsome structure at the comer of Dakota and Third
streets. Its present officers are as follows: R. E. Cone, president; C. H.
Bonesteel, vice president; V. C. Bonesteel, cashier; C. C. Smith, assistant
cashier. The directors are R. E. Cone, John J. Greene, C. H. Bonesteel, M.
L. Tobin and William Waibel. Following is the statement made to the public
examiner for the close of business on August 9, 1913.
RESOURCES.
Loans and Discounts....................................... $310,098.31
Overdrafts
...................................................................768.30
Real estate, bank building and fixtures ..............17,689.40
Cash on hand................................ $19,390.53
Cash in banks .................................78,084.14....97,474.67
Total..................................................................
$426,030.68
LIABILITIES.
Capital Stock .....................................................$30,000.00
Surplus and undivided profits ...............................5,897.65
Deposits:
Subject to check : ............ $106,350.81
Bank .........................................1,291.31
Savings ...............................104,474.10
Certificates .........................178,016.81............
390,133.03
Total
.......................................................................$426,030.68
The James Valley Bank pays four per cent compound interest on savings accounts,
receives deposits subject to check, loans money on personal security, makes farm
loans at lowest rates, giving quick service, and rents safety deposit boxes for
valuable papers at one dollar per year. As the head of this institution Mr. Cone
has contributed in large measure to its continued growth and success and is
widely recognized as a prominent and respected citizen of Huron.
In 1903 Mr. Cone was united in marriage to Miss Frances Haney, of Newton,
Kansas, by whom he has three children. His political allegiance is given to the
republican party, while his religious faith is that of the Episcopal church.
Fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
and the Masons, being past master of Resurgan Lodge, No. 31, A. F. & A. M., and
a member of the chapter, council and commandery at Huron. Though still a young
man, he has already won an enviable position in financial and social circles of
the state in which practically his entire life has been spent.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
CLAUDE A. BENNETT.
Claude A. Bennett, judge of the county court of Stanley county, who since 1908
has been an active representative of the South Dakota bar, was born on the 18th
of April, 1882, six miles west of the city of Canton, in this state, his parents
being Millard and Mary Bennett, who settled on a homestead in Lincoln county in
1874. The father was a native of New York born of English parentage and the
mother a native of Illinois and of Welsh descent. Both are residents of Canton
at the present time. They were pioneers in the development of the great west,
recognizing its possibilities and aiding in the work of reclaiming the broad
acres for the purposes of cultivation and improvement.
Judge Bennett mastered the elementary branches of learning and qualified for
entrance into the Canton high school from which he was graduated in 1898. He
subsequently became a student in the Yankton College from which he won the
Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation with the class of 1904. Subsequently
he became a student in Chicago University,completing the course there in 1907
and in 1913 Yankton College conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree. He
closely applied himself to his law studies and his careful preparation has
constituted the foundation of his success at the bar. He settled at Philip,
South Dakota, on the 11th of May, 1908, and there entered upon the active
practice of law, winning a large clientage that connected him with much of the
important litigation tried in the courts of his district. His ability in
handling intricate and involved legal problems led to his selection for the
office of county judge of Stanley county and following his election he removed
to Fort Pierre on the 1st of January, 1913. He is now upon the bench and his
decisions are strictly fair and impartial, being based upon a comprehensive
knowledge of the law and the equity of the case.
On the 28th of August, 1912, at McLaughlin, South Dakota, Mr. Bennett was united
in marriage to Miss Irene M. Harris, who is a daughter of Mrs. Anna Harris of
McLaughlin, and who was born in Beadle county, South Dakota, in 1885. Judge and
Mrs. Bennett attend the Congregational church in which she holds membership and
he belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being affiliated with Philip Lodge, No.
153, A. F. & A. M.; Pierre Chapter No. 22, R A. M.; and Capital Commandery, No.
21, K. T. He has always been an earnest republican in his political views,
believing firmly in party principles, yet he has never allowed partisanship to
interfere with the faithful performance of his judicial duties.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
A. J. LARSEN.
A. J. Larsen, who has lived in South Dakota for thirty-four years, is now
serving as sheriff of Beadle county, having been elected to that office in 1912.
His birth occurred in Republic county, Kansas, in 1870, his parents being Amund
and Hannah Larsen, who took Up their abode in the Sunflower state in 1860. The
father still resides there, but the mother died March 18, 1914.
