Representative Franklin Egbert Ayers View All Years

F. E. AYRES.

MR. SPEAKER—Your committee appointed to prepare and present resolutions respecting the life, character and public service of the Hon. F. E. Ayers, late of Iowa City, Iowa, beg leave to submit the following:

The Honorable F. E. Ayers represented Chickasaw County in the Twenty-eighth General Assembly. He died at his home in Iowa City on June 15th, 1918. Mr. Ayres was born on April 13th, 1859, in a small town in the county he afterwards represented. He received his education in the public schools of this state and at Breckenridge Institute. His business career was commenced at the early age of 14 years. In 1884 he was married to Miss Alice F. Sheldon, and she, with two children, survive him. While a resident of Lawler, in Chickasaw County, he was a member of the city council and part of the time mayor of the city. He was elected representative from that county to the Twenty-eighth General Assembly. In 1903 he moved to Iowa City, entering the commercial field there and speedily became one of the most active and influential of its citizens. Mr. Ayers was president of the Iowa City Commercial Club for three years, from 1909 to 1912, and under his leadership the club ranked with the best in the middle west. He was always recognized as a leading factor in the business life of the city and his election to the chief executive office of the businessmen’s organization was both timely and fitting. He was actively interested in banking circles—being a director and vice president of the Citizens Savings and Trust Company of that city. A few years previous to his death he was president of the Southern Iowa Lumbermen’s Association.

Whether he be judged by his public or private life; whether judged as a friend or neighbor, or measured by his standards of business integrity, or by his ideals of public duty in the many and various positions of trust and honor held in his community and in the state, yet the qualities of courage, kindness, candor and common sense were ever his constant characteristics. His is the memory which sterling manhood and loyal citizenship leaves as a legacy, and

Whereas, The life and character of the deceased were such as to entitle his memory to the respect and esteem of all who knew him,

Therefore, Be It Resolved, That the House of Representatives take this occasion to express its appreciation of his character and public services and at this time extend to his bereaved family its sincere sympathy in their sorrow, 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 instructed to forward an engrossed copy of same to the family of the deceased.

FRANK F. MESSER,

P. L. KEPPLE,

J. E. LARSON,

Committee.