Senator John F. Wade View All Years

MR. PRESIDENT—Your committee appointed to prepare resolutions commemorating the life, character and public services of John F. Wade beg leave to submit the following report:

JOHN F. WADE.

John F. Wade was born at Burlington, Vermont, April 7, 1859. He moved with his parents to Iowa in the year of 1878, and settled with his parents upon a farm in Bennezette township, Butler county, Iowa. Being the oldest son of a family of seven, he was obliged to forego to a large extent even the meager educational advantages from the country school. He was married April 3, 1886, to Mary Dougherty, daughter of the Hon. Daniel Dougherty, a pioneer settler of Cerro Gordo county. Nine children were born, seven of whom are now living. He engaged in farming upon a farm within a mile of his father’s homestead and was especially interested and engaged in the feeding and shipping of cattle and hogs. He was also, for several years, a partner in the firm of Wade, Ledyig & Co., at Dougherty, Iowa, which firm was engaged in retailing lumber, coal, farm machinery, etc., but always until about two years before his death, maintained his residence upon the old farm.

He has always been a democrat in politics. In a county that is republican by a large majority he held several township offices. In 1896 he was elected a member of the board of supervisors of that county and served as such for two terms. Upon the expiration of his second term, he was elected state senator to represent the Thirty-ninth senatorial district composed of Butler and Bremer counties. He served in the Thirtieth, Thirty-first, Thirty-second and the special session of the Thirty-second General Assemblies.

October 1, 1909, Mr. Wade was appointed member of the board of control by Governor Carroll to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of the Hon. John T. Hamilton of Cedar Rapids. At the expiration of that term, he was reappointed, and at the time of his death was chairman of the board. He died September 16, 1913, and was buried in the Catholic cemetery at Dougherty, Iowa, only a few miles from the farm upon which he spent practically his whole life.

Mr. Wade, as a man, was honest and industrious; as a friend, he was loyal, helpful, and sincere; as an official, he was diligent, painstaking, and capable; and as a Christian gentleman, he had the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. In his own immediate circle of friends and neighbors, he was not only most beloved, but most trusted, most honored. For years he was a county or state official. The close of his public career found him clean and honest as he was at the beginning. He held the confidence of the electorate as few men can gain and hold it. Measured by any of the standards of honorable, useful citizenship, he was a man. Be it

Resolved, That in the death of John F. Wade the state has lost a worthy citizen. That it recognizes the high character of his services to the state, and that the Senate takes this occasion to acknowledge its recognition and express its high regard and appreciation of his character and public services, and to extend to his family its sincere sympathy in their bereavement. Be it further

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions, engrossed and duly authenticated by the President and Secretary of the Senate, be presented to the family of the deceased.

F. P. HAGEMANN,

D. C. CHASE,

D. S. FLECK,

Committee.

The resolutions were adopted unanimously by a rising vote.