Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 499
JONATHAN C. PRATHER

One of the leading citizens of Missouri Valley, Iowa, is Jonathan C. PRATHER, who is now serving as mayor of the city. He has spent most of his life since 1870 in Missouri Valley, and has been engaged in business there most of the time. As a young man he taught school for a few years and later engaged in the grocery business for many years. He has taken a prominent part in the civic life of his city and has held various official positions before becoming mayor.

Jonathan C. PRATHER, the son of J. C. and Elizabeth (ROLAND) PRATHER, was born March 27, 1853, on a farm in the eastern part of Lucas county, Iowa. His father died in October, 1852, before his birth in the following spring and consequently he has no knowledge of his paternal history. His mother was a native of Indiana, and after her husband's death, married a Mr. CHAMBERS. To her first marriage were born two children, Mrs. Nancy SHORE, of Lucas county, Iowa, and J. C., of Missouri Valley. To her second marriage were born five children, Frank and Albert, farmers of Harrison county; Arthur, a banker of Linwood, Iowa; Mrs. M. HAIGHT and Mrs. E. GASH, of Harrison county, Iowa.

J. C. PRATHER was educated in the common schools and had one year of training in the Missouri Valley high school. He worked on farms in the summer seasons and went to school during the winter. In 1870 he came to Missouri Valley and has spent most of the remainder of his life in this city. He started to teach school before reaching his majority, and for four years taught in Harrison and Pottawattamie counties. While still a young man he engaged in the grocery business in Missouri Valley, and for ten years conducted a successful grocery in that city. He then disposed of this business and engaged in tubular-well drilling for fifteen years.

Mr. PRATHER has always been active in local Democratic politics and was elected to the city council in 1886, serving for eight consecutive years. He was appointed mayor in the early nineties to fill out an unexpired term, and was elected mayor in 1913. He served another term on the city council, beginning in 1911. In that year he was the nominee of his party for county supervisor, and many of his friends thought he was elected. It was a close race, but he finally was declared defeated. As mayor, in co-operation with the council, he has been instrumental in having fourteen thousand dollars expended for curbing and gutters in the city and a similar amount was expended in the summer of 1914. The city is also engaged in paving operations at an expense of nearly fifty-eight thousand dollars, an improvement which will greatly enhance the beauty of the city. Mayor PRATHER also has taken an active part in behalf of the drainage system of the town, an improvement which is much needed. In fact, Mr. PRATHER is deeply interested in every movement which he feels will benefit the city of which he has the honor to be the chief executive. He is a popular man throughout the county and is well known and universally liked by everyone with whom he comes in contact.

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