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H. C. HAEBERLE is a native of Germany, having been born
in the town of Goeppingen, Wurtemberg, February 8, 1847. He
comes of German ancestry, his father, John Haeberle, and his
mother, Barbara Kaiser, both having been natives of the same
place and descendants of the ancient stock of Wurtemberg. These
immigrated to the United States about 1849 or ‘50 and settled
early in the "fifties" in Dubuque, this state, where the father
died in 1860, at the age of forty-three, and the mother in 1869,
at the age of forty-nine. They were the parents of fifteen
children, only two of whom, however, now survive, the subject of
this sketch and a sister, Emily, now wife of Rev. George Goebel,
of St. Charles, Mo.
Our subject was quite young when his
parents came to America. He grew up mainly in Dubuque. He
received the rudiments of an ordinary English education in the
public schools of Dubuque, quitting school, however, at the age
of eleven, when he started out to make his own way in the world.
At the age of thirteen he entered the banking house of Gelpke &
Co., of Dubuque, as a teller, which position he held till the
opening of the Civil war. At the date most of the banking
institutions of the country were closed in consequence of the
beginning of hostilities between the sections, and Gelpke & Co.
closing their house, young Haeberle was again turned adrift to
seek his fortunes wherever and at whatever his hands might find
to do. Taking a practical view of the situation he decided that
the best thing for him to do was to learn a useful trade and he
accordingly set about to do it. He entered a harness shop in
Dubuque, served his time and received his credentials, after
which he took employment as a journeyman and worked at his trade
in Dubuque and a number of other towns in northeast Iowa. In
1870 he opened a shop of his own in Delhi, Delaware county,
continuing there two years. In 1872 he quit business, and,
accepting a place in the office of J. B. Boggs, county auditor,
worked in the auditor’s office till January, 1873. He then
received the appointment of deputy county clerk of Delaware
county, which he filled for two years. Taking a position in the
abstract office of Henry Harger, at Delhi, he discharged the
duties of clerk in it during the year 1875. In January, 1876, he
became deputy county treasurer, a position he held and the
duties of which he discharged for eight years. In November,
1883, he was elected treasurer of Delaware county, which office
he took charge of the first of January, 1884. He has held this
office since, having been re-elected for three successive terms.
Mr. Haeberle is one of the most
efficient officers Delaware county has ever had. Avoiding the
feverish haste with which too many men rush into public life, he
did not seek the position he now holds until he was thoroughly
qualified to fill it, having familiarized himself with all the
details of the position and established himself in the
confidence of the people. He is attentive to the duties of his
office, giving them his own strict personal attention, is
careful and painstaking in his work, turning it off with
neatness and dispatch, and is withal kind and accommodating,
exhibiting that thoughtful solicitude in respect to the wants of
the public that insures every man having business in his office
a gentlemanly reception and such assistance as he is able to
render. He has been prompt in the settlement of his accounts and
has faithfully accounted for all public moneys which have come
into his hands. In politics Mr. Haeberle is a republican, being
a strong believer in the principles of his party, and possesses
considerable influence in its councils. He has many warm
friends, however, outside of his party, and while he has been
elected on the republican ticket in all his races for county
treasurer, he has nevertheless received some support from these
friends. Coming to this county when a young man, Mr. Haeberle
married here in 1875, taking to share his fortunes a young lady
who was born and reared here, Miss Clara P. Heath, a daughter of
James Heath, an old settler of the county, having been for a
number of years a resident of Delhi. He is well and favorably
remembered by the citizens of Delhi and vicinity, where he was
unfortunately killed, in 1868, by a fall from a bridge while
going from his residence to his store at night. Mr. and Mrs.
Haeberle have had born to them four children, three of whom are
now living, the full number being--Fannie E., Louis H., Clara N.
and Charles E. (the last now deceased).
Mr. Haeberle is a man of an
exceedingly sociable disposition and possesses the most
charitable impulses. Few men of his age exceed him in the part
he has taken in the different benevolent organizations. He is an
enthusiastic Mason, having taken all the degrees up to and
including that of the Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret, being
the thirty-second degree in Masonry. He is a member of Square
Lodge, No. 286, Earlville, Iowa, A. F. and A. M.; Olive Branch
Chapter R. A. M., No. 48, Manchester, Iowa; DeMolay Consistory,
No. 1, at Lyons, Iowa, and El Kahir Temple, Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
being the Order of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of
Delhi Lodge, No. 46, I. O. O. F., and the Encampment of Odd
Fellows, at Greeley, Iowa. He is a charter member of Hyperion
Lodge, No. 186, Knights of Pythias; Olive Camp, No. 89, Modern
Woodmen of America, at Manchester, Iowa, and Delhi Lodge, No.
21, Ancient Order of United Workmen, being a charter member of
the last named. |
