Ansel Briggs

BRIGGS

Posted By: Anne Hermann (email)
Date: 11/6/2009 at 10:28:10

Ansel Briggs
Iowa's First Governor
Arthur F. Janssen

Part II

EARLY DAYS IN ANDREW

Briggs did a lot of campaigning for the May, 1841, election which resulted in the ultimate relocation of the county seat from Bellevue to Andrew. His efforts established him as a leader in the affairs of the county and the new town of Andrew. He was dedicated in his effort toward getting the town acceptable as the county's new seat of government. He showed confidence in the project by selling his interest in the sawmill, vacating the home he had built near the site of the mill and by moving his family into a new log house he had built in the unsettled town of Andrew.

It was during the early days of Briggs as a resident of the county and the town of Andrew that he became a close friend with certain outstanding men of the community. They were Nathanial Butterworth, Philip Barr Bradley, John Francis, Judge L. Dyer. In the future, each man would contribute towards Ansel's business and political life when the occasion presented itself.

The record discloses that Ansel began a term as deputy treasurer of the county in 1843. There are receipts signed by him as such deputy ranging from December 11, 1843 through July 5, 1844. It is agreed by all historians that Briggs opened one of the first stores in Andrew but there is no record as to when it happened.

In 1844, Briggs began a two-year term as Sheriff of Jackson county. There is documentary evidence showing his performance in the office from September 5, 1844 until June 22, 1846. We do not know by what political process he attained the office.

It was while Ansel was sheriff of the county that Lafayette was born on May l, 1845. It is of record that in 1844 Briggs was engaged in the formation of the “Dubuque and Jackson Mutual Insurance Company." Two researchers report that Ansel was engaged in farming during this Period of his life. It is known that he owned several pieces of farm land but we do not believe that he actually tilled the land himself.

GOVERNORSHIP PERIOD, 1846-1850

The road from Iowa Territory to Statehood was rough because of political fighting between the Whigs and the Democrats. The Whigs were in the minority but they hoped to forestall the adoption of a constitution for the State until they could increase strength in numbers and thereby elect its candidates to the various state offices when an election would take place. The Whig party favored a state banking system and this was opposed by the Democrats. The question of banks became the main issue between the parties.

A constitutional convention in 1844 had drafted a constitution but the voters of the state rejected it. A second convention met in May, 1846, and the constitution proposed by this convention was adopted by the voters. On September 9, 1846, Territorial governor James Clark set October 26 as the date for the voters to elect state officers.

Iowa's first State Democratic Convention met in Iowa City in September. After adopting a platform it proceeded to nominate candidates for the state offices. There were three names mentioned for the office of governor. Ansel Briggs was not one of them. Judge J. J. Dyer of Dubuque was considered to be the leading candidate. He declined to accept the nomination and offered the name of Briggs to the convention. Briggs received the most votes on the first ballot. The other two men withdrew from the contest and Briggs was nominated by acclamation.

The nomination of Ansel Briggs came as a surprise. He was not generally known outside Jackson County, even though he had served in the Fifth Territorial Assembly in 1842. It is reported that he became popular with the anti-bank delegates to the Democratic convention when at a banquet several days before the convention he offered a toast: "No banks but earth, and they are well tilled". It is also claimed that there was sentiment in his favor since he came from the county which had returned the highest percentage of votes in favor of the 1846 constitution. Also, since the salary fixed by the new constitution was $1,000 per year, there was little competition for the job.

Ansel Briggs' Whig opponent was a well known lawyer from Dubuque by the name of Thomas McKnight. The Whigs battled to win the election by making personal attacks upon Briggs. One man claimed that he had "seen Mr. Briggs drunk in Dubuque for the last three weeks, and that he was bantering Mr. McKnight to stake their respective pretensions to the gubernatorial chair on a game of poker. They also claimed that Briggs was ignorant and unqualified for the office. Regardless of all the abuse taken by Mr. Briggs, out of a total of 15,005 votes cast he received 247 more votes than did McKnight. The Democrats won the entire election except that the Whigs won a majority in the State House of Representatives.

