NORTHWESTERN

 IOWA

ITS HISTORY AND TRADITIONS

1804-1926

G

J. H. GAMMON

One of the notable figures in commercial circles of Palo Alto county was the late James H. Gammon, who passed from the scene of life's activities in 1917, at the comparatively early age of forty-one years.  For more than a score of years he was closely identified with the business interests of Graettinger and was widely known as one of the representative men of his section of the state.  Mr. Gammon was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in May, 1876, and was a son of George H. and Jane E. (Knight) Gammon, the former a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and the latter of Brooklyn.  His father having been accidentally killed in Boston, George H. Gammon, at the age of seven years, was taken to New York city by his mother, and was there reared.  Later he came to Iowa and engaged in the lumber business at Laurens, Pocahontas county.  Selling out there he subsequently came to Graettinger, Palo Alto county, and established a lumber yard, in which he was successful, the business being now managed by his grandson, L. Calvin Gammon, under the name of the J. H. Gammon Estate.  George H. and Jane E. Gammon have long been retired from active affairs and are now living in Pasadena, California, the father being eighty-five years old and the mother seventy-eight.

James H. Gammon was reared in New York city to his fifteenth year, when the family removed to Laurens, Iowa, where he graduated from high school.  Later he entered his father's lumber business and about 1897 bought the business, which he profitably conducted to the time of his death, which was directly due to an injury received while repairing an automobile on the road.

On January 1, 1898, Mr. Gammon was married to Miss Grace R. Kent, who is a daughter of Prof. D. A. Kent, who was known throughout this stare as the father of the Iowa drainage law.  He was born  near Steubenville, Ohio, whence the family moved to Polk county, Iowa.  After completing the public school course, he entered the Iowa State Agricultural College, at Ames, where he was graduated, and then for several years served as superintendent of schools at Des Moines.  Later he was made assistant professor of agriculture at the state College at Ames.  He then bought Mud lake, in Hamilton county, which he drained, divided into farms and sold.  After completing his drainage project, he spent two years in Des Moines in getting a drainage bill through the legislature, from which fact he is generally known as the father of the drainage law.  Some time later he was called to Texas to assist in solving the problems of drainage and development of the Rio Grande valley.  His strenuous labors resulted in a physical breakdown, his death occurring in October, 1916.

To Mr. and Mrs. Gammon were born five children, of whom three survive:  L. Calvin, who is manager of the J. H. Gammon Estate lumber yard; Helen Genevieve, who is at home; and James William, who graduated from the Graettinger high school in 1926.  Mrs. Gammon is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, is president of the Graettinger branch of the State Teachers' Association, and is president of the Ladies' Auxiliary to the American Legion.  She takes an active interest in local charitable and benevolent work, and works in church, club and social affairs of the city.  Mr. Gammon was a man of strong mental endowment, coupled with an honesty of purpose that gained for him the confidence and esteem of all who knew him, his death being universally regarded as a distinct loss to the community which had been honored by his residence.  He was essentially a man of affairs, sound of judgment and far-seeing in what he undertook, and was regarded as one of the representative men of Palo Alto county.

O. P. GARRISON

Otis P. Garrison, a notable figure in the live stock commission business of Sioux City, is manager and member of the firm of Wagner, Garrison & Abbott, one of the strongest and most successful firms in his line in this city.  For many years he has been identified with this business and is widely known as one of the representative men of this locality.  Mr. Garrison was born in Plymouth county, Iowa, January 16, 1872, and is a son of James H. and Elizabeth (Greene) Garrison.  The father was a native of New York state and the mother of Maryland, their marriage occurring in the latter state.  Immediately after that event they removed to Plymouth county, Iowa, of which they were among the earliest settlers.  The father hauled the lumber with which to build his house from Sioux City with an ox team, and the lime for the plaster was burned from oyster shells taken from the oysters that has been shipped to them from relatives in Maryland to assist in keeping them alive during those lean pioneer days.  After the death of his wife, Mr. Garrison removed to Le Mars, Iowa, of which town he was one of the incorporators, and there engaged in the insurance business,  being also the first, or one of the first, postmasters of the town.  His death occurred in 1915, at the age of seventy-two years.

Otis P. Garrison was educated in the public schools of Le Mars and for three or four years after reaching manhood devoted his attention to farming and dealing in live stock.  In 1894 he went to Chicago and entered the employ of Rice Brothers, live stock commission merchants, remaining there until 1902, when he came to Sioux City and opened a branch for Rice Brothers.  In 1908 he resigned that position and organized the firm of which he now the active manager.  He is thoroughly familiar with every detail of the live stock commission business and has gained an enviable reputation because of his success.

