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Permanent LinkSenator Charles Edwin Whiting View All Years
CHARLES EDWIN WHITING was born in Otsego county, New York, January 17, 1821; he died at Onawa, Iowa, December 2, 1897. In the year 1837, when he had reached the age of sixteen, his parents removed to Lake county, Ohio, where they settled on a farm. The son remained at home until he was twenty-two, when he went to Alabama and engaged in merchandising, in which he was quite successful. But in 1850 he went to California, returning in 1853. He engaged in various business enterprises with a good degree of success, until 1855, when he settled in Monona county, purchasing over 7,000 acres of land, from which he developed one of the finest farms in the State. This farm, from its great size, as well us from his thorough modes of agriculture, has had nothing to surpass it in Iowa. It is a princely estate. Mr. Whiting was a democrat and always considered one of the representative men of his party. He was a candidate on several occasions—for the most part against his own inclinations—and was elected to the State Senate in 1883. His record there was that of a strong, independent legislator, who seemed actuated by the largest sense of justice. In the year 1885 his party nominated him for governor against Gov. Larrabee. In this contest he was defeated. Gov. Boies appointed him a member of the Board of Regents of the State University, where he served six years. In his own town and county Mr. Whiting enjoyed a large degree of popularity, and had he been more aggressive in his nature, with an ambition for political preferment, there is no doubt that he would have filled many distinguished positions. As it was, his political honors came to him unsought. His aspirations seemed rather for a quiet life, in which he became one of the model formers of the West. His death brought forth the highest encomiums from the press of the State regardless of party affiliations.