James Putnam Steele

JOHNSON, LUCAS, PUTNAM, STEELE, WETMORE, WHITMORE

Posted By: Judy Wight Branson (email)
Date: 10/13/2004 at 22:01:37

“The History of Madison County, Iowa”
Union Historical Company, Des Moines, 1879
page 552

J. P. Steele, Winterset attorney, born in Adams county, Ohio, in 1848 and when young removed to Sparta, Illinois, and was educated at Monmouth College, Illinois, graduating in 1873. He came to this county in same year and commenced reading law, and was admitted to the bar before Judge Leonard, in 1875. He is associated with Hon. Frederick Mott in the practice of his profession. He married Miss Clara Wetmore in 1878; she was born in Chicago.
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“A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa”
The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1896

Transcribed and edited by Kent G. Transier, 11 Jan 2010

James P. Steele, County Attorney of Madison county, Iowa and a resident of Winterset, is one of the leading citizens of this place. He comes of good old Irish stock and is a native of Ohio, the State which has furnished many of the most prosperous and enterprising men in our Western towns and cities.

Mr. Steele was born near West Union, in Adams county, Ohio, March 13, 1848, son of William L. and Anna (Johnson) Steele. His father was a native of the Emerald Isle and his mother of Ohio. William L. Steele was a farmer by occupation, and continued to reside in Adams county up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1854. The mother of our subject still survives, and at this writing resides in Galesburg, Illinois.

James P., the eldest of their three children, passed the first eleven years of his life on a farm in his native county, and at that age accompanied his mother and family to Sparta, Illinois. After attending the Monmouth high school for a time he entered Monmouth College, at which institution he graduated with the class of 1873. Following that he took up the study of law, and in the fall of 1875 was admitted to the bar at Winterset, Iowa. Here he immediately after entered upon the practice of law, for three years being in partnership with Byram Leonard and after that for one year with Hon. Frederick Mott. In 1889 he became associated in practice with C. A. Robbins, under the firm name of Steele & Robbins, and continues to do a large business, practicing in all the courts of the State.

In 1894 he was the choice of the Republicans of Madison county for the office of County Attorney, was duly elected, and January 1, 1895, assumed the duties of this position, having been elected for a term of two years. As a lawyer he has gained and enviable reputation, and the people of Madison county have displayed good judgment in their choice of him for the important office of County Attorney.

Mr. Steele is the owner of a fine farm within three miles of Winterset, well improved and under a high state of cultivation. On this farm he has for some years made a specialty of fine stock, keeping registered shorthorn cattle and a high grade of sheep.

Mr. Steele was married in 1878 to Miss Clara L. Whitmore, daughter of Hamilton Whitmore, and they have two children, Anna L. and Byram W. Both Mr. and Mrs. Steele are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Winterset.
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“History of Madison County Iowa and Its People”
Herman A. Mueller, Supervising Editor
Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915
pages 16, 17, 19, 20

Transcribed by Judy Wight Branson, 05 Aug 2004

James P. Steele, a well known attorney of Winterset and the president of the Citizens National Bank, belongs to that class of men whose initiative spirit and enterprise have carried them into important business and professional relations. He was born in Adams county, Ohio, on the 13th of March, 1848. His father William L. Steele, was a native of Londonderry, Ireland, and when about twenty years of age came to the United States, arriving in this country in 1835. Making his way westward, he settled in Adams county, Ohio, where he engaged in teaching school for several years. He then purchased a small farm and continued its cultivation until his death, which occurred when he was at the comparatively early age of forty years. He was of Scotch extraction and was descended from David Steele who was shot in 1686 in his own dooryard by Lieutenant
Creighton at Skellyhill, Scotland. He was a Covenanter and was serving as an officer at that time.