The inauguration services were simple. A committee of two Senators and two Representatives escorted the Governor-elect into the House Chamber of the Capitol where Charles Mason, Chief Justice of the Territorial Supreme Court, administered the oath of office. After the oath was taken, the first governor of Iowa sat down and his Inaugural Address was read by his close Andrew friend, Philip Bradley, who was then a member of the State Senate. In the prepared Address, Briggs stated that he learned of his election only four days previously and that for that reason he had not formulated a policy. He further stated in the Address, "From my want of experience in the affairs of civil administration, I must naturally feel a great degree of embarrassment in my present position; but that feeling will be greatly lessened from the hope and belief which I entertain, that in your character of representatives of an enlightened constituency, you will kindly extend to me your aid and indulgence."

It is apparent that the thoughts expressed in Briggs' Inaugural Address were those of a humble and unassuming man. Four years in office as Iowa's first governor did not change the man. This is apparent from the tone of his last report to the Assembly, Second Biennial Message, which he gave on December 3, 1850. It concludes as follows: "I am now about to retire from the office of Chief Magistrate of this State. Four years ago the people thought proper to elect me to that office, and I assumed its duties and responsibilities, distrusting at the same time, my ability to properly discharge those duties… You are familiar with the course which I have pursued. Whether it has been calculated or not to advance the interests of the State, you and the people are the judges. During my administration I may, and undoubtedly have, committed errors; but if such be the case, I shall ever be supported by the reflection that they sprang from no vicious or wrong motive. The courtesy and assistance extended to me by the Legislature, and by all connected with the government, will ever be a subject of grateful remembrance. In laying down the reins of government, I feel an additional gratification in the assurance that they are to be transferred to more able and competent hands. Permit me, in retiring, to express the fervent desire that this, my adopted State, may ever be distinguished for virtue, intelligence and prosperity and may she ever receive the care and protection of that Being who governs the Universe.”

The greatest contribution of the Briggs four year administration was in the field of education. Normal Schools, for the training of teachers, were established at Mount Pleasant, Oskaloosa and Andrew. The University of Iowa was established at Iowa City with branches at Dubuque and Fairfield. Laws were also passed to manage these institutions and the land grants which financed them.

There were other accomplishments of the Briggs administration. The Briggs Report lists the following five: settlement of the boundary dispute with Missouri; the drafting of the "Code of 1851"; the building of additional roads and bridges within the State; the contribution of Iowa's full share to the nation's war against Mexico; and the development of plans for the construction of railroads in the State.

Briggs did not seek a second term of office. It is thought that he favored the opportunity to give his personal affairs his undivided attention without interruptions from governmental affairs at Iowa City. It is probable that he favored the quiet life at Andrew instead of the political turmoil which existed at the Capitol City. During his administration there was a constant battle between Democrats and Whigs for control of the emerging young State. There were times when Briggs was drawn into the conflict. However, beyond the struggle of the parties, it is reported that the Briggs Administration served the new State very well. There were no scandals. It is reported that Briggs depended heavily on the advice of two of his Andrew friends, M. R. Clark and Philip B. Bradly. It is said that these two men prepared his speeches and messages. They were known as the "Andrew Clique".

The home life of Governor Briggs was saddened while he was in office by the occurrence of unfortunate events. Lafayette, the seventh child born to the union of Ansel and Nancy, died on July 30, 1846. Martha Electa, the eighth child born to the union, died on January 2, 1848, when she was less than seven months of age. It was only a few months after the death of Martha Electa, that Ansel's wife, Nancy, died. Death occurred on December 30, 1847.

A brief description of Nancy appears in the October, 1885, issue of the Iowa Historical Record. It is stated there that she "was an ardent Christian woman, adhering to the Presbyterian doctrine, and very domestic in her tastes. She was well educated and endowed by nature with such womanly tact and grace as to enable her to adorn the high estate her husband had attained. She dispensed, albeit, in a log house, a form of architecture in vogue in Iowa at that day, as the mansion of the rich or the cabin of the poor, a bounteous hospitality to the stranger and a generous charity to the poor, in which gracious ministrations she was always seconded by her benevolent husband, the governor.”

