READY, John F. - 1912 Bio (1872-1936)

READY, COLLINS, HAYDEN

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 9/26/2007 at 19:37:41

History of Jefferson County, Iowa -- A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement, Vol II, Published 1912, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago
Pages 468-469

John F. READY is filling the position of county attorney of Jefferson county and is recognized as a prominent figure in democratic circles in this part of the state. In the practice of law he has made steady advancement and the ability which he has displayed in the office that he now fills has won for him the commendation of representatives of the legal fraternity and of the general public. Fairfield numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred here on the 14th of November, 1872. His parents, Patrick and Mary (COLLINS) READY, were both natives of Milltown, County Clare, Ireland. The mother came to the United States in 1861 when about twenty years of age, Mr. READY having made the trip several years before. He was in the regiment that was en route for the front and which Mrs. READY saw as it marched near the dock where she landed. He had enlisted as a member of the Fifty-first New York Infantry and served until honorably discharged on account of disability, his elbow having been shot off. Following the close of his military service he met and married Miss Mary COLLINS, the wedding being celebrated in Syracuse, New York. On their removal westward they first located in Chicago but after about a year came to Fairfield, arriving in 1866 or 1867. The father was killed, August 28, 1888, in a railroad wreck, and the mother still survives in Fairfield. In their family were three children: Morris, who was burned to death when two years of age; John F.; and W. J., at home with his mother.

Throughout his entire life John F. READY has resided in Fairfield and after attending the public schools entered the Christian Brothers College in St. Joseph, Missouri, from which he was graduated in June, 1892. He pursued the study of law in Drake University at Des Moines, completing a course in the law department in 1896, and in May of the same year took the examination before the supreme court whereby he was admitted to practice. In the meantime he had been employed in all of the printing offices of Fairfield, starting in the business world in the Journal office. He had devoted about eight years to the printing business and the money which he saved from his labors enabled him to complete his literary preparation and obtain his legal training. Since his admission to the bar he has continuously practiced in Fairfield with a constantly growing clientage that has connected him with much of the important work done in the courts. His political allegiance has always been given to the democratic party and for four years he served as city attorney, covering the period from 1907 to 1910 inclusive. In the fall of the latter year he was elected county attorney, which position he is now filling in a capable manner, neither fear nor favor swerving him in the faithful discharge of his duty. He has long been recognized as a leader in the local ranks of the democratic party, serving as chairman of the democratic county central committee in 1896-7 and also as a member of the judicial and congressional committees.

On the 21st of July, 1909, Mr. READY was married to Miss Elizabeth HAYDEN, a native of Creston, Iowa, and a daughter of Michael and Margaret HAYDEN. They have one child, Mary Margaret, a little daughter who is the life and light of the household. Mr. READY is well known in local military ranks as a member of Company M, Fifty-fourth Infantry of the Iowa National Guard, with which he has been identified since its re-organization following the Spanish-American war. On the 17th of March, 1908, he was elected captain and is still commanding the company. Fraternally he is connected with the Yeomen and with the Eagles. Those who know him, and his friends are many, find him a social, genial gentleman, who is loyal to duty in every relation of life and who in his profession is winning merit and advancement by reason of his thorough understanding of legal principles and his correct application thereof to the points at issue.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.