In 1900 Mr. Garrison was united in marriage to Miss Clara May Wright, of Cherokee, Iowa.  He is a member of Landmark Lodge, No. 103, A. F. & A. M.; Sioux City Chapter, No. 26, R. A. M.; Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, A. A. S. R., and Abu-Bekr Temple of the Mystic Shrine.  He belongs to the Sioux City Country Club and the Chamber of Commerce.  He and his wife are members of the McClintock Memorial Presbyterian church.  His has been an active life.  The beginning of his career was characterized by hard work and conscientious endeavor and he owes his rise in the business world to his own unaided efforts.  He is a man of strong personality, and makes a favorable impression on all who come in contact with him, an impression that is strengthened with the passing years.

DANIEL GILLESPIE

A citizen of the United States can wear no greater badge of honor than the distinction of having served the government in the great war between the states.  The ranks of the old "grand army" are rapidly thinning and those who remain are secure in the respect and veneration of their fellowmen, who appreciate the sacrifices they made.  Among this number in northwestern Iowa stands DAniel Gillespie, of Spencer, who, after a long and busy life, is now retired from active business pursuits and enjoying that leisure to which his years of active labor so richly entitle him.  Mr. Gillespie was born in New York state March 29, 1847, a son of John and Mary (Campbell) Gillespie.  The former a native of Ireland and latter of Scotland.  They were the parents of ten children, only two of them are now living.

Daniel Gillespie was reared and educated in Wisconsin, to which state he went with an older brother when but nine years of age.  He lived there until 1864, when, at the age of seventeen, he enlisted in Company E, Twelfth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.  He saw much active service in the southland before the close of the war, having been with Sherman in his historic march from Atlanta to the sea, and at the conclusion of hostilities he was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky.  On his return to Wisconsin he rented a farm, which he operated until 1869, when he came to Iowa, driving through with a team of horses, and first locating in Floyd county, where he remained about a year.  He then came to Clay county and took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Meadow township.  He improved this place, created a good farm and lived there until 1883, when he sold it and moved to Spencer, where he has since lived.  On leaving the farm he engaged in railroad contracting and building for about ten years, meeting with substantial success, and then again invested in farm land.

On July 16, 1867, in Wisconsin, Mr. Gillespie was married to Miss Frances M. Gloyd, who was born and reared in that state, the daughter of Levi and Clarissa Gloyd.  Her parents were natives of New York state, whence they moved to Wisconsin in an early day.  Later they moved to Iowa, but eventually settled in Kansas, where the father's death occurred.  After the death of her husband, the mother came to Iowa, where her death occurred.  To Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie have been born eight children:  James E., now deceased, who was married and left three children; Arthur D., also deceased, who left a widow and daughter; Edgar P., who lives in Montana; Daniel C., Jr., deceased; Maude M., the wife of C. E. Loomer; Agnes M., deceased; Roy G., who lives on his father's farm; and Mary I., the wife of Lester J. Winn.  Mr. Gillespie is a member of Annett Post, No. 124, Grand Army of the Republic, and Spencer Lodge, No 247, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.  He is a republican in his political views.  His career presents a notable example of those qualities of mind and character which overcome obstacles and win success.  Candid and straightforward in all of his relations with his fellowmen, he has long enjoyed their confidence and is numbered among the representative men of his section of the County.

A. S. GILLILAND

Alvan S. Gilliland, whose death, on November 4, 1916, was regarded as a distinct loss to the city of Jefferson, which he had honored with his citizenship for over thirty-five years, was a man of more than ordinary qualities.  Not only had he efficiently and faithfully discharged the duties of the public offices which he held, and managed his business affairs in a manner that won him public esteem, but he had so conducted himself in private life and as a citizen that he was universally looked upon as exemplary in every respect, his life dignifying his community.