The death of Nancy left the Governor without a wife and a mother to care for the three minor children. John, the eldest, was 8 years of age. The Governor's unfortunate circumstance came to an end when he married Francis Carpenter on October 27, 1849, a date less than ten months after the death of Nancy. Francis was the sister of the wife of his close friend and political advisor, Philip B. Bradley. She brought a son and two daughters with her into the household. Their ages were from 7 to 17.

Briggs did not move to Iowa City while he held the office of Governor. He preferred to live in Andrew even though the trips to the seat of government were difficult. There were no traveled roads from Andrew to Iowa City. Rivers and creeks had to be forded. Briggs made the trips on horse back and on foot. Days and nights were spent traveling to and from Iowa City. Since Briggs did not move to Iowa City, it enabled him to continue his business of selling real estate in Andrew.

On May 4, 1847, after he and Francis partitioned the property which they had bought in partnership, Ansel acquired full ownership to approximately 80 lots plus some outlots. Between 1842 and 1952, Briggs was involved in more than 100 real estate transactions. He also continued in the mercantile business plus purchasing and publishing the local paper, named "The Jackson County Democrat.” It is obvious that Briggs had to rely upon his private business enterprises for a livelihood since the job of Governorship paid only $1000 per annum, as previously reported herein.

POST GOVERNORSHIP PERIOD, 1851-1881

After his term of office expired on December 21, 1849, Ansel Briggs lived in Andrew continuously until 1854. It was during this period of his life that his son, Marcus, was fatally injured when he was kicked in the head by a horse. He died On April 26, 1851, at less than eight years of age. In 1854, Ansel went to Council Bluffs where he participated in the formation of a land company, which founded and laid out Florence, Nebraska, and a related company, the Florence Bridge Company. This trip in 1854 marked the beginning of a gradual detachment of Briggs from Andrew and Jackson County.

Ansel returned to Andrew in 1855 but he left again for Council Bluffs in 1856. He was accompanied on this trip by his son, John S., who remained permanently in the Council Bluffs- Omaha area. John S. later wrote the following account of the journey: "It is forty years ago last May, 1896, since I left my home at Andrew to take up my residence in Omaha, Nebraska. How well I remember that morning in May, 1856, although I was but a young lad just out of school, when I started in company with my father to cross the state of Iowa in a carriage, our route being via Iowa City and Des Moines. In those days the prairies of Iowa were like the plains of Wyoming of today--quite as sparsely settled. The trip was made in eight days and a half, though not without many trials and tribulations. Long drives had to be made---very often far into the night to find a suitable place where man and beast could get food and shelter."

It appears from the records that Ansel did not return to Andrew until in 1861. It is believed that his wife, Francis, and his son, Ansel, Jr., joined him at a later date in Council Bluffs. It was during this period of absence from Andrew, 1856- 1861, that Ansel's second and last wife, Francis, died. Her death occurred on August 10, 1859. It is uncertain where she died but it is reported that she was buried in the family burial lot in Andrew. There is evidence that during this period of time Ansel and his son, John S., were involved in the freight business in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area. They also bought lots in Columbus, Nebraska, and Ansel bought more lots in Florence. They went to Colorado to participate in the "mining excitement" where they both filed mining claims.

Deed records disclose that Ansel was back in Andrew in the 1861-1863 period and that probably his son, Ansel, Jr., was there with him at that time. In the 1862-1865 period, the ex-Governor and his two sons, John S. and Ansel, Jr., went to Montana. John S. returned to Omaha in 1865. Ansel returned to Council Bluffs and Ansel, Jr., remained in Montana. He died of consumption in Helena, Montana, on May 15, 1867, at the age of 25 years.

The ex-Governor was back in Andrew by December 13, 1869, upon which date he wrote a letter to his son, John S. This is the only known personal letter written by Ansel. He stayed at the Butterworth Tavern on this trip back to Andrew. In 1875 he moved permanently to Omaha where he lived with his son, John S.

