A man noted for his honesty and uprightness in legislative affairs, as well as in his business career-, is the Hon. Henry Hospers, senator from the Forty-ninth district. He is a native of the Netherlands, Europe, where he was born February 6, 1830. Senator Hospers has been twice married, the first time to Miss Cornelia Welle, and to them were born four children. His second wife was Miss Hendrina Overkamp, and there are eight children as a result of this marriage. He is a member of the Dutch Reform church. When he was a lad of ten years, Senator Hospers came to this country, and settled at Pella, Iowa, where he lived till 1870. He served as mayor of that town twenty years. In 1870 he removed to his present home, Orange City, where he has been engaged in the banking business continuously. He located the colony of Holland people in Sioux county, in 1869. At that time northwestern Iowa was very new, and the county government in the hands of men who had fraudulently created a large debt for the county. They also undertook to sell off the school lands at a nominal figure, which scheme Senator Hospers nipped in the bud, thus saving the county a vast sum of money. He was given full power to effect a settlement of the cases growing out of the fraudulent bonds, which he did, and saved the county nearly a hundred thousand dollars. The citizens of Sioux county show their appreciation to their benefactor by honoring him with the highest offices at their command. He has served as mayor of Orange City, chairman of board of supervisors, and member of the house of representatives in the Twenty-second and Twenty-third General Assemblies. He has always been an active man in republican politics. He is proprietor of the Orange City bank, and the Bank of Maurice, at Maurice, Iowa. In the Twenty-sixth General Assembly Senator Hospers served on the committee on banks as chairman, and as a member of the committees on ways and means, cities and towns, suppression of intemperance, agriculture, elections, and commerce. He is held in the highest respect by his colleagues.

No man in the state of Iowa has made so good a reputation for honesty and devotion to the interests of his community as the Hon. Henry Hospers of Sioux county. He has been selected as the Senator from the district composed of Sioux, Lyon, O'Brien and Osceola counties. Born in the Netherlands in 1830, he came to America in 1840 and settled at Pella, Iowa. There he lived till 1870, when he moved to his present home at Orange City. He has been in the banking business almost continuously. He was married while a young man to Miss Hendrina Overkamp and is the father of eight children. While living at Pella he was elected mayor of the town. About this time he began to look out for a suitable place to locate a colony of Holland people, and he selected Sioux county as offering the greatest advantages. At that time the country in the northwestern comer of the state was very new. The county government was in the hands of a few corrupt individuals who fraudulently created a large debt. They also tried to sell off the school lands at a nominal figure, but this scheme was killed by Mr. Hospers. Subsequently when he became a resident of Sioux county and was made chairman of the board of supervisors he was given full power to effect a settlement of the cases growing out of the fraudulent bonds issued. He succeeded so well that it cost the county less than $1,000 instead of over $100,000, the amount the bonds called for. Subsequently Mr. Hospers served as a member of the House of the Twenty-second and Twenty-third General Assemblies as a Republican. He belongs to the Dutch Reformed Church.

Born in Hoog Blokland, the Netherlands, February 6, 1830. He came to America in 1840, locating at Pella, in Marion County, Iowa. Here he taught the first school and established the first newspaper in the Dutch language. In 1870 a new colony was formed in Sioux County where a large tract of land was acquired and Orange City was laid out. Of this colony Mr. Hospers became the leader. The county had been under the control of unscrupulous adventurers and under the lead of Mr. Hospers the county government was reformed and the finances honestly managed. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second and Twenty-third General Assemblies and served in the Senate of the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh General Assemblies representing the district composed of the counties of Lyon, Osceola, Sioux and O'Brien. Mr. Hospers was deeply interested in education and good government and as long as he lived wielded great influence in the Sioux County colony which he led to northwestern Iowa when that region was one vast wild prairie. He died October 21, 1901.

Born in Hoog Blokland, the Netherlands, February 6, 1830. He came to America in 1840, locating at Pella, in Marion County, Iowa. Here he taught the first school and established the first newspaper in the Dutch language. In 1870 a new colony was formed in Sioux County where a large tract of land was acquired and Orange City was laid out. Of this colony Mr. Hospers became the leader. The county had been under the control of unscrupulous adventurers and under the lead of Mr. Hospers the county government was reformed and the finances honestly managed. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second and Twenty-third General Assemblies and served in the Senate of the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh General Assemblies representing the district composed of the counties of Lyon, Osceola, Sioux and O'Brien. Mr. Hospers was deeply interested in education and good government and as long as he lived wielded great influence in the Sioux County colony which he led to northwestern Iowa when that region was one vast wild prairie. He died October 21, 1901.