Michael S. Helland (1861-1910)

HELLAND

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 2/5/2017 at 15:24:38

From Nevada Representative July 1, 1910 (front page)

DEATH OF M. S. HELLAND

REPRESENTATIVE NOMINEE PASSES AWAY

Event Occurred at Hospital in Des Moines Last Evening

Michael S. Helland banker and stock-farmer of Slater and Republican nominee for representative from Story county, died Thursday evening, shortly before nine o'clock, at the hospital in Des Moines, where he had bee n for something less than two weeks. His death had for several day seemed to be inevitable; but at the same time it appeared unreasonable that a strong man in the vigor of manhood should be so ruthlessly taken away, and so long as he lived hope was in some degree maintained. Still there was very little basis for such hope and the doctors and hospital attendants did not encourage it. He was suffering from blood poisoning in hot weather, and the chance of stopping effectually the progress of the infection was remote. His death was the ultimate result of a minor trouble for which he appears to have taken some unskilled treatment, and when he went to one of the best physicians in Des Moines he did not think it necessary to mention having the previous treatment. So it seems to have some about that his case was not handled as it should have been, until the situation had become serious, and then somehow it could not be handled at all. The first knowledge in Nevada that there was anything serious the matter was on Monday evening, when friends here were advised of a very serious condition, and frequent inquiries from that time forward never brought any degree of assurance. Finally a few minutes after nine last evening there came the information that he had passed away fifteen or twenty minutes before.

Mr. Helland was a bachelor, a not quite fifty years of age having numerous relatives and a host of friends, and having received within the present month the very striking vote of confidence implied in a nomination for representative from Story county with the absolute assurance of election. Living in the one corner of the county, his acquaintance over the county had not been especially large, and he entered the field as a candidate when the field was already occupied; but he made friends everywhere, gained in strength every day of his candidacy, was nominated by a handsome majority and was looked to as certain in the session of the coming general assembly. he was planning a short excursion back to Norway for the summer and was going to have most pleasant time in Des Moines next winter. he had been characterized for all the years of his manhood by industry, thrift and good character; he was habitually good-natured and good-tempered; he had been a success as a hotel-keeper, as a banker and as a stock-farmer; he had made a successful dive into politics, and things generally were well started his way. His success and his prospects gave pleasure to a wide circle of appreciative friends; and it just simply does not seem right that he should have thus suddenly been taken away.

The death of Mr. Helland inevitably suggest to nearly everyone what is to be done about the filling of the vacancy on the Republican ticket. The Republican county convention, which will meet tomorrow, had jurisdiction of the vacancy. The impropriety, however, of then taking action upon the matter, pending the funeral of Mr. Helland and an opportunity for public sentiment to take shape, is manifest and decorous thing will be for the convention to adjourn until a later date before making a nomination. The late primary was a finality as concerns the candidate before it and the nominee having died, the choice of a new candidates is wholly in the discretion of the convention. The convention will doubtless fittingly express by resolution the universal regret that the question of a new nomination should thus have been raised.

M. S. Helland was born February 18, 1861, in Polk county, Iowa about four miles south of Huxley, and died as state at Des Moines, Iowa, June 30, 1910 aged 49 years, 5 months and 12 days. He was reared in that neighborhood, worked in stores in Sheldahl and Cambridge, engaged for a time in business for himself at Cambridge, removed then to Sioux Rapids, when he was for some time in a general store and kept a hotel, and returned in 1894 to Slater, where he organized the Farmers Savings Bank of that place and became its cashier which position he held until his death. He also for several years ran a hotel at Slater and later engaged in stock-raising on his farm near that village. His immediate relatives surviving are two brothers and two sisters, all living on farms near Slater or Huxley. His funeral will be held next Sunday afternoon in the village park at Slater, beginning at 1:30 o'clock, and will be conducted by Rev. Isham of Fernald.