It was at the home of son, John S., that Ansel died on May 5, 1881. His death was caused by ulceration of the stomach. His last illness was of only five weeks duration. Governor Gear of the State of Iowa issued a proclamation the day after Ansel's death. In it he told the people of Iowa, about the services which the ex-Governor had given to the State. The proclamation ordered guns in the Capital City of Des Moines to be fired every half hour and the flag on the State Capital to be flown at half-mast on the day of the funeral. Ansel Briggs, Iowa's first governor, was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Omaha, on the Sunday following his death.

Mr. Briggs is survived by two great-grandchildren: Miss Catherine Robertson of Rock Springs, Wyoming, and Alexander Robertson of Austin, Texas. The mother of these two grandchildren was Nannie Briggs Robertson. Nannie was the only offspring of the Governor's son, John S. Briggs. Also, she was the Governor's only grandchild. It was this writer's pleasure to visit with Miss Robertson and her brother, Alexander, when they were at the Jackson County Historical Museum in September of 1976.

An article appeared in an issue of the Hawarden Chronicle about the time that the Iowa legislature passed a bill providing for the removal of Briggs body from Omaha to Andrew. It stated that the ex-governor had suffered financial loss in an attempt to boom the town of Florence on the Missouri River and that at the time of his death he was a poor man. The article proceeded to tell that a doctor in Andrew had employed Briggs as a clerk in his mercantile store so that he would not become an object of charity as an old man. The writer states that Ansel was a bedfellow of the paper's senior editor in the early 70's.

This account of Ansel Briggs’ poverty does not appear in the Briggs Report. It is Possible, however, that there may be some truth to the story. It is for that reason that the account which appeared in the Chronicle has been made a part of this article.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE MAN

This paragraph has been planned to be apart of this life story of Ansel Briggs so that all of us, on an individual basis, might have the opportunity to formulate our own description and opinion of the man. We know that he was recently called a "drunken stage coach driver" by a female Senator in the Iowa legislature. We also know that it is stated in the Briggs Report that the ex-Governor was neither especially educated or intelligent."

Let us now recall briefly some of the "high lights" of Ansel's life. Perhaps after such a review has been made, we may be able to decide if we agree or disagree with what the Senator said and/or with the quote we have made from the Briggs Report.

On the political scene, we have a man who held a number of governmental offices. He was a township constable, a deputy sheriff, a representative in a territorial assembly, a deputy county treasurer, a county sheriff and the first governor of a state.

In the field of bus lines, he owned and operated freight lines, owned and operated stage coach lines, held mail contracts with the U. S. government, built and operated for many years, a mercantile store, owned and published a newspaper, owned and sold half of the town lots in Andrew, owned and leased farm lands, promoted the formation of Florence, Nebraska, filed mining claims and participated in the formation of an insurance company, a bridge company and a railroad company.

On the social side of his life, he married an educated young lady who was the daughter of a Major. We may assume that he would not have won the hand of Nancy and the marriage approval of her parents if he had not possessed a number of the following outstanding qualities: handsomeness, neat appearance, good manners, ambition, an attitude of dedication for service to God and man, an interest in business affairs, intelligence, and a reasonably good education. The achievements of Mr. Briggs in life show that he did, in fact, possess all of the qualities which we have listed.

Briggs has been described as a tall man. He was a man who could do a day's work at hard labor. He was willing to get his hands dirty. His involvement in the freight and sawmill business made him a physically strong individual. His well built body favorably impressed the pioneer men and women of his day. Photographs of him, presumably taken when he was governor, show that he had dark eyes, that his face was clean shaven, and that his appearance was that of a serious minded person.

We have reviewed the Governor's accomplishments on the political scene, in the field of business, and on the domestic scene. We ask the serious question, could Briggs have made a record of achievements in the fields which we have related if he had been a "drunken stage coach driver" or a person who was "neither especially educated or intelligent"? We answer the question with an emphatic NO. We think our opinion can be supported by the record or by conclusions which are logically supported.

