Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects Who's Who in 1921 & 1922 Clyde Mansfield Graham

"The Fairfield Tribune"
Thursday, September 15, 1921
Page SIX

NO. 29

CLYDE MANSFIELD GRAHAM

In acounting (sic) for the success of certain people in certain lines of endeavor we often hear it said of them, in explanation, that they were born right into the business. Not often do we find photographic proof of such being the case, however.

These remarks are by way of introduction of one Clyde Mansfield Graham, local merchant prince--well, maybe not a prince, but a duke, at least. As an example of being born right into a business he stands conspicuous. As may be seen by the remarkable photograph reproduced herewith, Clyde Mansfield was a chubby youngster, interested in merchandising, at a very early age. He hasn't changed much in all these years, either as to chubiness or as to his interest in merchandising.

As will be seen by reference to the above reproduction of the photograph, Clyde Mansfield showed a merchandising instinct at an age when other children would be more interested in rattles, colored balls and A, B, C blocks. A tape line was a never-ending source of interest to him, while a toy cash register was something he would sacrifice his meals for to play upon for hours. His father, who was in the mercantile business, had a copy of a book called "How To Sell Goods." This book was the delight of Clyde Mansfield even before he understood the significance of the printed letters in it. You see there was some instinct that drew him to that book and caused him to put away his copy of Mother Goose for the benefit of visiting babies.

Of course, 'twasn't long after Clyde Mansfield began growing up until he began engaging in business. As a boy at school he accumulated all the knives, fishing tackle and other stuff of real value belonging to the other kids. He noted that the other kids were fond of marbles. Now, marbles were cheap--for a dime he could buy a hatfull. So he invested some of his capital in marbles and traded them to the other buys for articles of real value.

All this happened out near Creston, where the natives yet look back to the day when C. M. will have a business which will make John Wanamaker look like a rug peddler, and Marshall Field's like a cross-roads store. By the time Clyde Mansfield had got to be around twenty the kids had got so much respect for him as a buyer and seller that they became shy of him and declined to do business. So C. M. went west with the intention of trading his winning smile and pleasant manner for the Pacific coast.

Out in Washington state he found a lot of other people bent on the same errand as himself. It was the first setback in his merchandising career that he had ever experienced. C. M. thought the thing over and decided to go into the fruit business. He found a likely spot between two buildings, moved in some dry goods boxes, had a moveable front built and set up in the fruit business. Doing fine. But the kids got to calling him "Dago" so he closed up the shop. for you must know C. M. is a hundred percent American and proud of it.

Clyde Mansfield pottered around in the mountains awhile, but the great outdoors didn't appeal to him so much as the indoor game, so he bought a steerage ticket back to Iowa. Wasn't long, of course, until he was behind a counter again and he's been behind one ever since.

When C. M. came to Fairfield a number of years ago, he brought all of his assets with him. Greatest of these was a smile and pleasant manner. Didn't need a whole lot of capital with a smile like that. C. M.'s smile is in proportion to his build--the horizontal kind. Even as a baby he showed considerable inclination toward east and west expansion; this has continued through life, and his smile grew in the same direction.

But life isn't all smiles for Clyde Mansfield. There are times when, as a member of the finance committee, entrusted with the trifling task of raising a few thousand dollars for some community enterprise, he solicits a prospect and the aforesaid prospect asks him to "come back again" for about the tenth time, then finally contributes about one-tenth of what he should give. This is a time when C. M. has to go out in the alley behind the store for a few moments while he coaxes his smile back again.

Clyde Mansfield Graham is one of Fairfield's most useful citizens. He is made use of right along. If there's a committee named for some enterprise that is not expected to do anything and has little to do, C. M. is not to be found on that committee--but he is on all others. In fact, he is a veritable beast of burden when it comes to shouldering committee work, so they put him on committees where there is really something to do. C. M. stays in his Hub store when the community can spare him for a little while.

In that old book, "How To Sell Goods," in which C. M. was so interested as a youngster, were two pictures, one of a grouchy salesman, the other of a pleasant, smiling salesman, each trying to make a sale. Clyde Mansfield couldn't read wheat the letters said about these men but he got a hunch that the smiling chap was the boy who seemed to be the most popular. So he's been playing that hunch through life--in business and out of business. It's been a winner.

You will observe by this baby picture that Clyde Mansfield Graham hasn't changed much in all the years, just the same smiling chap he was then. It's the original smile that won't come off. Go into his store on a Saturday night when the store is crowded with customers and the jingle of the cash registers sound like a jazz symphony, and you'll find that smile waiting for you; go in on a rainy Saturday night, no customers in the store, next Monday the first of the month and a mess of bills to be paid--and you'll find the same old smile for you. And, no matter how you feel, chances are that you'll smile with Clyde Mansfield.