Mr. Gilliland was born in Granville, Putnam county, Illinois, on the 2d of December, 1846, and was a son of Stephen W. and Ruhamah (Harmon) Gilliland.  His father, who was the scion of sterling old Scottish stock, was born in Brown county, Ohio, in 1809.  After attending the public schools, he learned the blacksmith trade, which he followed until his health failed, when he turned his attention to farming.  In 1852 he moved to Iowa, first locating in Louisa county, where he lived until September 27, 1857,, when he brought his family to Greene county, locating on a farm one mile north of the Dallas county line, in Washington township, of which locality he was one of the earliest settlers.  There he created a good farm and operated it for many years, eventually retiring and moving to Rippey, where his death occurred at the advanced age of eighty-five years.  He was a strong abolitionist and was a conductor on the historic "underground railroad."  He was twice married, having several children by the first union.  His second marriage was to Ruhamah Harmon, who was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, and who died at the age of seventy-five years, while on a  visit to a daughter in Nebraska.  To this union were born seven children, namely:  Alvan S., the subject of this memoir; M. W., of Bagley, Guthrie county, Iowa; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of S. Q. Free, of Nebraska; Mary, the widow of Archibald Heater, of Nebraska; Willis L., who died at the age of twelve years; Narcissa, who became the wife of E. E. Kupfer, of Rippey, Iowa; and Evaline, the wife of Charles Towne, of Jamaica, Iowa.

Alvan S. Gilliland remained at home until twenty-four years of age, receiving his education in the primitive pioneer schools of that day.  However, the deficiency of this training was made up in after years by habits of reading and close observation, so that he became a man of wide and accurate information and able to hold his own in any company which he might enter.  In 1870 he bought and improved an eighty acre farm in Washington township, where he engaged in farming for two years, when he moved to Jefferson, where he was appointed assistant postmaster, which position he held for three years.  In the meantime he had shown a deep interest in public affairs and considerable aptitude as a politician, and he was elected to the office of county treasurer, the duties of which he capably and satisfactorily discharged for six years.  He had meanwhile in a measure become acquainted with the abstract business, which appealed to him, and on leaving the treasurer's office, in August, 1880, he bought a half interest with G. G. Lawrence in an abstract and real estate office, to the operation of which he thereafter devoted himself, with ability and success.  At his death the business was taken over by his son, Ross L., who  had been associated with him and who is still running the business.

In 1870 Mr. Gilliland was united in marriage to Miss Louisa E. Rhinehart, who was born in Champaign county, Illinois, February 7, 1850, and whose death occurred April 22, 1920.  Her parents were Elhanan and Margaret (Corey) Rhinehart, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Scioto county, Ohio, and both of whom died at the home of their daughter in Jefferson.  To Mr. and Mrs. Gilliland were born seven children, as follows:  Nellie, who had charge of the woman's department for the Chicago Tribune for some time, afterward accepted a position in the treasury department at Washington, D. C., under Lyman J. Gage, then secretary of the treasury, and while there met and became the wife of W. W. Barclay, who later was sent by the treasury department to Iloilo, in the Philippine islands; Chalmer, who was a soldier in the Spanish-American war, served in Havana, Cuba, and was later transferred to the Philippine islands, where his death occurred at Fort William McKinley; George, who became an electrical worker in Chicago; Pearl; Alice; Lawrence, who died at the age of twelve years; and Ross L., who now conducts the abstract business in Jefferson.

Mr. Gilliland was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and was a stanch republican in his political views. His wife was an earnest member of the Presbyterian church.  A man of sterling integrity, his actions were the result of careful and conscientious thought, and when once convinced that he was right no suggestion of policy or personal profit could swerve him from the course he had decided upon.  His career was rounded in its beautiful simplicity; he did his full duty in all the relations of life, and he died beloved by those near to him and respected and esteemed by his fellow citizens.

R. L. GILLILAND

Standing in the front rank of the active business men and influential citizens of Jefferson, Greene county, is Ross L. Gilliland, who has long been engaged in the abstract business here, continuing the business which his father had entered forty-seven years ago.  This has long been regarded as the leading abstract office of the county, and throughout his connection with the enterprise Mr. Gilliland has been looked upon as absolutely reliable and conscientious in his work, while in the domain of private citizenship he has performed his full part.

Mr. Gilliland is a native of the town in which he now lives and was born on the 15th of December, 1886.  He is a son of Alvan S. and Louisa (Rhinehart) Gilliland and a grandson of Stephen W. and Ruhamah (Harmon) Gilliland.  His grandparents were natives respectively of Brown county Ohio, and Randolph county, North Carolina, he being of Scottish descent on the paternal side.  Stephen Gilliland was a blacksmith and later became a farmer.  In 1852 he came to Iowa, locating in Greene county in  1857, where he followed farming until his retirement, when he located at Rippey, where he died at the age of eighty-five years.   He was twice married and to his second union, which was with Ruhamah Harmon, were born seven children, of which number Alvan S. was the firstborn.

