Representative Benjamin Franklin Felt View All Years

HONORABLE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FELT

MT. SPEAKER: Your committee, appointed to prepare resolutions commemorative of the life, character and public service of the late Honorable Benjamin Franklin Felt of Clay county, begs leave to submit the following report:

Representative Benjamin Franklin Felt was born at Galena, Jo Daviess county, Illinois, February 6, 1862, to which city his parents came at an early date from Plattsburgh, New York. His parents were American born. His education was received in the public schools of Galena with one year at Lake Forest Academy, and one year at Beloit College, Wisconsin.

In 1881 he went to Storm Lake in the capacity of field agent for the Iowa Land and Investment Company of that place. Four years later he settled upon his farm in Clay township, Clay county, where for fourteen years he conducted a successful business in diversified farming.

In 1887 he married Agnes Rae Avery, daughter of Major George S. Avery of Galena, Illinois. In 1900 they moved to a farm in Sioux township adjacent to the city of Spencer. He was elected State Representative in 1906 and served in the Thirty-second, Thirty-second Extra, Thirty­third, and Thirty-fourth General Assemblies. It was during this time that the Senate marched into the House every morning for one hundred legislative days and voted for the election of a United States Senator. On the one hundredth day Honorable W. S. Kenyon was elected. Representative Felt never wavered in his support of Senator Kenyon. This was the last time that a United States Senator was elected by the General Assembly.

Representative Felt introduced and secured the passage of the county hospital bill which has since been adopted as a model by other states.

Among the outstanding activities of Mr. Felt was the organization of the Clay County Farmers’ Institute in which he secured the cooperation of the extension department of the State College of Agriculture. These institutes were held in the winter months and continued for three days and were very largely attended by the farmers of the county. They marked the beginning of testing of seed corn for planting. This work was ultimately responsible for the organization of the Clay County Fair. He died on August 31, 1939. He was courageous, honest and steadfast with a distinctly humanitarian spirit. He was a member of the Congregational church and a Republican.

Surviving are his widow, Agnes Avery Felt of Spencer, Iowa, and Anna Felt, a sister residing at Galena, Illinois.

Therefore, Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Forty-ninth General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That, in the passing of the Honorable Benjamin Franklin Felt, the state of Iowa has lost a valuable and honored citizen, and the House tenders its sympathy to the surviving members of his family.

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 send an enrolled copy to his surviving widow, Mrs. Agnes Avery Felt, and one to his sister, Miss Anna Felt.

A. H. AVERY,

THEO. C. HUTCHINSON,

L. O. LAMPMANN,

Committee.

Unanimously adopted, April 3, 1941.