ALFRED C. LAUBSCHER

A history of Cedar county would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make prominent mention of Alfred C. Laubscher, who has spent his entire life within its borders and has been actively identified with its public interests for many years. He was born six miles west of Tipton, in Cass township, on the 3d of October, 1846, a son of John and Philepena (Stork) Laubscher, both natives of Bavaria, Germany. The birth of the father occurred March 3, 1805, and the mother was born in 1816. They were reared and educated in their native land and on coming to the United states located in Ohio, where they were married and continued to make their home for eleven years. The year 1844 witnessed their arrival in Iowa and the remainder of their lives was spent on a farm in Cass township, Cedar county, where both died at the age of eighty-four years. Their children were as follows: John, now deceased; Susan P., the wife of D. A. Diltz of Wyoming; Alfred C., whose name introduces this sketch; Anna V., who died in January, 1910; Ella L., the wife of J. R. Burroughs of Cedar Rapids; and Charles, of Buchanan, this county.

During his boyhood and youth Alfred C. Laubscher obtained a good practical education in the local schools and remained on the home farm in Cass township until coming to Tipton in 1887 to assume the duties of county auditor, to which office he had been recently elected. So satisfactorily did he discharge the duties of that position that he was reelected and served for five years, receiving one extra year on his two terms of two years each, owing to a change of law in election to that office. His public duties were always most conscientiously performed, and he has ever given his support to those enterprises which he believed would benefit the material or moral welfare of the community. On his retirement from office in 1892 he embarked in the hardware business with H. Piatt, who three years later sold out to our subject’s brother-in-law, N. E. Jacobs, the firm having since been Laubscher & Jacobs. They carry a complete line of shelf and heavy hardware and by fair and honorable dealing they have built up an excellent trade. Mr. Laubscher also has financial interests in Tipton and has been a director of the Farmers & Merchants Bank since its organization.

On the 16th of March, 1875, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Laubscher to Miss Charlotte Jacobs, who was born in Johnson county, Iowa, December 5, 1855, a daughter of John and Rosanna (Frankhauser) Jacobs. Politically Mr. Laubscher has been a life-long democrat and has exerted a wide felt influence in the counsels of his party. He has not only been called upon to serve as county auditor, but has also filled the positions of township trustee in Cass township for a number of terms, assessor of that township for one term and also served as a member of the city council of Tipton one term of three years, these positions having come to him unsought. No trust reposed in him has ever been betrayed and his party realized that he was thoroughly capable and reliable. He filled the offices not only with credit to himself but to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He is today regarded as one of the leading citizens of Tipton and is a popular member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias fraternities.