Convention Member Edward Langworthy

Convention Member
Democrat
Born in Hopkinton, New York, St. Lawrence County, August 3, 1808, and died in Dubuque, January 5, 1893. In September 1832, Mr. Langworthy may have constructed the first house in the future state of Iowa along West Locust. One of many eager miners he and his brothers James and Lucius were driven from the region in November of that year by soldiers from Prairie du Chien who had the responsibility of keeping whites east of the Mississippi River. Mr. Langworthy returned to the Iowa side of the river in April 1833. He built several homes and many stores. In 1836, he attended a railroad convention in Madison, Wisconsin, and was an early advocate for constructing a railway from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. He was elected town trustee, county commissioner, and a member of the legislature for three sessions. He was also a member of the constitutional convention in 1844 when he proposed to exclude “negroes” from the state and to abolish the grand jury system. Neither idea passed. Mr. Langworthy helped create a claims system for the sale of mineral lands which was adopted by the public land office. As a city alderman, he helped establish schools, factories, and a street railway system. He supported street and road improvements. Members of the firm of J. L. Langworthy and Bros. were prominent. Following the financial panic of 1857-58, he became a stockholder and director of the First National Bank of Dubuque. Source: Gibson, Michael D. “Part II-Dubuque’s First Family: The Langworthys,” Julien's Journal, August 2013, p. 40