Alvan S. Gilliland received a district school education and then engaged in farming on his own account in Washington township, Greene county.  Two years later he moved to Jefferson, where he served three years as assistant postmaster.  He took an active part in public affairs, and was elected county treasurer, serving six years.  In August, 1880, he bought an interest in an abstract business, with which he was identified up to the time of his death, which occurred November 4, 1916.  In 1870 he was married to Miss Louisa E. Rhinehart, daughter of Elhanan and Margaret (Corey) Rhinehart.  She was a native of Champaign county, Illinois, but was reared from childhood in Greene county, Iowa.  They became the parents of seven children, as follows:  Nellie, the wife of W. W. Barclay; Chalmer, who was a soldier in the Spanish-American war and died in the Philippine islands; George, of Chicago; Pearl; Alice; Lawrence, deceased; and Ross L., the immediate subject of this sketch.  The mother of these children died April 22, 1920.

Ross L. Gilliland received his education in the public schools of Jefferson, and from his boyhood he was associated with his father in the latter's abstract office, with the details of which he early became familiar.  At his father's death, in 1916, he took over the business and is still successfully conducting it.  He is exact and methodical in all that he does and takes a justifiable pride in maintaining the splendid reputation for efficiency and dependability that was so well established by his father.  Mr. Gilliland is a veteran of the World war, having enlisted in July, 1918, and was sent overseas with Company A, Three Hundred and Fifty-ninth Regiment, United States Infantry, which became a part of the Ninetieth Division.  Following the signing of the armistice he was sent to Germany with the Army of Occupation and was stationed in the Moselle valley, where he remained until May, 1919.  He was honorably discharged at Camp Dodge June 16, 1919, and at once returned to his office in Jefferson, which had been adequately looked after by his employees during his absence.

Mr. Gilliland is a member of Morning Star Lodge, No. 159, A. F. & A. M.; Cornerstone Chapter, No. 64, R. A. M.; Cryptic Council, No. 38, R. & S. M.' Emmaus Commandery, No. 35, K. T.; and De Molay Consistory, No. 1, A. A. S. R., and is a life member of Perry (Iowa) Lodge, No. 417, B. P. O. E.  While advancing his individual interests, he has never lost sight of his obligations to the community and has wholeheartedly supported every movement or enterprise which has had for its object the advancement of the city along material, civic or moral lines.  For these reasons, as well as for his friendly manner, he is held in the very highest esteem by all who know him, being regarded as one of the representative men of his community.

STEWART GILMAN

The life history of Stewart Gilman has been closely identified with Sioux City, for he was born in the same quarter block in which he now lives.  He is descended from a long line of sterling American ancestors, being of the ninth generation of the Gilman family in this country.  The family was long prominent in the colonial life of New Hampshire and Nicholas Gilman, one of Stewart Gilman's direct ancestors, was a signer of the Constitution.  His maternal grandfather, William Stewart, was a member of congress from the Mercer, Pennsylvania, district during the Civil war.  His father, Daniel T. Gilman, came from New York city to Sioux City in 1868 and spent the remainder of his life here, becoming prominent and influential in the commercial and civic life of the city.  He was identified with the real estate and banking business, in both of which he successfully engaged to the time of his death.  He served at different times on the board of supervisors, was a member of the city council, and was the first president of the Sioux City Real Estate Association.  He was president of the Hawkeye Club and was one of the organizers and the first president of the Sioux City Boat Club.  He was active in many phases of civic affairs, in which he exerted a beneficent influence, and by all was conceded a place among the city's foremost citizens.  In 1871 he was married to Miss Mary Stewart, whom he had met after coming here, and to them were born two children, Stewart and Sarah Marshall Gilman, who became the wife of W. A. Jordan, a wholesale grocer of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Mrs. Gilman was a leader in social affairs and the Gilman home, noted for its hospitality, was the scene of many of the city's noted social functions.  Daniel T. Gilman died in 1911, at the age of sixty-six years, and his widow passed away in 1922, at the age of seventy-four years.