A. J. Larsen attended the public schools in the acquirement of an education and
in his boyhood made his way to South Dakota, arriving in Hudson, where one of
his uncles resided, on the 29th of July, 1881. He did work all over the state
for a number of years and in 1894 embarked in the stock business at Belle
Fourche, carrying on his undertakings in that connection until 1912 or until
elected to his present office. In 1898 he had come to Beadle county, locating on
a stock farm in Hartland township, while subsequently he settled near Wolsey. As
sheriff of the county he is proving an efficient and valuable official,
discharging his duties without fear or favor and conserving law and order in a
manner that is contributing greatly to the peace and prosperity of the
community.
On the 28th of November, 1898, Mr. Larsen was united in marriage to Miss Lydia
G. Goodsell, a native of Lincoln county, South Dakota, by whom he has three
children, two sons and one daughter, Carter H,, Kenneth A., and Wava K., all at
home. He gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is
identified fraternally with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Masonic
lodge, consistory and Shrine, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Eagles. His
life has been upright and honorable in its varied relations and the circle of
his friends is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
WILLIAM FRANCIS TEEMAN BUSHNELL.
That which we hoard and cherish above all else are the priceless gems of memory.
The remembrance of a noble life with its high purposes, its honorable activity,
its noble deeds, its kindliness and its love is the most precious and sacred
thing in the world. The record of William Francis Teeman Bushnell was so
regarded by all who knew him. His home was in Aberdeen, South Dakota, but
he was a man of the nation in that he reached out through his chosen life work
and his sympathy to all mankind. In art circles through his music, in business
through his activity in journalism, in public affairs through his indorsement of
and cooperation with all movements for civic betterment he was a prominent
figure and though his life record was brought to a close ere it had spanned
forty-three years, it remains today as a source of encouragement and inspiration
to all who knew him.
Born m Peru, Illinois, December 3, 1857, he was the ninth in order of birth in a family of ten children. The father, William Francis Bushnell, was a government contractor, who became one of the pioneer residents of Illinois. Removing with his family to Evanston, that state, in the early '70s, he executed government contracts for the building of lighthouses and life-saving stations on the Great Lakes.
The home training of William F. T. Bushnell constituted a wise preparation for
the duties, responsibilities and obligations of later life. He was yet a boy
when something of the real value of money came to him through his experience as
an employe in a printing office in Mendota, Illinois. He also early came to
realize the worth of education and eagerly availed himself of the opportunity of
spending two years as a student in Northwestern University during the residence
of the family at Evanston. He was only about sixteen or seventeen years of age
when he took charge of workmen in his father's employ, devoting three years to
that service.
Ambitious to engage in business on his own account, he turned to the art of
music as an avenue toward that end. Nature endowed him with musical talent which
he had cultivated by improving every opportunity. After leaving his father's
employ he began teaching music, composing and publishing his compositions and
giving concerts through Illinois and Iowa and later in Dakota. He was always a
factor in promoting musical taste and love of the art in every section which he
visited, yet he did not make this his life work, for on going to Huron, South
Dakota, in 1883, he again became connected with the trade which he had learned
in boyhood—that of printing. The Dakota Farmer, published at Huron, was a
struggling journal and during his second year spent at Huron he associated
himself with Augustin Davis in the purchase and conduct of the paper. In 1885 he
purchased his partner's interest and remained thereafter sole proprietor until
the organization of the W. F. T. Bushnell Publishing Company.
While residing in Huron Mr. Bushnell was married on the 2d of June, 1886, to
Miss Blanche Van Pelt, a daughter of George T. Van Pelt of Indiana, and they
became the parents of two sons and a daughter; Paul N., Frederick W. and Helen,
the sons being now active in the management of their own business interests.
Following his marriage Mr. Bushnell continued to reside in Huron until 1893,
when he came to Aberdeen and thereafter continued the publication of the Dakota
Farmer in the latter city. His efficient management was at once manifest. He
made his paper the leading farm journal of the Dakotas and his plant one of the
best publishing properties in the west. About 1899 Mr. Bushnell was joined in a
partnership by N. E. Carnine of Brookings, South Dakota, and they purchased and
removed into a new block with a new plant and were settled in their commodious
quarters when Mr. Bushnell's life of untiring energy was brought to its close.
Concerning his business career his intimate friend and associate in journalism,
Hon. M. F. Greeley of Gary, South Dakota, wrote:
"In all his dealings Mr. Bushnell was the soul of honor. For nearly seventeen
years the writer knew him and his work intimately. We recall more than once
seeing checks returned, sometimes for large amounts, and when money was sorely
needed, simply because the advertisements accompanying them were not what Mr.
