Proudfoot, Aaron V. (1862-1936)

PROUDFOOT

Posted By: Debbie Gerischer
Date: 12/27/2008 at 14:56:37

AARON V. PROUDFOOT has been for thirty years established in the practice of law at Indianola, judicial center of Warren County, and in addition to being one of the representative members of the bar of this city and county he is also president of Worth Savings Bank and is valued as a loyal and public spirited citizen.
Mr. Proudfoot, a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of Iowa, was born at Liberty, Clarke County, this state, June 13, 1862, and is a son of Jacob and Cyrena (VanScoy) Proudfoot, of whose family of five sons and two daughters only three are now living: W. T., a resident of Yakima, Washington; C. F., of Osceola, Iowa; and Aaron V., of this review.
After profiting by the advantages of the public schools of his native county Aaron V. Proudfoot entered Simpson College at Indianola, and in this institution he was a member of the class of 1884. In this city he then studied law in the office of Creighton & Hays and later in that of the law firm of Hall & Hartman. He thus thoroughly grounded himself in the science of jurisprudence, and his technical reinforcement was augmented by his six years of service as clerk of the District Court. He was admitted to the bar in 1899, has since continued in the practice of his profession at Indianola, and his personality and his achievement mark him as one of the leading members of the bar of Warren County.
Mr. Proudfoot is a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party, and he represented his district in the State Senate during the general legislative assemblies designated as the Thirty-third, Thirty-fourth, Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth, besides having been influential also in the work of special sessions held within this period. He was a member of the Iowa Senate at the time of the election of Hon. A. B. Cummins to the United States Senate, and he once served as presidential elector from Iowa on the ticket of his party. As president of the Board of Trustees he is giving loyal service to his alma mater, Simpson College, which is maintained under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he and his wife are zealous members, he having been a delegate to four of the general conferences of the church, in which connection he was made a member of the Episcopal committee. He is a lay member of the World Service Commission from the Omaha area of the Methodist Episcopal Church, including the states of Iowa and Nebraska. Mr. Proudfoot is one of the veteran and honored members of the Warren County Bar Association and has membership also in the Iowa State Bar Association. He is a past grand master of the Iowa Grand Lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and has membership in the Monday Club, the first literary club to be organized in Indianola.
Reverting to Jacob Proudfoot, father of the subject of this sketch, it is to be noted that he was born and reared in West Virginia and that he thence came to Iowa in the year 1855. He gained pioneer honors in Clarke County, having served in the State Legislature. He reclaimed and developed a farm and also followed his trade, that of blacksmith, his service in the work of this ancient craft having covered a period of fully sixty years. He was one of the revered pioneer citizens of Liberty, Clarke County, at the time of his death in 1899, and his widow passed to life eternal in 1919, both having been devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In conclusion is given brief record concerning the domestic chapter in the career of Aaron V. Proudfoot. On the 10th of May, 1885, was solemnized his marriage with Miss Louie L. Posegate, who likewise was born and reared in Iowa and who is a daughter of the late Eli and Rebecca V. (Haworth) Posegate. Mrs. Proudfoot was graduated from the Indianola High School and was also a student in Simpson College, and she has long been a gracious figure in the social, cultural and church life of her home city. Charity M., elder of the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Proudfoot, is the widow of John M. Hillis, of Hillsburg, Indiana, and now maintains her home in Indianola, her children being Ruth, Mary L., Richard A. and John E. [Hillis]. Edwin V., younger of the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Proudfoot, was graduated from the University of Chicago, and is now engaged in the fidelity bond business in the City of Davenport, Iowa, the maiden name of his wife having been Mary Louise Peasley.

History of Warren County, Iowa from Its Earliest Settlement to 1908, by Rev. W. C. Martin, Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1908, p.403
AARON VAN SCOY PROUDFOOT
Aaron Van Seoy Proudfoot, numbered among the members of the India­nola bar and also engaged in the abstract business, was born in Liberty, Clarke county, Iowa, June 13, 1862. He comes of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the progenitor of the family in America being Thomas Proudfoot, who came from the high­lands of Scotland to the United States and settled in Virginia. Thomas Proudfoot, Jr., son of the American progenitor, was the father of Jacob Proudfoot, who was born in Barbour County, West Virginia. The last named became a blacksmith, following that pursuit up to the time of his death, or for more than sixty years. He removed by wagon from West Virginia to Iowa in 1855, and took up his abode on Hoosier Row in White Oak Township, Warren County. In the following spring, however, he went to Liberty, Clarke County, where his remaining days were passed. There he built a blacksmith shop, which is still standing, having been a landmark of the community for more than a half century. By unfaltering industry and enterprise he became prosperous and as his financial resources increased he invested in land. His life was permeated by religious belief and he was a member and class leader of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His family were all identified with that denomination. His political allegiance was given to the Republican Party, and various official honors were conferred upon him. He served as a member of the board of supervisors and was a member of the sixteenth general assembly, which legislature provided for the present capitol building. He was also justice of the peace and postmaster of Liberty, and was regarded in his community as a man of excellent judgment and of untarnished character, to whom his neighbors often came for advice and counsel, knowing that he would advise them honestly and to the best of his ability.
His wife, Cyrena (Van Scoy) Proudfoot, was born in Barbour County, West Virginia, March 3, 1826, and is still living, being remarkably vigorous mentally. She, too, is of German descent and for many years has been a de­voted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. By her marriage she has become the mother of seven children: Hester Anne, who married Joseph L. Tedrow, now a retired merchant of Hastings, Nebraska; Leah, who died in March, 1908; Overton T., a farmer of Liberty; William D., a fruit-grower at Walla Walla, Washington; Samuel N., chief train dispatcher for the Colorado Midland Railroad at Colorado Springs; Charles F., of Osceola, who is in the railway mail service on the Burlington road; and Aaron Van Scoy.
The last named attended school at Liberty and then entered Simpson College in September, 1881, pursuing a four years course in that institution. He afterward turned his attention to the real-estate and abstract business as an employee in the office of Creighton & Hays. Subsequently he was in the office of Edward. Hall, with whom he read law, and finally was with E. W. Hartman, with whom he spent eight years, having charge of his abstract books and also reading law. Mr. Proudfoot was admitted to the bar October 5, 1898, and began practice in Indianola. Here he has been very successful, having a large clientage, which has connected him with much important litiga­tion. He also has a complete set of abstract books of Warren County, and does a large business in that line.
On the 10th day of May, 1885, Mr. Proudfoot was married to Miss Louie L. Posegate, who was born in Indianola, October 16, 1862, and is a daughter of Eli and Rebecca V. (Haworth) Posegate. Mr. and Mrs. Proudfoot now have three children: Charity M., a student in Simpson College; Paul D., attending the same institution; and Edwin V. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which Mr. Proudfoot is serving as an officer. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and is past grand master. In politics an earnest Republican, he was elected clerk of the district court in 1892 and served for three consecutive terms. He is recognized as one of the prominent representatives of the Republican Party in this county, has been chairman of the county committee, and in 1904 was presidential elector for the seventh congressional district. He was nominee for state senator from the eleventh senatorial district, consisting of Clarke and Warren counties. He has made substantial progress, not because of any special advantages at the outset of his career, or through the aid of influential friends, but because he has applied himself closely to the duties in hand, has made the, most of his advantages and has not been afraid of that close and laborious attention to business which is so essential to honorable success.