James A. Sanford (1935)

EWING, SANFORD

Posted By: Linda Brittain
Date: 2/6/2008 at 10:18:56

The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, January 10, 1935
Page 1

A Death Recalls Former Days

James Sanford Was Leader in Social, Business Life Here

There died in Chicago on the 3rd a man who for some years, was one of the leading young men of Winterset and whose genius, talent and keen sense of humor earned for him more than ordinary popularity in the business and social life of Winterset.

We refer to James A Sanford who died on Thursday at his home in Chicago after an illness lasting over a year. Burial was at La Grange, Illinois. Mrs. Sanford and a son and a daughter are the remaining members of his immediate family.

James Sanford came to Winterset with his parents in the early 70’s. It was here he married Miss Ida Ewing, a sister of Eudora Ewing, who for many years taught school here and spent her last years in the Ewing residence on North 1st avenue.

The few residents of Winterset who are old enough to have been associated with James Sanford remember him as a young man of fine personal qualities, an unusual sense of humor having talent a writer of both prose and verse.

He studied law and was admitted to the bar. He was the life of a group of young men aspiring to the legal fraternity and who formed a study club known as the “Quiz” club. Others in the club who had a prominent part in public affairs then and later, were J. P. Steel, A. W. C. Weeks, Geo. McCaughan, Will Potter and Chas. Goodale.

Sanford and Chas. Goodale became intimate friends. When Goodale bought into the Madisonian, Sanford was particularly helpful. While he was not officially connected with the Madisonian, much of his writing appeared in its columns. Sanford was elected county recorder and served two years, The intimate friendship between the two men continued through life. Sanford moved to Des Moines about the year 1885 to fill the position of night editor on the Register then under the ownership and guidance of the Clarkson Brothers.

He later moved to Chicago to become Sunday editor of the Chicago Times, then the leading daily of that metropolis. After the sale of the Times, Sanford practiced law and led a life prominently identified with the affairs of Chicago.