Lewis H. Converse

CONVERSE, THAARUP, VOEGELE, AUSTIN

Posted By: Jean Dresden (email)
Date: 11/20/2011 at 08:19:11

From Creston News Advertiser, Creston, Iowa. Dec. 26, 1939, pages 1 and 5.

Lewis H. Converse, Prominent Lorimor Farmer, Dies at 81. Lewis H. Converse, 81, prominent farmer of near Lorimor and former member of the county board of supervisors, died at 11:30 o’clock Monday morning at Greater Community hospital where he had been a patient since Saturday.

Funeral services will be held at the Methodist church in Lorimor Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. Burial will be in Lorimor cemetery.

The funeral rituals of the Elks will be conducted at the church by members of the Creston lodge.

Long in Public Life

Mr. Converse spent more than half a century in public life, first representing his own community and later the county and the state in official and semi-official affairs. He served prominently as a member of the board of supervisors, a farm leader and an Iowa delegate to national functions and was sergeant-at-arms of the 1920 national republican convention.

He was born near Humboldt, Iowa March 22,1858, the second of six children of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis L. Converse. In the fall of 1859, after outbreaks of Indian raids and a devastating August frost, the family sold its land for $2 an acre and moved to near Tracey in Marion county. While Mr. Converse was a small child his father entered military service in the civil war, serving three years and three months, and was wounded three times.

Studied at Pella

Mr. Converse supplemented his education in the public schools of Marion County with further study at the college in Pella and began farming near Knoxville. He was married to Luella Wines, daughter of a pioneer Marion County family, and in March of 1881 they moved to the farm in New Hope Township, Union county, which has been the family home every since. The original 150 acres lies 2 ½ miles northwest of Lorimor and a nearby 80 was later purchased. The farm lies of the “Iowa divide” with drainage from the east side going to the Mississippi and from the west to the Missouri river.

Had Seven Children

Mr. and Mrs. Converse had seven children: Mina May, who taught school in Council Bluffs for 23 years, is now Mrs. Alfred Thaarup of Omaha. Orva Grace taught 10 years in Council Bluffs and is now Mrs. Fred Voegele of Lincoln, Michigan. Eva, who kept house for her father, died in 1934. Frank E. Converse is in Omaha, where he has been in the furniture business. J. Owen Converse holds an important post with the Minneapolis and St. Louis railroad and lives in Minneapolis. Garrett H. Converse is a retired naval ensign and is at Burlingame, Calif. Seth M. Converse operates his father’s farm. Mrs. Converse died Sept. 26, 1910. Also surviving are two brothers, Frank A. Converse of Harvey, Iowa and Charles Converse of Tracey, Iowa, and one sister, Mrs. Jessie Austin, also of Tracey.

Mr. Converse was still a newcomer to the county when he first was asked to hold a public office. On March 1, 1883, he was elected a director for the No. 2 school district of New Hope township. He was elected again in 1887 serving four years thereafter and was the board’s president most of that time. He assisted with the organization of the independent schoold district.

Township trustee
In 1894 he was elected township trustee for a term of a three years and the next year he was chosen a delegate to the county republican convention. He since attended 29 other conventions as a delegate. In 1897 he became republican township committeeman and therafter [sic] served on the county committee for 23 ½ years. Also in 1897 he was appointed township trustee for two years. Two years later he went as a delegate to the first of 21 state party conventions.

Mr. Converse was elected to the county board of supervisors in 1901 and that year was also chosen president of the Union County Farmers’ Institute, serving three years.

In 1903 he was Union county’s representation to the world fair at St. Louis There his duties were to see that the county was represented with exhibits and publicity.

In 1906, he was again elected to the township school board and chosen its president, serving for 12 years.

In 1907 he became a member of the Elks lodge in Creston, continuing his membership the remainder of his life.
Declined Postmastership

In 1911 he declined postmastership of Lorimor . The next year he began eight years of service as treasurer of the county republican central committee.

In 1912 he appears before a legislative committee headed by the late Scott Skinner of Creston on behalf of the provisions of the present biennial election law.

During the World war period he served in several capacities for the promotion of liberty bonds, Red Cross and other patriotic services.

In 1920 he was appointed by Governor Nate Kendall as a delegate to the national park conference in New York. He was in charge of the republican campaign in 1922, which Governor Kendall opened in Creston. Also in 1920 he served as sergeant-at arms at the republican convention in Chicago which nominated Harding and Coolidge. He was appointed to that post by John T. Adams, then national chairman, in appreciation of political services rendered to this county.

To Traffic Conference

In March of 1926 he was Governor John Hammond’s delegate to a conference at Washington D.C. for the purpose of developing a uniform traffic code. Herbert Hoover, then secretary of commerce, presided and appointed Mr. Converse to the committee of 42 to draft the code. Through the influence of Horace M. Towner, former congressman and then governor of Puerto Rice, he was granted an audience by President Coolidge. In 1930 he was a delegate to the republican convention in Kansas City which nominated Hoover for the presidency.

In 1930 he was elected president of the local organization of the taxpayers league. The same year he was chosen by Governor Hammill to represent this section at a celebration in Des Moines of the success of the good roads movement.

In 1931 Mr. Converse was elected treasurer of the New Hope township school board, a position he held until 1936.
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