Representative William Bremner View All Years

HON. WILLIAM BREMNER.

MR. SPEAKER—Your committee appointed to prepare suitable resolutions commemorating the life, character and public service of Honorable William Bremner, a member of the House of Representatives in the Eighth General Assembly, beg leave to submit the following as their report:

William Bremner was born in Scotland, of sturdy Scotch parentage, March 21, 1831, and when he was an infant his parents, James Bremner and wife, emigrated to this country. While William was young they made their home in New York State and Massachusetts, but in the year 1839 moved to New Hampshire, where William Bremner spent the days of his early manhood during a residence of seventeen years.

As a young man Mr. Bremner studied engineering, and later law, and as an engineer was a member of a railroad engineering corps that did much work throughout Connecticut in the early days.

In the year 1856, realizing that there were greater opportunities for a young man in the then far west, Mr. Bremner came to Iowa, and after looking about the few towns then settled, selected Marshalltown as the point where he would begin his business career. He formed a co-partnership with Hon. W. P. Hepburn, late Congressman from the Eighth District, who was a brother-in-law of Mr. Bremner, and for a few years practiced law.

Preferring out of door life to the law office he decided to take up his earlier work, and did much of the early surveying of the county. In 1865 he was elected County Surveyor and continued to be re-elected year after year until he had served forty-five years continuously in the same position. Mr. Bremner retired from office during the year 1910 owing to old age. He was made City Engineer of Marshalltown in 1863, and held this position until a short time before his death.

During the years 1860-1862 William Bremner represented Marshall County in the Legislature, having been elected by the Republican party, of which he was a lifelong member. He took but little interest in politics, however, and aside from his work as surveyor and in the Legislature, the only public office he ever held was that of Justice of the Peace in an early day.

William Bremner was married at Iowa City, May 24, 1860, to Miss Kate Hampton. Mr. Bremner is survived by three of their four children: George H. Bremner of La Grange, Ill.; Mrs. O. A. Byington of Iowa City, and William H. Bremner of Minneapolis, now General Solicitor for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad. One daughter, Annabel, died during the year 1897. Mr. Bremner is also survived by two sisters, Miss Anna Bremner of Marshalltown and Mrs. Ellen B. Tilton of Newburyport, Massachusetts. William Bremner died at Iowa City, August 29, 1911, and his body was brought to Marshalltown for burial.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bremner were prominent members of the Presbyterian Church of Marshalltown, and from 1868 until about two years before his death he was an elder in the church. Mr. Bremner was one of the grand old men of Marshalltown, a man blessed with many friends and no enemies. His death marked the close of a good life well spent and the end of the career of one of God’s noblemen.

Whereas, William Bremner’s life, character and services to the state were such as to entitle him to the confidence, esteem and gratitude of his fellow citizens; therefore be it

Resolved, That in his death the state and county in which he resided lost a worthy and upright citizen, and an honest, conscientious and honorable man, and we hereby extend to his bereaved family our heartfelt 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 directed to forward an engrossed copy to the children of the deceased.

H. C. LOUNSBERRY,

H. C. RING,

G. W. KOONTZ,

Committee.

Adopted January 29, 1913.