John Charles Jessen (1878-1937)

JESSEN, GOLLY

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 6/16/2022 at 20:46:11

From Nevada Evening Journal November 24, 1937 (page 1 continued to page 3)

The Story County Bar Association being acutely conscious of the passing of one of its brothers and wishing to preserve a record of his existence and his activities hereby submits to this Court the following memorial to the late J. C. Jessen.

John Charles Jesssen was born in the city of Chicago on the tenth day of February, 1878, being the second son of Thomas and Caroline Jessen. In the year 1885 the Jessen family moved from Pine River, Wisconsin to Story county, Iowa where Mr. Jessen was to spend the majority of his remaining years.

A degree in dairying was given to Mr. Jessen by Iowa State college. This calling he followed for a short time, only to abandon it for the study of law. In the year 1905 he received the degree of L. L. B. from Drake University, was admitted to the bar, and started the practice of law in the town of Zearing, Iowa.

On the twenty-second day of June, 1910, Miss Catherine Golly of Zearing, Iowa, became his wife, and, she, together with their two daughters, Miss Wilma Jessen and Miss Arlene Jessen, survive him.

While living in Zearing, Mr. Jessen was elected to the office of Mayor, the first of many public trusts to be held by him.

After spending some time in Zearing, Mr. Jessen moved to Story City to spend the rest of his days as a practitioner of the law, a leader in the work of his church, and, a good and faithful public servant.

During his lifetime he was never one to shirk responsibility, because of this, he was chosen Mayor of Story City, a member of the Board of Education; on which board he served as President for many years.

This spirit of reliability and willingness soon became well known, and the electorate of Story County sent him as their Representative to the General Assembly of the State of Iowa in the year 1914, and, appreciating his worth they again sent him as their servant to that office in 1916.

Charles Jessen cleaved closely to his God--his spiritual life was a continuing one. For twenty-three years he taught the Big Brothers Sunday School class of the Grace Evangelical Church in Story City, watching it grow from the time he organized it until his death, to the largest class of his church in the State. Two General Conferences of his church found him a delegate, and at his death he was a capable Superintendent of his Sunday School.

Mr. Jessen was an able practitioner, seeking justice for all and giving his best in careful guidance and consul, abhorring and fighting deceit and sly cunning. He was kind and considerate, faithful to his trust; a leader in the spiritual, political and social life of his community, a kind and faithful husband, a devoted father; one anxious to do his part, and one who gave unselfishly of his time to the advancement of the better things of life.

His life was one of an unfailing desire to serve and to develop himself for the betterment of others. Throughout his entire life, until his untimely death on the twenty-second day of September of this year Charles Jessen was trying to live as the Elder Holmes admonished when he wrote:

Build thee more stately mansions,
O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave they low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut three from heaver with dome more vast,
Till at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!"

Respectfully submitted,
Louis H. Judisch
Chester O. Hougen
C. G. Lee
Committee