Stewart Gilman received his elementary education in the Sioux City public schools, graduating from high school, after which he prepared for college at Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire.  he then entered Yale University, where he was graduated in 1899, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.  he was awarded membership in the Phi Beta Kappa for high scholarship.  He then returned to Sioux City and engaged in the real estate  business, with which he has been identified continuously since.  he has other business connections of importance and is a director of the Security National Bank.  He is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, of which he has been president.  In 1924 Mr. Gilman was elected mayor of Sioux City by the largest vote and the largest majority ever accorded a candidate for that office, and after a strenuous campaign was reelected in 1926 by a large majority over Wallace M. Short, who had been elected mayor four different times.  He bears the distinction of being the first native-born mayor of this city and is generally regarded as the most popular mayor the city has ever had.  To the discharge of his official duties he is giving the same conscientious and painstaking attention that he gives to his private affairs and his administration has been marked by devotion to the public interests and the welfare of the people.

On June 6, 1900, at West Newton, Massachusetts, Mr. Gilman was married to Miss Marjorie King and to them have been born three children, namely:  Florence King, who is the wife of Harry Flory, International News correspondent, now living in Paris, France; Daniel T., who is in college at Iowa City, and Henry King, who is in his father's office.  Mr. Gilman is a member of the Yale Club of New York City, the University Club of Chicago, of the board of the Sioux City Country Club, the Sioux City Boat Club, the Shore Acre Club, the Boys of Sixty-eight, and the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, both of Yale, and the Sons of the American Revolution.  Fraternally he is a member of Tyrian Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Sioux City Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Columbian Commandery, Knights Templar; Sioux City Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite; Isis Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star; Sioux City Lodge, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and Woodbury Lodge, Knights of Pythias.  he has always been deeply interested in local educational affairs, and was elected a member of the board of education in 1910, 1913 and 1916, serving as president during one term of this period.  He and his wife are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church and Mrs. Gilman is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.  Mr. Gilman has always been interested in outdoor sports and is one of the best known tennis players of this section of the country, having won the Iowa amateur singles championship in 1908 and, with C. S. Carey, the Iowa amateur doubles championship in 1909 and 1910.  He also won the chess championship of the state in 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1923.  He has always stood ready to identify himself with his fellow citizens in advancing any measure for the betterment of the city in any way, and, because of his splendid public spirit, business ability and cordial manner, he has a host of warm and loyal friends among all classes in the community.

T. R. GITTINS

Dr. Thomas Roy Gittins, of Drs. Naftzger and Gittins, was born March 10, 1891, in Williamsburg, Iowa.  His father, Thomas E. Gittins, a native of Wisconsin.  He made his home at Williamsburg, Iowa, for many years, and there passed away in 1917.  He is survived by the mother, Mary E. (Pugh) Gittins, who was born in Iowa and still resides in Williamsburg.

Dr. Gittins was reared in his native town and in 1909 was graduated from the Williamsburg high school.  He then entered the University of Iowa, in which he was a student until 1915, covering a period of six years, and received the degrees of B. S., M. S. and M. D.  He also had the benefit of two years' practical experience in the University Hospital at Iowa City and in 1917 enlisted in the United States army, becoming a first lieutenant in the medical corps.  He spent eleven months overseas and in July, 1919, was honorably discharged, at which time he was holding the rank of captain.  He located at Sioux City and in January, 1924, formed a partnership with Dr. J. B. Naftzger, a sketch of whom is published elsewhere in this volume.  They have since been associated and have built up an extensive practice as specialists in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, excelling in these branches of medical science.

In September, 1920, Dr. Gittins married Miss Eunice Beaton and they now have a daughter, Jeanne, born June 11, 1925.  He enjoys outdoor life and is a devotee of golf.  he is connected with the Sioux City Country Club, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the American Legion and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Nu Sigma Nu college fraternities.  He is a member of the Woodbury County, Iowa State and Sioux Valley Medical Societies, the American Medical Association, the American Triological Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology & Otology and the American College of Surgeons.  Dr. Gittins is a young man of substantial worth, a student of the highest order and a valuable addition  to the medical fraternity of Sioux City.

WILLIAM GORDON

William Gordon stands in the forefront among those who have in the regular course of their business operations, as well as by their personal efforts in other directions, been vital and important factors in the upbuilding and development of Sioux City.  For nearly half a century he has been engaged in the real estate business here, during which he has been generally recognized as a business man of more than ordinary ability, and has exerted a tremendous influence on the progress of the community.  Possessing probably the most exact knowledge of real estate values of any man in the city, he has long been considered an authority in this field, so that many outside, as well as his fellow citizens, have come to rely on him for valuations.  It has been said that he has handled more real estate in this city and vicinity than any other dealer and through his individual efforts a vast amount of outside capital has been induced to invest in Sioux City real estate.  As a member of the Sioux City planning commission, he took a deep interest in the great work before that body and directed his attention particularly to securing better railroad terminal facilities for the city.  Mr. Gordon has by no means, however, confined his attention and efforts to the real estate business, as he has also been very active and successful in loans and insurance fields, in both of which he is numbered among the leaders of Sioux City, and throughout local business circles he ranks among those whose activities and influence have been of a most beneficent order in affairs affecting the welfare and advancement of the community.