Bushnell thought they ought to be. We remember one instance of this kind in
particular, for the reason, perhaps, that at the time the very existence of the
paper seemed hanging in the balance. The season had been one of the worst Dakota
has known; money had stopped coming in almost wholly, and bills were
accumulating and the last available dollar was needed in more places than one.
Among the few letters that morning was one containing a check for nearly two
hundred dollars from a commission house of doubtful standing. Without a moment's
hesitation, this man of iron and honor thrust the check back into the letter,
hastily wrote a line across it, and remailed it to the senders. When we
remonstrated gently, saying that the firm was admitted to some of the best farm
papers, the reply came as quickly as the check went: 'Though my paper goes down,
and I have to work as a farm hand to feed my wife and children, not a thing
shall go into its columns with my knowledge that can by any possibility mislead
a single reader.'"
As stated, Mr. Bushnell made the Dakota Farmer one of the most successful farm
journals of the country. He also organized the Dakota Cereal Company and
remained at its head until his demise.
The measure of his influence it is almost impossible to determine, for his
activities were exerted along many lines, being at all times actuated by the
spirit of progress and permeated by the spirit of broad humanitarianism and of
Christianity. He never deviated from the highest principles of honor in his
business affairs and he eagerly embraced the opportunities that would enable him
to help his fellowmen. He was greatly interested in methods for developing the
agricultural possibilities of the state; was secretary of the State Agricultural
Association, of the Sheep Breeders' Association, of the first board of
agriculture of Dakota territory and also of the state board of agriculture. When
the question of Dakota's admission to the union as a state was foremost, he
practically turned over his business interests to others and entered strenuously
into the effort, not only to secure Dakota's admission, but to secure its
admission under prohibition laws—a result that was accomplished. He was a
believer in republican principles but never allowed partisanship to interfere
with the right. Fraternally he was connected with the Masons and with the Odd
Fellows. For many years he was a most active, earnest worker in behalf of the
Methodist church, but his religion transcended denominational lines, reaching
above into the higher realms of pure and undefiled Christianity. He organized
and was superintendent of the First Union Sunday school at Huron and when the
Methodist Sunday school was organized he became its superintendent and so
continued throughout the period of his residence in Huron. He did not believe
Christianity was a thing apart from daily life. He felt it had to do with every
duty and with every relation and in religious work his interest and energy were
conspicuously displayed. Death came to him at Colorado Springs, whither he had
gone to attend the National Convention of Farmers, and there he passed away
August 25, 1900. The summons was sudden but he was fully prepared, for his life
record contained no neglected opportunities.
In speaking of his death his pastor said: "As a man, I have lost a true hearted
friend. As a citizen, I have lost a fellow citizen of especial merit. As a
Christian, I have lost one of the most congenial co-workers with whom it has
been my privilege to associate. Looking at his life as a man of business, we
certainly can see an example at once wholesome and helpful to his fellows in the
field. It is not simply the fact that he was successful as a man of business,
but it is the method by which he became successful, that challenges our
scrutiny. Living as he did, in the early days of our state's development, amid
the rush for riches by questionable processes, his heart, at least, was not
overcome by the desire to build a fortune in hot haste. With but a meager outfit
and with unpromising prospects, he entered on his work as journalist, and was
content to struggle on with but slowly accumulating capital. When hampered by
delays and halted by reverses, he did not weaken in his aims and efforts, but,
untiring and undaunted, was quite willing to toil on to distant victory. The
policy of such a course has received unqualified endorsement from the splendid
business he succeeded in upbuilding, and which will stand, we trust, to teach
the lesson that pains and patience are still rewarded in the business world.
"Another noticeable feature of Mr. Bushnell's life was the unusual interest that he took in the advancement of public morals. While at Huron and during the memorable struggle for prohibition in our constitution, he became secretary of the State Prohibition League, and, as such, he shouldered heroically the bulk of the burden of finding the means and the men for conducting the campaign. This interest in public morals was no fitful outburst of superficial enthusiasm, but was grounded deep in a heart that loved the right and loathed the wrong; hence, when movements were inaugurated from time to time, for the moral betterment of society, his heart and hands were ever ready to render aid. Surely, surely as he reviews these movements in the light of Heaven's morals, he will have no occasion whatever to regret his interest in the cause of civic righteousness.
