Born in Ross County, Ohio, August 17, 1817. He came here in 1849, intending to make this his abiding place. He reconnoitered the town, what there was of it, to find a suitable corner lot on which to build a home. In 1852, the Doctor was nominated to run for the Senate, and was elected by a large majority, for he was immensely popular with the early settlers, and had much influence with them from his many acts of kindness and helpfulness as a physician. He was well educated, a fluent talker, and had a hankering for editorial work, in fact, he was, for a time, editor of the Star. Immediately the Doctor took his seat in the Senate, where he prepared and introduced the first bill to remove the Seat of Government to Des Moines. Instantly, there was opposition from all sides. Iowa City was ferocious, the counties of Marshall, Jasper, Mahaska, and Story at once showed their teeth, the latter county having located at State Center the geographical center of the state. The Doctor was obstructed at every move, by dilatory and conflicting amendments, throughout the entire session. He failed to secure the change, but he defeated all schemes to fix the location elsewhere. The Doctor continued his law practice here until 1860, when he removed to Sedalia, Missouri, where he edited a newspaper several years. He died at Kiowa, Kansas, in December, 1900.
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