Mr. Gordon has been an important factor in Sioux City's building operations.  In 1888 he erected the Iowa building at the intersection of Fifth and Pierce streets, then the most imposing office structure in the city.  In 1889 he erected the Gordon building at the corner of Fourth and Iowa streets.  He was instrumental in the erection of the old Orpheum building here, and the New Orpheum building, which is now being constructed on the southeast corner of Sixth and Pierce, was undertaken by reason of his influence.  The structure, when completed, will be four stories in height, will cover a third of the block, will be Sioux City's finest and most beautiful office building and will house the New Orpheum theatre.  Mr. Gordon controls about one hundred and fifty acres having about eight thousand feet of frontage of the Missouri river, within six blocks of the business center, which land he is developing into an industrial center.

On the 4th of June, 1884, Mr. Gordon was married to Miss Stella Davis, of Sioux City, and to them have been born three daughters and a son.  Elizabeth is the widow of the late J. K. Irvine, who was secretary and treasurer of the Knapp & Spencer Company, a wholesale hardware and sporting goods concern of Sioux City.  Mr. and Mrs. Irvine became the parents of two children, Elizabeth and John K. Irvine.  Jeanne is the wife of Chester C. Pope, of Beverly, Massachusetts, and they have two daughters, Elizabeth and Jeanne.  William Davis Gordon, who was married to Miss Clara Kull, of Sioux City, and is the father of two sons, William and Robert, is serving as superintendent of the Vermont Marble Company at West Rutland, Vermont.  He is a veteran of the World war, having gone overseas as a captain in the Coast Artillery.  Margaret is the wife of Ralph A. Gaynor, president of the Gaynor-Bagstad Company of Sioux City, wholesale dealers in drugs and hospital supplies, and president of the American Medical Supply Association.  Mr. and Mrs. Gaynor are the parents of two daughters, Dorothy and Nancy.

A worthy exemplar of the teaching and purposes of the Masonic fraternity, Mr. Gordon has membership in Tyrian Lodge, No. 508, A. F. & A. M.; Sioux City Chapter, No. 26, R. A. M.; Columbian Commandery, No. 18, K. T.' Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, A. A. S. R.; and Abu-Bekr Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.  He likewise belongs to Sioux City Lodge, No. 112, B. P. O. E., to the Sioux City Auto Club, the Sioux City Boat Club, the Sioux City Country Club, the Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters and the Knife and Fork Club.  Moreover, Mr. Gordon belongs to the Sioux City Real Estate Board, the Union League Club of Chicago, the New York Real Estate Board, the National Real Estate Board, the Bankers Club of New York city and the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce, in the various activities of which he has taken an important part.  He is chairman of the railway and terminals department of the City Planning Commission, president of the Iowa Town Planning Association, president of the New Samaritan Hospital Association and president of the Manhattan Realty Company.  Mr. Gordon has long taken an active and helpful part in the work of the First Presbyterian church of Sioux City, of which he has been a member for the past four decades.  He has been chairman of the board of trustees for several years and is now serving as chairman of the house committee.  A man of rugged strength of character, of finest moral fiber, and one who has realized a large measure of useful accomplishment, he is universally recognized as a most valuable citizen.

J. R. GRAHAM

John Robert Graham, who long numbered among the most substantial agriculturists and highly respected citizens of Ida county, departed this life on the 26th of January, 1925, at the age of three score years and ten.  He was one of the most extensive landowners in Ida county, having acquired eight hundred and forty acres of valuable land, and made his home on section 6, Blaine township, two and one-half miles northeast of Ida Grove.

Mr. Graham was born on the 18th of January, 1855, in County Tyrone, Ulster, Ireland, and was one of a family of seven children whose parents were lifelong residents of the Emerald isle.  He acquired his education in his native country and was a young man of twenty-three when in 1878 he crossed the Atlantic to the United States and made his way to Cedar county, Iowa.  The following year, however, he removed to Ida county, where for some time he herded cattle for the late Ed Benedict.  With the exception of three years' residence in California, Mr. Graham spent the remainder of his life in Ida county, Iowa.  He first bought eighty acres of land and after cultivating the place for some years he came into possession of the property upon which his widow now resides.  As the years passed and his financial resources increased, owing to his indefatigable industry and capable management, he augmented his holdings until at the time of his death he was the owner of eight hundred and forty acres of highly improved land.