"Along another and a higher plane, however, was the noblest effort of his life
directed. Blest from birth with Christian parents, he early followed in their
footsteps, uniting with the Methodist church to which they belonged, and in this
church relationship he continued throughout life. It seemed settled from the
start that he was to be an active Christian. For about twelve years he served as
superintendent of the Sabbath school and at different times has done most
acceptable work as leader of chorus choirs. In this latter capacity he was
serving when first I knew him. My first sight of him, as I remember, was in
connection with the union revival meetings of 1894. On coming to this city in
that year I found the Grain Palace filled nightly with interested audiences; on
the platform a large chorus choir had been gathered, and before them stood as
leader, with consecrated talent, this beloved brother who will lead us in our
songs no more. Later in that year, when the * Union Revival Band visited Bath, I
remember seeing our brother riding thither upon his wheel to assist us in that
work."
His pastor, continuing, said: "His interest in Christian work, however, was not
limited to movements in his city or his country; but his heart went out as well
to movements for the redemption of the world. In this connection I trust it will
not be considered an intrusion into private matters if I state what is not
generally known, namely, that for some time our brother has been supporting a
school in China and that recently, in view of an increasing income, he expressed
the purpose to undertake the support of two schools among China's dying
millions."
Dr. J. Frank Stout, presiding elder of the Winona district of Minnesota, said of
Mr. Bushnell: "I have known him since his boyhood and have loved him. He was
every inch a man, and held his place among men in such a stalwart way that he
was honored wherever he was known. There is no place where the real man is
revealed as in his home and among his brothers and sisters. Around the
hearthstone no masks are worn and pretenses are impossible. It is in such
relations I have known him best, and because of this fact can testify to the
inborn and ingrown loyalty of his manhood. That which was most conspicuous in
him was the consistency of his affection for those he loved. It was a love which
proclaimed itself in helpful deeds untarnished by selfish complainings. He was
affectionate, without being demonstrative; generous without ostentation; helpful
without any evidence of a patronizing spirit; stalwart in his convictions; and
in all his relations, above all, Christian.
"His home was his delight; his wife was the joy of his heart; his children were
the objects of his tenderest affection and painstaking care, and his friends
were loyally enshrined in his heart which was large enough for all."
The president of the Aberdeen Choral Union, S. W. Narregang, writing of Mr.
Bushnell, said: "He was a man that could adapt himself to all conditions and
circumstances. He was capable and useful in every walk of life, and successful
in all he undertook. There are but few men that can succeed at even one line of
work—while with him he was not only successful from a business standpoint, but
he was blessed with a nature so genial, so broad, so sympathetic, that his very
presence gave courage, strength and happiness wherever he went. He was a man of
broad views, keen perceptions and generous impulses. He loved his friends, and
no sacrifice was too great when their welfare was jeopardized. It was my good
fortune to be intimately acquainted with Mr. Bushnell for over ten years; he was
ever a trusted friend, a genial companion and a brilliant entertainer."
Still another wrote of him as, "So bright, so cheery, so tactful, so patient and
so full of wise and successful expedient. Full of work, growing out of his
editorial relations and his high conceptions of the duties of citizenship, which
caused him to be a warm advocate of the cause of prohibition, he still found
time for the faithful discharge of his duties to God and the church."
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
ERNEST D. EDE.
Ernest D. Ede, well known as a representative of the legal profession in Huron,
possesses the studious habits and the analytical mind which are indispensable
factors of success to him who would devote his life to law practice. He is now
accorded a liberal clientage and handles his cases most ably.
Mr. Ede is a Native of Lynn county, Kansas, born in 1876. The removal of the
family to Earlville, Iowa, led him to become a pupil in the public schools of
that place and he afterward attended college at Dixon, Illinois, and continued
his studies at Cedar Falls, Iowa. After spending some time in the Iowa State
University he entered the Chicago University and thus his studies were continued
along broadening lines, bringing him a comprehensive knowledge of general and
professional questions. The year 1902 was that of his graduation from the Iowa
State University. He read law under Allan Bogue at Centerville, South Dakota,
and for some time he was identified with educational interests in this state. He
was a teacher in the high school of Yankton in 1901-2 and from 1902 until 1906
had charge of the schools of Centerville. It was during this period that he
devoted his leisure hours to reading law and thus qualified for the bar. In 1906
he located at Huron, where he has since engaged in the practice of law and in
the intervening period of nine years he has made a creditable record as a strong
and resourceful representative of the profession. He prepares his cases with
great thoroughness and care and his ability is evidenced in his careful analysis
and sound logic.
On the 27th of November, 1912, Mr. Ede was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth
Jones, of Manchester, New Hampshire, and they have a wide acquaintance in Huron,
the hospitality of many of the best homes being cordially extended to them. Mr.
