Representative James F. Lavender View All Years

HON. JAMES F. LAVENDER

MR SPEAKER: Your committee, appointed to draft resolutions commemorative of the life, character and public services of Hon. James F. Lavender, late of Calhoun county, Iowa, beg leave to report the following:

James F. Lavender was born at Rochester, New Hampshire, on the 24th of March, 1851, and died at his home in Rockwell City, Iowa, June 11th, 1926, age 75 years, 2 months and 17 days. He received his early education in the public schools and was a student at the Iowa State College at Ames. Following this he was a school-teacher and was superintendent of schools at LeClaire, Iowa, and Cordova, Illinois. While engaged in teaching, he devoted his spare time to the study of law and later studied law in the office of Brown and Campbell at Davenport, Iowa.

In 1880 he was admitted to the practice of law; the next year moving to Rockwell City, where he maintained his residence until his decease.

On December 23, 1876, he was united in marriage to Mary L. Davisson, and to this union three sons and three daughters were born: Fabius of Eagle Butte, South Dakota; Robert in the United States naval service, Washington, D. C.; James, a government inspector, St. Paul, Minnesota; Frances Stover of Ionia, Michigan; Mary Robinson of Lake City, Iowa, and Alice who died in infancy.

Mr. Lavender practiced his profession and was a member of the Calhoun County Bar for forty-five years. He was also a member of the American Bar Association and a charter member of the Iowa State Bar Association. Mr. Lavender was county superintendent of Calhoun county for four years, served as a member of the Iowa legislature during the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh General Assemblies, served as county attorney of Calhoun county for two terms, and was mayor of Rockwell City. He was an ardent supporter of the Republican party and was always diligent in imparting its principles to everyone with whom he came in contact.

Because of his ability he took high rank in his profession. He was industrious and honest. He knew the ethics of his profession and always lived up to its standards. Among his clients were people of wealth and of poverty. They were all treated the same and the poor client was given the same consideration as the one who possessed wealth. He was a literary man, a profound student and well informed on all phases of the literature of the world. Mr. ·Lavender was a student of law and maintained at Rockwell City an excellent law library carefully selected and maintained, which library, a few weeks before his death, was completely destroyed by fire, together with valuable papers and the compilation of years of his own legal and literary career.

He was buried in Rose Hill cemetery at Rockwell City, Iowa, with Masonic honors. He was also an Odd Fellow, Woodman, Mystic Worker, Royal Arch Mason, Knight Templar and Shriner, and daily lived the ideals of those organizations to which he belonged.

The life and character of Honorable James F. Lavender and his long and eventful services, calls for us to place his memory among those who stand high in the history of this state and nation.

Therefore, Be It Resolved, By the House of Representatives of the Forty-second General Assembly, that we take this occasion to express our appreciation of the substantial service given to us by the deceased, and

Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be spread upon the Journal of the House, and that the Chief Clerk be directed to send an enrolled copy to the members of his family.

MARION R. MCCAULLEY,

L. T. QUIRK,

REYBURN RUTLEDGE,

Committee.

Unanimously adopted April 6, 1927.