The following is an excerpt from a review of his career which appeared in one of the local papers when he passed away:  "Mr. Graham was a man of very retiring disposition, of unquestioned honesty and integrity, of splendid industry and thrift and before his death became one if the most extensive and owners in Ida county.  He made one trip back to his native land, after having been some years in this country.  He joined the Wesleyan church in Ireland and was a class leader.  He was a faithful member of the local Methodist church."

Mr. Graham was twice married.  It was in California, December 25, 1894, that he wedded Miss Fannie Jane Carrothers, who died in that state in 1897, leaving a son, Earl R. Graham, now a farmer of Ida county, Iowa.  On the 25th of October, 1900, in Delaware county, Iowa, John R. Graham was again married, his second union being with Elizabeth Lowrie Carrothers.  They became the parents of two sons, namely:  J. Wesley, who is a graduate of the State University of Iowa at Iowa City; and Leonard L., who is a student in the State University of Iowa.  The latter has recently returned from a European tour as one of a party of five.

Mr. Graham gave his political allegiance to the democratic party and made a creditable record in the position of school director, which he filled for some years.  He also manifested an active and helpful interest in the work of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his widow belongs.  He was laid to rest in Ida Grove cemetery.  Mrs. Graham, the administratrix of her late husband's estate, has gained an extensive circle of friends throughout the community in which she makes her home.

T. S. GRAVES

Among the prosperous and substantial business concerns of Sioux City, few have shown more phenomenal growth and development than the Viaduct Furniture Company, owned by Thaddeus S. Graves, who in his management of this enterprise has shown himself a man of more than ordinary foresight and judgment, and is now numbered among Sioux City's progressive and enterprising merchants.  Mr. Graves was born in Pottawattamie county, Iowa, on the 20th of January, 1876, and is a son of Hiram and Cora (Brown) Braves, both of whom were born and reared near Burlington, Des Moines county, Iowa, their respective families having been among the earliest to settle in that locality.  Hiram Graves was reared to the life of a farmer and on attaining manhood he decided to follow that calling.  Soon after his marriage he took his bride to Pottawattamie county, where he bought a tract of land, for which he paid two dollars and and half an acre, and thereon he made his home until 1895, when he moved to Monona county, this state, where he bought a farm about three and a half miles from Whiting.  There he spent his remaining years, his death occurring about five years later.  He took a deep interest in public affairs, especially educational matters, having served a number of years as a member of the school board.  He was a democrat in his political views.  His widow is still living and resides at 915 Fairmount avenue, Sioux City.

Thaddeus S. Graves was educated in the district schools and remained on the home farm until twenty-four years of age, when desiring a broader field for individual advancement, he came to Sioux City.  His first employment here was with the Cudahy Packing Company, with which he spent eight years, and later, for several years, he was variously employed here.  In February, 1915, he engaged in the furniture business, buying a store at 1226 Fourth street, which he conducted successfully for nine years.  On January 21, 1925, he bought the business of the Chicago Furniture Company, then one of the important furniture houses of the city.  Since taking over the business Mr. Graves has achieved pronounced success, trebling the stock and increasing the volume of business several times, so that today the Viaduct Furniture Company has one of the largest and most substantial furniture houses in Sioux City.

In 1901 Mr. Graves was united in marriage to Miss Amy Allen, of Onawa, Iowa, and to them have been born seven children, namely:  Mary, Thaddeus J., Mable, Elsie, George, Melvin and Lloyd, all of whom are home except Elsie, who is the wife of Arthur Von Drake, a farmer in Woodbury county.  Politically Mr. Graves is a democrat and takes a deep interest in public affairs affecting the prosperity and upbuilding of his city.  Courtesy, fair dealing and prompt service have been the foundation stones on which he has built his business, and today he is regarded as one of the leading representatives of commercial activity in Sioux City.