Ede is a Mason of high rank, having attained the thirty-second degree. He also
belongs to the Mystic Shrine at Sioux Falls and he is a loyal exemplar of the
teachings of the craft, which are based upon the principle of universal
brotherhood. In politics Mr. Ede is a progressive and upon the ticket of that
party was elected to the legislature in 1913. To questions of government he
gives careful consideration and his support of or opposition to any measure is
the result of comprehensive study of the situation, its needs and its
opportunities. He may well be classed among the public-spirited citizens and
representative men of Huron.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
WILLIAM A. RITSCHLAG.
William A. Ritschlag, who was active in business in Huron for many years but is
now living retired, was born in Watertown, Wisconsin, October 18, 1852, and
there pursued his education. In 1873 he went to Winona, Minnesota, where he
learned the cooper's trade, following it until his removal to Mazeppa,
Minnesota, where he took up the barber's trade. In February, 1880, he removed to
Volga, South Dakota, which was then the terminus of the railroad, and on the
16th of May of the same year he arrived in Huron, hauling his barber's chair to
that place on a wagon. He established the first barber shop in the city,
occupying one corner of a grocery store until another building suitable for this
purpose was erected. In 1897, after seventeen years devoted to that line of
business, he sold out and for thirteen years he conducted a billiard hall. Since
that period he has lived retired, for the success which he achieved in former
years is sufficient to meet all of his wants and requirements. While engaged in
barbering he also had the only outfit for the business and was the only
taxidermist in the state, and he possessed a collection of over four hundred and
fifty birds and animals that he had mounted himself. This is now owned by the
Brookings College and contains a number of fine specimens of birds and animals
that have now become extinct, which fact renders these specimens very valuable.
Mr. Ritschlag has always been active in affairs of the city. He was a member of
the first city council of Huron, holding the office in 1883, and he was twice
elected treasurer of the city. In 1905, when the city hall was built, he was
serving as alderman and acted as a member of the building committee. He
continued as a member of the city council for four years, serving as such when
the first city waterworks was built. There was much opposition to the plan of
installing a waterworks, but Mr. Ritschlag stood strongly in its support and he
and his associates in favor of the movement ultimately triumphed. For sixteen
years he was chief of the fire department and during that period he succeeded in
replacing the early crude apparatus with all that is most complete and
up-to-date in a fire fighting equipment.
Politically Mr. Ritschlag is a democrat and he was one of the first three to
cast a democratic vote in the county. He is well known in fraternal circles,
belonging to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Of all
of these he is a charter member save the Knights of Pythias. He has a very wide
acquaintance in Huron and this section of the state and with many of the "first
events" his name is closely associated. He is now living retired in the
enjoyment of a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
ELIAS MASON THOMAS.
Elias Mason Thomas, a representative of one of the oldest families in the United
States, a veteran of the Civil war and today one of the valued and prominent
residents of Huron, has made his record an honor and a credit to a name that is
held in high esteem and regard in the communities where it is known. He has been
a resident of Huron since 1883, and during the greater part of that time has
engaged in the real-estate business, taking also a prominent and active part in
public affairs. He is now doing efficient and creditable work as clerk of the
courts.
Mr. Thomas was born in McHenry county, Illinois, August 3, 1847, a son of Elias
A. and Hester A. (Snow) Thomas, the former born August 11, 1811, and the latter
April 28, 1819. The Thomas family was founded in America by John Alden, who came
over to the United States in the Mayflower and whose
great-great-great-granddaughter married Noah Thomas, of Middleboro,
Massachusetts. The name Elias has been repeated in the Thomas family through
many generations and was borne by the Thomas who served in the Revolutionary war
and witnessed Burgoyne's surrender to General Gates. The old musket which he
carried is still in existence and in the possession of the subject of this
review. Elias A. Thomas moved from Vermont to Illinois in 1843, driving overland
with teams and he settled in pioneer times in McHenry county, taking up
government land, upon which he lived until his death. From the time of the
foundation of the republican party he was a stanch supporter of its principles
and he took an intelligent interest in public affairs. The mother of the subject
of this review was a daughter of Eben Snow, of Vermont, who served in the War of
1812. She was married to Elias A. Thomas December 17, 1840, and they became the
parents of the following children: Adelia, who was born July 29, 1842, and who
died January 10, 1899; Emma H., who was born August 5, 1844, and who died
November 23, 1880; Elias Mason, of this review; Eben Snow, who was born November
11, 1849, and who died April 8, 1852; Clara Maria, who was born April 30, 1852,
and who died June 8, 1875; and Hester Ann, who was born November 26, 1854, and
who died October 19, 1872.