It is our understanding that the Senator's remark about Governor Briggs being a drunken stagecoach driver made the Des Moines Register and other Iowa newspapers. Robert T. Melvold, publisher of The Maquoketa Community Press, responded adequately and courageously to the remark in the June 14, 1975, issue of the paper. He stated that his response to the Senator's remark would have been that “it was unkind, undeserved and undocumented." We endorse what Robert has said and we have nothing to add to it. The Senator must have been basing her statement on the irresponsible campaign rhetoric of a Dubuque Whig enthusiast who wished to elect McKnight and to defeat Briggs for the office of Iowa's first governor. The statement of the McKnight enthusiastic supporter appears on page 9 of this article.

We have reported that Briggs had a fair education which was improved by a term spent at Norwich Academy. This was the extent of his formal education. Perhaps it exceeded the formal education of most young men of his day. We know of many men of the past, pioneers such as Briggs, who attained high public office without the benefit of what may be termed an adequate formal education. These men overcame the deficiency of a formal education by educating themselves. They obtained knowledge from the greatest teacher of all, experience. This, we believe, is the story of Briggs' education.

It is further stated in substance, in the Briggs report, that there was a deficiency in Ansel's intelligence. The Report does not inform us upon what basis the statement was made. We assume that it was not based on the result of I.Q. tests taken by Ansel or upon the fact that he was not highly educated on a formal basis. Perhaps the statement is based upon a conclusion, reached by the fact that Briggs did not keep a diary, that only one letter has been found which was written by him, that perhaps he did not write his speeches or messages as Governor, that he avoided living in Iowa City, or that he failed to involve himself very deeply in the political strife which existed between the Whigs and Democrats during his term of office.

We believe that our answer to the deficiency charge of Briggs' intelligence can be best stated if we were to tell you the story of a man we knew who lived in Briggs' country in the days of Ansel Briggs. That man went to a country school during the winter months, had no knowledge of what grade he may have reached, who never did, to our know ledge, write a letter, who was known as the “Brush Creek Dude", who had an intense interest in politics and public affairs of the day, and who owned, prior to his death, free from encumbrance, a 465 acre farm. That man was our father. We have no knowledge that his intelligence was ever questioned but he was never elected governor of the State of Iowa. We think Briggs was an intelligent man, perhaps above average. We submit the success story of his life as proof of the conclusion we have reached.

An analysis of the first four year period of Iowa's history as it is associated with the administration of its first governor, Ansel Briggs, requires that we understand it in the light of the days of the pioneer in which it occurred.

Ansel Briggs was a pioneer at the time he settled on Brush Creek. He had dropped his Ohio party affiliation with the Whigs and had become a Jeffersonian Democrat. His new party affiliation meant that he had adopted the Jeffersonian philosophy of government, namely, that all governments should be by the people and for the people, that governments rested upon the consent of the governed, and that a government which governed least governed best. We think that Ansel applied this theory of government in his administration as governor. He remained in Andrew except when the duties of his office required that he go to Iowa City. He was not a dictator. He made no attempt to take the responsibilities of the government away from the duly elected representatives of the people. He was insistent, however, that they perform. This attitude was shown when he called special sessions of the assembly to enact much needed legislation.

We are informed by all of the source material which we have read, with exception of one, that Briggs performed the duties of his office very well. The people appreciated him before and after he was governor of the State. He was their kind of "people", a pioneer. He respected his constituents and they respected him. He was honest. He made no attempt to exceed as a politician. We think, for historical purposes, he should be classified as a statesman.

The one exception, which we have mentioned in our comment about Briggs' success as Iowa's first governor, appears on page 28 of the Briggs Report. The exception is the statement that Briggs was a "weak" governor but that it may have been good for the State. Our response to the statement is that, in our opinion, there was strength in what appeared to be a weakness. It was Governor Briggs Jeffersonian theory of government at work.

ACTS OF COMMEMORIZATION

On February 1, 1907, a resolution was unanimously adopted by the Jackson County Historical Society which requested the Iowa legislature to appropriate $1,000, or more if necessary, to remove the body of Iowa's first governor from Omaha to Andrew and for the erection of a
suitable monument in commemoration of his memory and his valuable services to the State of Iowa. J. W. Ellis was the secretary of the Society and a representative in the Iowa legislature at the time the resolution was adopted.