P. G. GRIMM

The life of the able physician and public-spirited citizen whose name appears above affords a striking example of well defined purpose, innate ability and persistency of effort.  Doctor Grimm has long enjoyed prestige in a calling which requires for its basis sound mentality and intellectual discipline of a high order, supplemented by rigid professional training and thorough mastery of technical knowledge and today his is recognized as one of the leading physicians in northwestern Iowa.  Born in Blair, Nebraska, on the 27th of June, 1871, the Doctor is a son of Hans and Elizabeth (Harder) Grimm, both of whom were natives of Germany, whence they came to the United States in young manhood and womanhood and were married in DeSoto, Nebraska, in 1869.  Soon afterwards the father acquired a tract of railroad land adjoining the town of Blair, on which he resided to the time of his death, which occurred in 1919, at the age of sixty-eight years.  He was the owner of a thousand acres of land in one body, all of which is still in possession of the family.

Having obtained his preliminary education in the public schools of Blair, graduating from high school in 1889, Peter G. Grimm then entered Rush Medical College of Chicago and he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1893.  In that year he began the practice of medicine at Edgar, Nebraska, where he remained twenty-two years, attaining prominence as a physician and surgeon, and in 1915 he came to Spirit Lake, where he has remained in practice continuously since.  He is a member of the Clay County Medical Society, of which he is president, the Iowa State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the American Association of Railway Surgeons.  he is now serving as coroner of Dickinson county, is city physician of Spirit Lake and local surgeon for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad.

On June 11, 1903, Doctor Grimm was married to Miss Edith M. Wilson, of Hot Springs, South Dakota, and to them have been born three children:  Wilhelm E. who is a student in the dental school of Creighton University, at Omaha, Nebraska; Edith E., who is a student in Northwestern University, at Evanston, Illinois; and r. sterling.  Fraternally Dr. Grimm is a member of Twilight Lodge No. 329, A. F. & A. M.; Spirit Lake Chapter, No. 132, R. A. M.; Esdraelon Commandery, No. 52, K. T.; Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, A. A. S. R.; Abu-Bekr Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.; and Twilight Chapter, No. 59, O. E. S., of which Mrs. Grimm is also a member and a past worthy matron, and she is worthy high priest of Calvary Shrine, No. 18, Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem.  In addition to his long and creditable career in his profession, Doctor Grimm has also been an honorable member of the body politic, rising in the confidence and esteem of the public, for as a citizen he has easily ranked with the most influential in affairs looking toward the betterment of his community.

G. W. GRUWELL

One of the most prominent citizens and successful business men of Esterville, Emmet county, is George W. Gruwell, who operates the leading automobile supply house here.  He has has an active and useful career and since coming to Esterville has shown a fine interest in everything pertaining to the welfare and progress of this city and county.

Mr. Gruwell was born in West Branch, Cedar county, Iowa, on the 15th of January, 1871, and is a  son of Samuel C. and Amanda W. (Walker) Gruwell, both of whom are natives of Ohio.  They came from that state to Iowa with their respective families in an early day, being numbered among the band of pioneers who settled in Cedar county in the '50s.  There they were reared and married and the father bought a farm, to the operation of which he devoted himself until his retirement.  He and his wife are now living in Pasadena, California.

George W. Gruwell attended the public schools, graduating from the West Branch high school in 1889, and then entered Iowa State University, where he was graduated with the Degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, in 1893.  He came to Esterville and in 1895 bought the Herald and Vindicator, which he published successfully for six years.  Selling the publication in 1901, he went to Dunnell, Martin county, Minnesota, and founded the First National Bank, of which he was cashier and active manager until 1912, when he sold his interests there and returned to Esterville.  Soon afterward he established his present business, in which he has been rewarded with very gratifying success.  In 1919 he erected his present modern brick building, of two stories and basement, sixty-six by one hundred and thirty-two feet in size, located on Lincoln street, between Seventh and Eighth streets, and which is one of the most up-to-date business blocks in Estherville.  Here he carries a large and complete line of everything in the way of automobile accessories and supplies and has built up a large and substantial trade.

In June, 1903, Mr. Gruwell was united in marriage to Miss Helen E. Rhodes, of Esterville, daughter of Thomas Rhodes, now deceased.  To Mr. and Mrs. Gruwell have been born two children, Willis R. and Dorothy A., both of whom are students in Iowa State University.  Mr. Gruwell is a member of Esterville Lodge, No. 528, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and the Modern Woodmen of America.  His religious affiliation is with the Presbyterian church.  He has been active in local public affairs and is a member of the library board and the school board, as well as of the Chamber of Commerce.  In every respect he merits the high esteem in which he is held, for he is a man of splendid business ability, fine public spirit and exemplary character.