Elias Mason Thomas acquired his early education in the public schools of McHenry
county and in 1864 enlisted for service in the Civil war, joining Company G,
Fifty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He participated in many important
engagements and took part in Sherman's march to the sea. Following his honorable
discharge he engaged in farming in Illinois for some time and then went to
Chicago, where he held a position as bookkeeper. In 1883 he came to South
Dakota, locating in Huron, and he has since been a resident of that city where
he has become widely and favorably known. He has been engaged in the real-estate
business for many years and has been very successful in that field, being
regarded as an expert judge of land values. His integrity is beyond question and
his ability of a high order and he has, therefore, won an enviable place in
business circles.
On the 8th of December, 1868, Mr. Thomas was united in marriage to Miss Ruth R.
Henion, of Michigan, and they have become the parents of three daughters, all of
whom are married. Mr. Thomas is connected fraternally with the Masonic lodge,
the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and is well
known in the affairs of Kilpatrick Post, No. 4, G. A. R. He gives his political
allegiance to the republican party and during the period of his residence in
Huron has taken an active interest in public affairs, cooperating in all
measures and projects for the general good. For six years he served as deputy
treasurer and he was for one term police justice. In 1912 he was elected clerk
of courts in Huron and has since done creditable and able work in this office to
which he was reelected in 1914. Aside from this he has taken part in various
progressive public movements, having been one of the organisers of the Central
South Dakota Fair and for two years its secretary. He is a member of the State
Soldiers' Home Board and was instrumental in securing the cannon for the
courtyard which was presented to the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a man of
high standards, progressive views and loyal public spirit and has been a factor
in the accomplishment of a great deal of important work along lines of community
development.
History of Dakota Territory, George W. Kingsbury, Vol. 4, 1915
HENRY AMOS PERRITON.
Henry Amos Perriton, a representative and esteemed citizen of Huron, there
opened a drug store in July, 1907, and has since conducted the same with
gratifying and well merited success. His birth occurred in Illinois in 1877, his
parents being J. S. and Jean Scott (Lindsay) Perriton, who came to South Dakota
in 1882 and located at Ashton. The father took up a tract of government land and
three years later embarked in the butchering business. He is now living retired
at Huron, enjoying the fruits of his former labor in well earned ease. His wife
was called to her final rest on the 28th of August, 1905.
Henry A. Perriton, who was a little lad of five years when he came to this state
with his parents, acquired his early education in the public schools and
subsequently attended the Universtiy of South Dakota at Vermillion for four
years, while in 1902 he was graduated from the Highland Park College of Pharmacy
at Des Moines, Iowa. In 1903 he removed to Huron and there identified himself
with the drug business, working in various capacities. In July, 1907, he opened
a drug store on his own account and has thus remained in business throughout the
intervening eight years. He carries a complete and attractively arranged stock
of drugs and druggists' sundries and well merits the liberal patronage which is
acccorded him.
On the 1st of July, 1905, Mr. Perriton was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Lee Halk, of Lexington, Virginia, her parents being Alexander E. and Virginia Halk. The father is deceased, but the mother survives and now lives with Mr. and Mrs. Perriton.
In his political views Mr. Perriton is a republican, strongly advocating and
supporting the principles of that party. In Masonry he is identified with the
blue lodge, the chapter, the commandery and the Shrine. He is a past commander
of La Co Tah Commandery, No. 6, and now acts as grand sword bearer of the grand
commandery, while his other fraternal connections are with the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Perriton possesses a
genial, courteous manner that has won him many friends among those whom he has
met in his business capacity, while those whom he meets in social and fraternal
circles have retained for him warm regard.
from "South Dakota Historical Collections, Vol. 3", 1906
transcribed by Karen Seeman
John L. Pyle
By Walter Hubbard, a nephew of John Pyle. Hubbard was a secretary at Huron college, and a banker at Yale, South Dakota.
 |
Hon. John Pyle
In sketching the life of a man like John L. Pyle, it is remarkable
of how little importance are the actual chronological events of his life, except
in so far as they help us to elucidate the real character of the man and the
principles which gave him guidance. This is all the more true of Pyle because,
while his circumstances and environment had much to do with forming his
character, yet on the other hand he was a man of such strength
that he largely created his own environment. Under almost any conditions his
life story, while it might have read differently as to names, dates and
achievements, would have contained the same splendid lesson of noble manhood.
