Phillips, John M. (1820-1888)

PHILLIPS

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 1/12/2009 at 13:47:01

John M. Phillips
Mar 15, 1820 - Sep 10, 1888

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.46, Council Bluffs)
J. M. Phillips, boot and shoe dealer, Council Bluffs, was born in Essex County, Mass., March 15, 820, and resided there nearly thirty-nine years. In the fall of 1858, he removed to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, and took charge of a boot and shoe business, which had been started in the fall of 1856. Mr. Phillips served six month's apprenticeship to the tanner's trade, and also learned the shoemaker's trade in Essex County, Mass., where he carried on the manufacture of boots and shoes, previous to his coming to this county. He first started business in Council Bluffs, in a log storehouse, located back of where Robison & Bro.'s jewelry store now stands, but late in the fall of 1856, he moved to his present businss stand. Mr. Phillips had then the only exclusive boot and shoe store in the city, but all the merchants carried a small stock in that line. There was a two-story frame building on the lot when he first moved in, in the fall of 1867. He was burned out in 1868, and then built the brick building that he now occupies. He is a leading boot and shoe dealer of Council Bluffs, and does a wholesale and retail business. He has established a fine trade through Iowa and Nebraska, and his business is steadily increasing. His retail business during the months of July and August, 1882, amounted to three times as much as the sales for those two months the previous year. In the early years of his business in Council Bluffs, he always purchased his goods six months ahead, owing to the fact that boats could not get up this far at all months of the year, and he was therefore obliged to lay in his stock six months ahead. Mr. Phillips was first elected Alderman for 1863 and 1864, and served in that office for six successive terms, and then positively declined to serve any longer. He is one of the prime movers in the organization of the Savings Bank of Council Bluffs; was Vice President of that bank for a number of years; was one of the first stockholders and directors, and is still a director of the bank. He was elected a member of the Board of Supervisors in 1880, and still holds that office. He moved his family to Council Bluffs from St. Joseph, Mo., He has had seven children, six of whom are living - Milton David (deceased), Nathan C., Mary O., J. M., Emma C., Russ M., and Grenville Dodge. Mr. Phillips is one of the oldest business men in Western Iowa; his business as increased from $4,000 to $20,000 a year.

(From the 1891 Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, p.346)
JOHN M. PHILLIPS, born March 15, 1820, in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts, died in Council Bluffs, Iowa, September 10, 1888. His early life was spent on a farm, but when a young man he engaged in the boot and shoe business. First he employed several men manufacturing goods on contract for various large houses in Georngtown, Massachusetts, his shop being on the old homestead farm. Afterward, in 1852, he removed to South Danvers, Massachusetts, now Peabody, and engaged with his brother in the manufacture of boots and shoes under the firm name of A. P. Phillips & Co.
He was early attracted to the West and in 1856 they opened a store in Council Bluffs under the firm name of J. M. Phillips & Co., his brother, A. P. PHILLIPS, taking charge of the same until 1858, when he returned East and J.M. PHILLIPS came West to take charge of the interests here; and in 1860 removed his family to Council Bluffs, consisting of his wife, Olive N. PHILLIPS, nee CRESSEY, whom he married in Rowley, Massachusetts, in 1845. Nathan C. PHILLIPS, Mary O. PHILLIPS, and John M. PHILLIPS Jr., are his children. Other children born at Council Bluffs are: Emma C. PHILLIPS, who married F. W. VOSWINKEL and now lives in Holton, Kansas; Ruth M. PHILLIPS, who married H. L. SHEPHERD, and lives at Council Bluffs; Granville D. PHILLIPS, who is unmarried and resides in Seattle, Washington. Of the others, Nathan C. PHILLIPS is married and resides in Council Bluffs; Mary O. PHILLIPS, unmarried and resides with her sister, Mrs. SHEPHERD in the family residence; and John M. PHILLIPS, now engaged in railroad surveys in Washington. In 1860 the firm of J.M. Phillips & Co. started a boot and shoe store in Omaha and put it in charge of Albert TUCKER, an old employe of the firm both in Massachusetts and at Council Bluffs. Afterward he was admitted to partnership in the Omaha house, the firm name being changed to Tucker, Phillips & Co. Some few years later, in 1866 or 1867, there was a general dissolution of partnership between the members of the firm of A.P. Phillips & Co. of Peabody, Massachusetts, engaged in the manufacture of shoes, and J.M. Phillips & Co. of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Tucker, Phillips & Co. of Omaha, Nebraska, also engaged in the wholesale and retail boot and shoe business. The members of the two first firms at that time were A. P. PHILLIPS, J. M. PHILLIPS and Oscar PHILLIPS, a son of A.P. and nephew of J.M. who had been admitted into the firm and in the Omaha house the three named and Albert TUCKER. In this dissolution, J. M. PHILLIPS sold out his interests in the other places and bought the interests of the others and became sole owner of the Council Bluffs store, and continued it until his death under the name of J. M. PHILLIPS, except for two years when his sons Nathan C. and John M. were in partnership with him, afterward retiring from the firm. He early engaged in the wholesale business and for years had a very extensive trade, but retired from the wholesale business in 1885, owing to advanced age.
He from the first took an active interest in the affairs of the county, uniting with the Republican party in its infancy. He held various positions; was Alderman for two years, member of the Board of County Supervisors four years. He with others organized the Fairview Cemetery Association, the first cemetery in the county, and continued a director of the same until his death. He was troubled with deafness, which caused him to decline several positions offered him. He was one of the organizers of the Council Bluffs Savings Bank and a director of the same for several years.