On February 12, 1907, Ansel's daughter-in-law, Mrs. John S. Briggs, wrote a letter to Mr. Ellis from her home in Omaha. She said that she was greatly pleased to learn of the contemplated action by the Jackson County Historical Society to honor Governor Briggs… that the matter had been discussed and written about for many years… that old friends of the Governor would be much pleased… that the measure had been affirmatively passed on by Pioneer Associations, County and State Bar Associations, Pioneer Lawmakers Ass'n of Iowa… and that a number of the prominent men in the Annals of Iowa had written endorsements and letters saying that the great State of Iowa should make a generous appropriation in sums from $5,000 to $25,000 for the purpose of funding the project. She expressed the thought in her letter that the Capitol grounds at Des Moines were considered to be an appropriate resting place for Ansel's body and a suitable site for a monument to his honor.

Mr. Ellis, in compliance with the resolution passed by the Jackson County Historical Society, introduced a bill in the 33rd general Assembly of the State which contained all of the provisions of the Society's adopted resolution. The bill was adopted by the legislature and thereafter Mr. Ellis reported the bill's adoption to the people of Jackson County. He said in the report that a considerable amount of money would have to be raised in Jackson County to defray the expenses of bringing the body back to Andrew, the cost of erecting a monument, and the bills for dedication services. He also reported that all citizens should have an opportunity to contribute toward the payment of the expenses. He mentioned that there would be many distinguished Iowans attending the ceremonies, including the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, at least two ex-Governors, and a large number of members of the present and past General Assemblies. He further asked in the report for help to entertain the many visitors and to provide transportation from the trains to and from Andrew.

It was after Sept. 22, 1909, the date of the unveiling and the dedication of the Briggs monument, that Mr. Ellis filed with the Auditor of State a performance report for the Jackson County Historical Society.

The report contained five numbered paragraphs. It stated: (l)…. that on May 21, 1909, he had
gone to Omaha as the representative of the Society where he caused the remains of the ex-Governor to be exhumed and enclosed in a new casket and case, that he accompanied the remains to the City of Maquoketa, that on May 23 the remains, under the charge of Society office and accompanied by other citizens: were conveyed to Andrew and there interred with simple ceremonies in a grave upon the lot partly occupied by graves of the former family of ex-Governor. (2)… that the Society had made a contract at a cost of $700 with a Cedar Rapids firm for the erection of a granite monument at the grave site with inscription that it was erected by the State of Iowa, that it had been accepted by the Society on September 13, 1909 and that it was unveiled and dedicated on September 22, 1909, in the presence of Honorable B. F. Carroll, Governor of Iowa and a “large concourse of members of the Iowa Legislature and other citizens.” (3)… that on July 20, 1909, a contract had been made with John F. Ostert of Andrew to build a foundation for the monument at a cost of $75.50 which included expenses of sodding the mound, all of which was, accepted by the Society. (4)… that on August 10, 1909, the Society had made a contract with a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, firm to "make and attach to said monument a medallion portrait in white bronze" of Ansel Briggs at a cost of $125.00. (5)… that the cost of removing the remains from the cemetery at Omaha transportation to Maquoketa and Andrew and re-internment in the Andrew cemetery amounted to the sum of $125.18. The report concluded with the statement that of the total cost of $1025.18 the Society claimed $1000 from the State of Iowa as provided by the act of the Iowa Legislature.

The unveiling and dedication ceremony of the Briggs monument drew a large crowd of people. Many of the adults and school children in attendance had contributed small coins, as requested, to aid the Society in defraying expenses which had incurred for the occasion. It is reported that the citizens were alive to the importance of the event, that flags were suspended across the streets of the town, and that hundreds of people attending the ceremony were required to stand when seating provided before the speaker’s stand became insufficient. It is a certainty that no event has occurred in Jackson County which brought together more dignitaries to any one event than did the unveiling and dedication ceremony of the Briggs monument.