John L. Pyle was born in Coal Run, Ohio, in 1860. The civil war was all but begun, and the long struggle for the abolition of human slavery, in which his father had taken so active a part, was flashing to its tragic climax.
His father, Levis Pyle, a man of exceedingly virile character, came of the most American of ancestry. The founder of the family was among Penn's early colonists in the seventeenth century, and through all its varying fortunes had been one of the few families of pioneers always on the frontier of advancing civilization and always in the forefront of every struggle for human rights. Amongst the earliest settlers in Ohio the Pyles were soon famous there for their absolute fearlessness and sturdy independence. Men of gigantic physique and splendid powers, they were always ready for a struggle. Many are the family tales told of the prowess of these early pioneers.
Levis Pyle had his full measure of the family characteristics, and in the dark days of the abolition struggle he showed them well, again and again defying the mobs that gathered to break up the meetings he addressed, and at times carrying his life in his hand.
In marked contrast to the combative, aggressive energy of his father was the tender, loving and patient disposition of his mother, Mary Dean Pyle. Born near London, England, and reared amid retired surroundings, she was a woman of remarkable gentleness. The influence of her gentle self-control was very strong upon on her son. It remained with him through life and made him in his private walks one of the most lovable of men.
With such an ancestry of the strong and gentle, of the aggressive and the tender, of the stern fighter and the devoted Christian. John Pyle was admirably fitted for the active life he was to lead and to absorb welt the teachings of his strenuous early life.
War was in the air when he was born. In less than a year the guns of Sumpter were to announce the great struggle, and the whole country was holding its breath in dread expectancy. The first events which stamped themselves upon the memory of the infant boy were those of war. It used to give him great amusement in after life to tell of his childish fears and sorrows in that great struggle.
When John was but a toddler, the terrible Morgan the Raider plunged
into Ohio. Panic and terror spread before him. As he approached the Pyle home
the very children caught the fear of their elders and hastened to secrete their
loved toys and childish treasures out of the way of the terrible soldier. The
little toddling boy had as his choicest treasure three bright marbles, and he
hastened to bury these in the sand along the banks of the
Muskingum. Although the daring raider did not molest his treasures, all trace of
their place of burial was accidentally obliterated. "It was thus," he once
smilingly remarked to an audience to which he was relating the story, "that I
lost my entire fortune during the civil war."
Shortly after the war his father removed his family to Illinois, where John received his early schooling. At the early age of thirteen he went to work for himself to earn money to supplement his other schooling by a course at Westfield academy.. As he grew older he was seized with a desire to complete his education by a college course, and accordingly began to lay his plans to secure the money to attain his ambition.
The natural instinct of the pioneer in him made him decide to go west for this purpose, and accordingly, in 1879, he made the long journey, much of it overland, to Montana. Here he worked for three years, and by dint of careful economy saved enough to help him carry out his plans. He had quit his work and was starting again for the east when he was laid low by lead poisoning. For many weeks he lay between life and death, and when at last his natural vitality had won the victory and he slowly began to recover, his money had been exhausted and the cherished object of his toil defeated.
Such defeat might have discouraged many a man, but not John Pyle. He saw that he could not soon again earn money for his education, so he determined to study by himself. Weak from his sickness and unable longer to follow mining, he came to Dakota territory and took up land near what is now the town of Miller. While on his homestead he studied law with all his energy and in 1886 was admitted to practice at the territorial bar. Six months later he was elected state's attorney for Hand county. About this lime he was married to Mamie I. Shields of Miller, who ever proved his devoted helpmeet and who, with their four children, survives him.
About the time that the territory of Dakota was divided and admitted to the union as two states, he decided to settle in Huron.
The great contest for the location of the capital of the state was on at this time, with Huron as one of the chief contestants. Pyle put all his energy into this contest and until it was over was constantly active in Huron's interest. His activity at this time greatly enhanced his influence and made him widely known, so that he became a very decided factor in all that pertained to the interest of his home city.
When the capital fight had come and gone it left in Huron a great aftermath of debt, scandal, and disputed indebtedness. A number of self-seeking politicians sought to raise up to themselves, at this time, a popular following, by advocating a policy of repudiation for all debts possible which the city had incurred, and the compromise of others, after having first disputed them. Against this shameful policy John Pyle took a most decided stand. He advocated the payment of every honest debt the town had incurred, no matter what had become of the money after it had been obtained. Popular sentiment was furiously wrought up and he was denounced as the enemy of the town's interest. For a time he was the target of almost unmeasured abuse and the course of conduct he advocated was overwhelmingly defeated. Under the senseless guidance of its demagogues. Huron plunged into litigation which lasted many years, cost her many thousands of dollars and finally resulted in her utter discomfiture.
