Representative Damon Noble Sprague View All Years
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Damon Noble Sprague
Louisa County
Born March 21 1832, at Exeter, a few miles from Cooperstown, New York. He attended the common schools, where he mastered the old Colburn arithmetic, which taught him to think, as well as to "cipher." At seventeen he began teaching school and boarding around with his scholars, thus helping to pay his way through college and acquire practical knowledge. He attended Hartwick Seminary, situated in the beautiful Susquehanna valley, four miles south of Cooperstown, and the Delaware Collegiate Institute, securing a good understanding of the classics and of mathematics, although he did not remain at either institution long enough to graduate. He began the study of law in the officer of Spencer & Kernan at Utica, New York, enjoying the use of their valuable library, as well as their direction and advice. After reading law about three years Mr. Sprague was admitted to practice in New York in September, 1854, and in April of the following year came to Iowa locating at Wapello in Louisa county. In 1856 he formed a law partnership with Col. John Bird, which continued until 1860. Mr. Sprague was elected representative from his district to the Seventh General Assembly in 1857, serving on many important committees. He was elected district attorney in 1870, when the district included four counties, and held the office for twelve consecutive years, making his home at Keokuk from 1872 to 1886. Mr. Sprague has always been a democrat in politics, but was a strong unionist during the Civil War, and was one of the leading men of his community in support of the government at that time. He was unable to enlist as a soldier, on account of an injury received when he was about twelve years old. Mr. Sprague is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, of which he was elected president February 21, 1900, and belongs to the Episcopal church. He was married June 25, 1863, to Miss Mary O. Isett.
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