The program was in charge of Jackson County Historical Society. It had been planned by Mr. Ellis the Society’s president, G. L. Mitchell, called the meeting to order. He made a presentation of the monument to Governor Carroll. The concluding sentence of his talk was, "And sir, I now wish to present to you, as the chief executive of the state and the representative her people, this monument to the memory of her first governor, for dedication." The monument was unveiled by Mrs. Nannie Briggs Robertson, granddaughter of Governor Briggs. She was accompanied to Andrew for the occasion by her mother, Mrs. John S. Briggs. The main speaker for the day was W. C. Gregory, a prominent Maquoketa lawyer. He gave the memorial address. The Andrew band played, there was community singing, and talks and addresses given by seven outstanding men of the state of Iowa.

This writer reports that he was an eye witness to the ceremonial event which honored Iowa's first governor. He recalls the presence of a large number of people, the formal manner in which the men were dressed who took part in the ceremony, and most of all the outburst of gunfire at some point of the program. The sound of shots frightened him. He wept loudly with the fear that someone had been shot. His crying and condition of fear continued until his mother assured him that no one had been shot because the guns were fired into the air as a part of the ceremony in honor of Iowa's first governor. The age of the witness then 4 years and 7 months.

On September 18, 1925, a second event was held in Andrew to honor Iowa’s first governor and Andrew’s most distinguished citizen. It was sponsored by the Andrew Ladies Literary Association. The event consisted of the marking of a large elm tree which had been planted by the Governor on one of Andrew's lots. The marking of the tree was accomplished by the placing of a boulder at the base of the tree to which had been secured a bronze tablet inscribed with the following words: "This marks the tree which was planted by Ansel S. Briggs, Andrew's honored citizen. Iowa's first governor, 1846-1850."

A large number of people came to witness the unveiling of the tablet to honor Governor Briggs and to hear the well planned program. A very interesting paper was read by Mrs. W. L. Rantz, widow of the Briggs historian, Dr. W. L. Rantz of Andrew. It gave a sketch of the Governor's life and it recorded for all time stories about his life which had been passed down by word of mouth. The speaker of the day was Iowa's governor, John Hammell. State representative, Theo. Martin of Green Island, gave Jackson county official representation at the ceremony by the making of appropriate remarks.

We sadly report that the tree is no longer in existence. A few years ago it fell victim to the Dutch Elm Disease. It had to be cut down and destroyed. We are, however, pleased to report that a cut from the tree's trunk was saved and placed in the Jackson County Historical Museum. The boulder and tablet, which marked the Governor's tree, remains where the tree stood on the property which was then owned by J. H. Mohlenhoff.

We have mentioned two events by which the life of Governor Briggs has been memorialized. There are others and we will report a few of them: Governor John Gear's proclamation on the day of his death; gun salutes at Des Moines on the day of his funeral; erection of monuments on Brush Creek; launching of the Liberty ship, Ansel Briggs, under the sponsorship of the Iowa Association of Long Beach; the erection by the town of Andrew of two highway 62 approach signs to the town which state "Andrew Home of Iowa's First Governor" ; the hanging of his portrait in the Hall of Fame of the Jackson County Historical Museum; the placement of an oil portrait of him in the State Museum at Des Moines; the 1946 publication in the Palimpsest of an article about him; the designation of a public school building in Maquoketa which is named "Ansel Briggs Elementary School"; the giving of the name "Briggs Street" to a street located in Omaha, Nebraska ; and the giving of talks by this writer about the life of the ex-Governor at occassions sponsored by the Jackson County Historical Society, the Jackson County Senior Citizens Club, and the Andrew Garden Club. We further report that there have been numerous newspaper, magazine, and report articles published about Briggs, including the 1075 Ansel Briggs Report by the Iowa State Historical Department Division
of the State Historical Society.

APPENDIX

We wish to express our appreciation to the following for supplying us with source material and to a person who helped in the final preparation of this article:

The State Historical Society for a copy of its research report on Ansel Briggs and for copies of articles published in Iowa, and

Mary Elda Schreiber for the use of her scrapbook which contained photographs of newspaper and magazine articles, and

Attorney H. D. Keeley for supplying us with abstract material about early real estate conveyances in the town of Andrew, and

Helen Janssen, my wife, for helping with the final preparation and typing this article.

Ansel Briggs Grave
 

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