Parley Sheldon (1844-1832)

SHELDON, JUDD, HAMMER

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 8/1/2021 at 16:16:53

From Nevada Evening Journal May 23, 1932 (page 1)

PARLEY SHELDON, COUNTY BUILDER, DIED YESTERDAY

STURDY PIONEER CITIZEN DEAD AT ADVANCED AGE OF EIGHTY-EIGHT

Special to the Journal.
Ames, May 23--Ames and Story county citizens today mourned the death of Parley Sheldon, 88, community leader, former mayor, Civil War veteran and banker.

Mr. Sheldon died Sunday afternoon after a lingering illness due to advanced age. Funeral services will be held Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 from the Adams Funeral Home and interment will be in Ames, his home since 1875.

Mr. Sheldon's name, during his long residence in the community, became virtually coupled with the city's progress. He served the city for 18 years as mayor, for nine years as postmaster, and at various times was school director and treasurer and in other positions of trust.

In business Sheldon was a banker, organizing a private bank in 1890, and reorganizing it as a state bank in 1917.

Politically, he wielded a strong influence not only in the circles of his own party, the democratic, but also among members of the republican party.

Sheldon served during the entire Civil war as a member of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. When he was 31, he moved westward to Ames, taking a tract of land south of here when Ames was a village of only a few houses.

One of his accomplishments, recalled vividly by the city of Ames, was his personal guarantee to the state legislature for an appropriate highway commission site, leading to establishment of the commission headquarters here.

A strong supporter of paved roads, Sheldon served as the first president of the Wilson Highway association and was active in other road organizations.

He was once president of the Iowa Bankers association.

In 1882, Mr. Sheldon moved into town from his farm, and the year following began his long career of public service when he was elected to the town council. The next year he was elected mayor, an office he held for 18 years during the next 32, executing his last official act April 3, 1916.

A life-long Democrat, he was appointed postmaster under President Grover Cleveland in 1885, served until 1890, and again served from 1895 until 1898.

In 1890, he purchased a private bank, which he reorganized, as a state bank in 1917 and continued as its president until 1929.

He was born three miles from Cleveland, O., June 7, 1844. He lived on his father's farm until the opening of the Civil war, when at 17, he enlisted in the 175th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

In 1865, he returned to the home farm, there to turn his attention to the breeding of standard bred trotting stock.

His love for fine horseflesh he never lost, and every year from the early 90's until 1930 he was in the judging stand at the Iowa State fair horse races.

Wed in 1865

He was married Sept. 27, 1865, to Frances A. Judd, a native of his home county in Ohio.

His wife and son, B. J. Sheldon of Ames, are dead. A daughter Mrs. Harriet E. Hammer, and two grandsons, Richard B. Hammer and Donald S. Hammer, live in Ames.

Mr. Sheldon's public life was an example of devotion to the city. The greater part of the municipal improvements had their inception under his administration as mayor and his guiding hand kept many councils from the pitfalls of financial distress.

He dominated his home city, not because his was a relatively strong personality in a small place, for he went out into the state and nation and had his way. His influence was great because he had a faculty for making friends and his influence with them gained greater weight because of the unselfishness of his motives.

When in 1900, the North Western railroad began double tracking its line across Iowa, Mr. Sheldon purchased right of way for the company through Story and Boone counties. When offered compensation, he said to railroad officials, "No. Spend the money you would have given me to build a station and grounds for Ames." That was done.

He was chairman of the Story County Democratic association from 1900 to 1908, and from 1910 until shortly before his death.

His last appearance in national party affairs was as a delegate to the Democratic convention in New York in 1924 when John W. Davis was nominated for president.

His influence for Iowa State college with the Iowa general assembly always carried great weight because of his high motives.