DEAN, Chadwick E. (1859-1932)

DEAN, BELL, DELASHMUTT, BERRY, SAVAGE, FOLLETT, GANGLE

Posted By: Elaine Harrington (email)
Date: 11/19/2006 at 12:48:29

GLENWOOD OPINION-TRIBUNE
DATED APRIL 18, 1932

HUNDREDS GATHER
TO PAY TRIBUTE TO
MEMORY OF C. E. DEAN

Funeral service for Prominent
Glenwood Attorney and Banker
Held in First Congregational
Church Wednesday afternoon

Hundreds of persons coming from all parts of Mills county assembled here Wednesday at the Glenwood Congregational church to pay tribute of respect to the memory of C. E. Dean, prominent attorney and banker of this city. Services were conducted by Rev. L. A. Lippitt of the Glenwood Congregational church. Music was furnished by a quartet consisting of Harry Hamilton, Wm. Rodabaugh, Whitney Gillilland and J. M. Wyant, with Mrs. Whitney Gillilland at the piano. The flower ladies were Mrs. J. Crookham, Mrs. L. S. Robinson, Mrs. W. C. Rathke, Mrs. D. D. Wheeler, Mrs. Carl Cook, Mrs. Harry Hamilton, Mrs. J. M. Wyant and Miss Etta Ewing. The pallbearers were Joe Ewing, Carl Cook, H. A. Darting, Clyde Rhoads, George Phelps and Clyde Genung. Those who served as ushers were A. F. Standiford, Mayhew Duncan and Frank W. Choate.

The members of the Glenwood Masonic lodge who attended the services in a body, served as an escort of honor as the body was borne on its last journey to the Glenwood cemetery where at the open grave the beautiful and impressive ritualistic services were given by B. N. Maxwell and Berwyn Hamilton.

Chadwick E. Dean, son of Daniel and Mary Bell Dean, was born on a farm near Zanesville, Ohio, Dec. 25, 1859. He was one of a family of 11 children. His father died when he was but a small boy and he early started upon the task of self-support, finding work upon neighboring farms and in the mines, but continuing as far as possible his studies in the country schools of his home community, thus equipping himself for the position of a country school teacher which he obtained when a young man sill in his teens. His desire for knowledge was as great as his spirit of independence, and therefore, without aid or assistance, he worked his way through Muskingham college at New Concord, Ohio, thus equipping himself for the position of instructor in other than country schools. He taught four years in Ohio before coming to Iowa, where he first taught in Box Elder school near Henderson, and later became superintendent of the schools first at Henderson and then in Hastings.

It was during these years spent as a teacher that he was reading law during his evenings, and his summer vacations were spent in the law office of Jack Sims and John T. Montgomery in Council Bluffs. In 1892 he was admitted to the bar and in May of that year established an office in Glenwood where he has since practiced, becoming one of the leading lawyers in this section of Iowa.

During the early years of his legal career he served as city and county attorney. For 18 years he served as a member of the Glenwood board of education and during many of these years served as its president. He was a man who took a great interest in governmental affairs of city, state and nation, and his keen interest in education prompted him to give unstintingly of his time and ability in the interest of the schools of the community.

He was a man of keen intellect and his passion for the acquisition of knowledge which early manifested itself in his life, and was the guiding factor in those early years, continued as a dominant characteristic throughout his life. His private library of well chosen works was one of the finest and most complete in this section of the state. It was here, in his leisure hours, that he found his greatest enjoyment, in the time spent ever in self-improvement. His intellectual life found keen enjoyment of expression in the Briar club, a society for philosophic discussion which he was instrumental in founding and in which he was a guiding influence for many years.

He early developed the habit of weighing things in the balance of reason, discarding that which to him did not harmonize with the fundamental laws of the universe. He believed in doing good for the sake of humanity. His convictions were honest and sincere, resulting from much careful study and analysis on his part. During the past several years of his life, he as been actively associated in the work of the Sunday school in the Glenwood Congregational church. The adult class which he taught grew steadily in number and was one of the most vital forces in the life of this church.

Mr. Dean was a brilliant orator, who could draw from the vast resources of his acquired knowledge, presenting his thoughts, ever, in an orderly logical manner and yet so phrased in beauty of diction as to enable him to hold the attention of any audience on any subject he sought to discuss. This ability not only served him well in court room practice, but made his a dominant figure in the affairs of the Republican party. He was ever a champion of its principles and for many years was much sought after in all party councils. In 1912 he served as a delegate from Iowa to the national Republican convention in Chicago. He never used his influence within the party to gain office for himself, his interest in political affairs being solely in the conviction he held, that interest and intelligent participation in such affairs were duties of citizenship. During the days of the late World war he served as a member of the local council of defense, and was one of the active figures in carrying forward all the various drives, which contributed to the success in the home defense plans, which in turn contributed to the successful termination of that great conflict.

Mr. Dean was a man possessed of keen business judgment and his advice along financial lines was much sought after. During the later years of his life he was actively interested in the banking business. He was one of the organizers of the Live Stock National bank in South Omaha and for many years served on its board of directors. He was one of the organizers of the Glenwood State bank, having served fro 17 years as its president, which position he occupied at the time of his death.

He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and the large number of that order assembled at the funeral services to pay a tribute of respect to his memory, bespoke the esteem in which he was held.

On June 15, 1898, Mr. Dean was united in marriage to Lulu DeLashmutt, eldest daughter of the late W. C. DeLashmutt, at their family home in Pacific City. They at once established their home in Glenwood and to them was born one son, Leonard C. Dean. In this family circle, which mourns the passing of one whom they held most dear, is found she who was his devoted companion through the 35 years of their married life; their son, Leonard, his wife and their son John. He is survived by but one member of his immediate family, Andrew Dean, of Zanesville, Ohio, who was unable to be present at the services; one niece Miss Belle Dean, a former teacher in the Glenwood schools and a member of the Dean household here for several years, and many other nieces and nephews.

The keenest sense of loss felt by those outside the few members of the immediate family is the sense of loss which the entire community feels in the passing of this man who was for so many years active and useful, a force in community life, and who, after a month’s illness, passed from this life in the early hours of Monday morning, April 18. His life’s span measured as man counts time was of 72 years three months and 24 days, but measured in the terms of human achievement and influence the effect of this life so well spent stretches out into eternity.

Relatives from a distance attending the funeral were his niece, Miss Belle Dean of Zanesville, O., his brother-in-law, Mr. Berry of Council Bluffs; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Savage and Mr. and Mrs. Ernest DeLashmutt of Omaha; Mrs. C. M. Follett of Malvern and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Gangle of Nebraska City.