James H. Trewin

TREWIN

Posted By: volunteer transcriber
Date: 3/4/2004 at 04:49:32

JAMES H. TREWIN, lawyer and legislator, was born at Bloomingdale, Illinois, November 29, 1858. He had the usual schooling of a country boy in his youth, living on a farm and becoming self-supporting at the early age of twelve years. In 1872 he came to Chickasaw County, Iowa, where he worked on a farm and attended school, qualifying himself to teach. He attended Bradford Academy, Cedar Valley Seminary and Lenox College, and was principal of the Delaware and Farley schools several years. In 1881 Mr. Trewin entered the law office of Robinson & Powers of Dubuque as a student and was admitted to the bar in 1882. For the practice of his profession, Mr. Trewin located at Earlville from whence he removed to Lansing in 1889. While residing in these towns he filled many positions of trust and in 1893 he was elected from Allamakee County to the House of the Twenty-fifth General Assembly, serving as chairman of the committee on municipal corporations and was prominently identified with the enacting of the mulet law. His most important work, however, was securing the passage of the bill providing for the revision and codification of the laws which was accomplished in the Code of 1897. Two years later Mr. Trewin was elected to the Senate from the Allamakee-Fayette District, where he became chairman of the committee on schools, and in the revision brought about many desirable changes in the school laws. He engaged actively in bringing about many reforms and the curtailment of expenses in the administration of State and municipal affairs. He secured the passage of the bill providing for the annotation and publication of the Code by the State; was chosen chairman of the joint committee of the General Assembly having charge of the publication of the Code and probably had larger influence in the production of the book of revised statutes than any other one legislator. During Senator Trewin's second term in the Senate he was chairman of the committee on cities and towns. In the Republican State Convention of 1901, Senator Trewin was one of the leading candidates for nomination for Governor. He removed to Cedar Rapids in 1902. He is a member of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission from the Fifth District and chairman of the Department of Education.

source: History of Iowa by B. F. Gue, 1903, Vol 4.
transcribed by Debbie Clough Gerischer