This result I'yle had freely foretold, and had never ceased to urge an abandonment of this wasteful course. When at last the popular excitement bad cooled and the wisdom of his counsels was revealed, there came a great revulsion in public sentiment and his advice on public matters was eargerly sought.
His many friends began to urge him for attorney general of the state, and when at last he was nominated and elected he attracted attention by the unusual degree to which he received the support of his home district.
His service as attorney general was marked by two cases, especially
famous. The first was the "Milwaukee rate case," which was strenuously fought
and reached the supreme court of the United States. The facts and arguments
adduced at this trial, when the Chicago. Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Co.
denied the right of the state to interfere with its rates, have had no small
bearing uj>on the more recent and greater struggle for
national rate regulation.
The second case was the perhaps more famous one against the Northern Securities Co., popularly known as the "Great Northern merger case." The fever which brought about his death was contracted at Helena, Montana, whither he had gone to attend a conference of governors and attorneys general of the northwestern states relative to the conduct of this great case.
It was always a great disappointment to Pyle that he had been unable to gratify his ambition for a college education. Largely for this reason he had a lively sympathy with young people who were similarly ambitious. All his life he was the generous friend and helper of young people and of the educational institutions themselves. When the college of the Presbyterians for South Dakota was dying at Pierre for lack of support, it was he who first extended a hand to the needy institution, interested other friends and secured it a home at Huron, helping the reorganized college on its way to the great success it has since attained. He was president of its board of trustees at the time of his death.
One of his most prominent as well as most admirable characteristics was his love of justice and his abiding faith in the final good judgment and fair dealing of the American people. He always felt that laws were intended to be fundamentally right and that sooner or later equity would prevail. When asked by the writer the method he employed in beginning his preparation of his cases, he returned the startingly simple answer: "I first examine the case to see where lies the line of absolute right between man and man. Having reached a conclusion on this point, I look up the law to substantiate my position."
With a man so simply honest it were impossible not to expect to find him always actively allied with the forces for civic betterment. With Pyle this was notably the case. Especially was he active in all matters of temperance reform. He hated the liquor traffic with a perfect hatred and fought it with a singleness of purpose that never faltered.
At the time he received the nomination for attorney general from the Republicans he was the head of the Anti-Saloon League of the state. The organized liquor dealers waited upon him to demand certain concessions for their support. His reply was a characteristic challenge to a finish fight. The state was close, and his uncompromising attitude threw his political associates into a panic. They freely predicted his defeat and he himself came to think that it meant defeat. Nothing, however, could move him. He would rather have his political ambitions forever blasted than move one jot from the line of his convictions. The fight grew in intensity until the better element of the state rallied to his support solidly and, although the liquor interests turned many hundreds of votes from him, he secured one of the largest majorities on the ticket at that time.
Mr. Pyle was a man who often attracted attention on account of his magnificent physique, and his untimely death was a shock to all. He was buried with the honors of state. In his special proclamation touching the death of the attorney general the governor said: "Mr. Pyle was an efficient public officer, an able, conscientious lawyer and an honorable Christian gentleman, who was respected by all classes and loved and admired by all who had the privilege of his personal acquaintance. In his untimely death his family, the legal profession, the public service and all the people of the state have suffered an unmeasurable loss."
The bar of Beadle county, where he practiced so many years, adopted
resolutions of which the following is an extract: "As a public officer he served
the people of his state with fidelity; as a private citizen he was zealous in
the discharge of every civic duty; as a husband he was faithful and kind; as a
father he was gentle and indulgent; as a lawyer he was able and conscientious,
steadfast in his relations with his clients, and earnest and careful
in the protection of their interests; as a man he was mild and sincere, true in
his friendships, dignified in his bearing, and in all his conduct was governed
by a lofty sense of duty."
Few men have honored the public service of this state whose line of
conduct always cut so close to the line of absolute right and duty. Few men have
been in the public eye who loved right and justice with such a passionate love.
His love of right was contagious, and all with whom he came in contact felt its
beneficent influence. The regard of his friends, the love of his family, and his
own ideals were well summed up in the words of
one of the state's honored citizens who knew John Pyle and loved him. Said this
gentleman to the writer: "Physically, mentally and morally John Pyle was one of
the best men I ever knew."
