A. Hurst

HURST

Posted By: Anne Hermann (email)
Date: 4/18/2008 at 09:33:01

Jackson Sentinel, Oct. 15, 1891.

Our Candidate for Senator

A. Hurst was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1847, and came to Davenport, Iowa, via New Orleans, with his parents in 1852. His father died when he was but nine years old and he remained with his mother till the war broke out, when he enlisted in the transportation service on the Mississippi; was an eye-witness to many engagements and accompanied Banks on his Red River expedition, and after nineteen months was captured by the Confederates in 1863. Some months after he and several comrades made their escape. After steam boating for several months he learned the trade of brick and plaster mason. He came to Maquoketa in 1871, and cutting away the brush opened the bank and started what was then known as the Sand Ridge Lime Kilns. With the co-operation of his brother William and for a time Chas. F. Stine his step-father, an immense lime business has been developed. Fully $75,000 is invested in the plant and numerous dwellings in the village adjoining it. Something like 1800 car loads is the annual output. A large number of men are kept employed at good wages and four large draw kilns are kept constantly burning. Thousands of cords of wood are consumed and as the product is shipped throughout the northwest it has been the means of bringing much material wealth to our city. Mr. Hurst also has a farm of 520 acres adjacent to his lime kiln plant and with large barns and fine facilities for doing, carries on stock raising very extensively. He is a man of untiring energy, and an ardent democrat from his very boyhood. A liberal contributor and great worker for party success, he was a few years ago persuaded to accept the nomination for supervisor in this republican district and carried it in 1886 by 173 majority and for a second term in 1880 carried the same district by 331 majority. He is all right on the main question, a trusty democratic and now that he is the democrat’s nominee for Senator from Jackson county we look for his triumphant election by 1,000 majority.