Andrew Steele, the grandfather of James P. Steele, was born in Londonderry Ireland, and was a foundryman. He came to the United States and followed his trade at Blairsville, Pennsylvania. About 1853 he removed to Adams county, Ohio, where the remainder of his life was spent and where he died when more than eighty years of age. He married a Miss Lucas who was also a native of Ireland, and she died in 1857 when about sixty-three years of age. They were both members of the Covenanter church.

The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Anna Johnson and was born in Ross county, Ohio, where she was reared and educated. She survived her husband until 1900 and died at the age of eighty years. Her parents were Robert and Esther (Putnam) Johnson, both natives of Nova Scotia. They came to the United States about 1825, settling in Ross county, Ohio, where Mr. Johnson engaged in farming and milling. He passed away in that county and was survived for some years by his wife, who died at the advanced age of ninety-four. She was a relative of General Putnam, of Revolutionary war fame.

James P. Steele spent his boyhood days upon the home farm and is indebted to the public-school system of his native county for the early educational privileges which he enjoyed. Later he attended the United Presbyterian College at Monmouth, Illinois, from which he was graduated with the class of 1873. He only attended school sixty-six days between the ages of ten and twenty-one years, but, realizing his lack of education and the disadvantage to which he was put thereby, he resolved that he would make up for this, and in 1869 entered Monmouth Academy, doing six or seven years' work in four years. The strenuous manner in which he applied himself to his studies undermined his health and he then went to the Rocky Mountains, where he spent a year in recuperating from asthma. During that time he read law and afterward taught one term of school in Illinois.

On the 31st of December, 1874, Mr. Steele came to Winterset, Iowa, and for one term was a teacher in a country school and also read law during that period. In September, 1875, he was admitted to the bar and entered upon active practice, later forming a partnership with Byram Leonard. This connection was continued for about three years. He was afterward in partnership with Judge Mott for about a year and then was alone in practice, but at a later date he took into his office a student, C. A. Robbins, who is now assistant Attorney General of Iowa. They were together for fifteen years and since the dissolution of their partnership, in 1905, Mr. Steele has been alone in practice. He had been a resident of Winterset for only a brief period before it was recognized that he was an able lawyer, alert and wide-awake, ready at all times to meet any emergency, while in the preparation of his cases he was most careful and painstaking. The recognition of his ability won him growing success and he has long been regarded as a leading member of the Madison county bar. In the early days he conducted a Quiz Club, of which W. G. Potter, now on the supreme bench of Pennsylvania, was a member.

In 1878 Mr., Steele was united in marriage to Miss Clara L. Whitmore, a native of Chicago, Illinois, who was largely educated in Washington, D. C. She taught music in early womanhood and in 1875 came to Madison county, Iowa. They have two children: Anna Louise, who is now a teacher of Latin in the high school of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Byram Whitmore, a civil engineer, now farming in this county.

From 1880 until 1911 Mr. Steele resided upon a farm three miles from Winterset and each day made the trip to and from the city. He has made extensive and judicious investments in property and is now the owner of between six hundred and seven hundred acres of valuable land. He carried on farming and the breeding of shorthorn cattle and at one time was the owner of a large herd, which he shipped and sold for breeding purposes, the greater part being sold in Iowa.
In 1896 he sold his thoroughbred cattle and began feeding cattle and hogs quite extensively, but following his son's return home he turned over the management of the farm to him. Mr. Steele has been a director and the attorney of the Citizens National Bank for several years and in I909 was elected its President.

Mr, and Mrs, Steele are members of the Presbyterian church. His political allegiance was formerly given to the republican party, and for four years he filled he office of county attorney. He is now an advocate of the progressive party and was one of the electors at large in 1912. He takes quite an active part in politics and has ever stood loyally by his honest convictions and has oeen a recognized leader here. Mr. Steele occupies a prominent place as a citizen as a awyer and as a busmess man. He came to this county empty-handed and laudable ambition, his well directed efforts and his ability brought ifm to the front, gaimng for him not only success but also an honored name.

Madison Biographies maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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