Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects Who's Who in Jefferson County, 1931 Frank R. Danielson

"The Fairfield Daily Ledger"
Thursday, August 27, 1931
Front Page

Who's Who In Jefferson County
By Herbert F. McDougal

FRANK R. DANIELSON

When Frank R. Danielson's name was the first out in Liberty township in the draft at American's entrance into the World War,, he sold off his stock and farm machinery and prepared to enter the army. Then the reclassification came and he was put in Class 3 and sent back to the farm. It was a time when man power was short. The Fordson tractor came up at that period and Mr. Danielson bought one of the first three assigned to this territory, and put it hard at work. He was interested in a study of results, and kept accurate records of performance and costs. It wasn't long until his farm was a demonstration ground for the new tractor. He had the figures, and they were convincing.

As a matter of fact he became too good for the Ford organization to leave on the farm when the war was over, and he was offered a position with the local agency here. He accepted on condition that he cound reserve enough time to take care of forthy acres (sic) of wheat ground. He double-disked that ground, harrowed it and put in the seed in four days and a half, counting the nights. For he put a headlight on the tractor and worked until midnight three nights and the last night he worked until 4 a m.

He remained with the Ford agency four years, branching out into autos and trucks, but with tractors as his main line. It was in the days before the deferred payment became popular, and men paid cash for autos. Then a Chicago firm entered the field with a finance plan, and it caught the attention of Mr. Danielson, who didn't like to see good money stray away from home. The result was that he organized the Fairfield Security company, which was Mr. Danielson himself, assisted by a local bank. It helped business considerably.

He became associated with Herbert A. Atherton in the selling of Chevrolets in 1923 and worked for him until 1926 when he bought the business. He increased the local Chevrolet contract from 72 cars to 150 cars a year, and the last three months of his contract he accepted shipment of 72 cars. At one time he had new cars almost sticking out the windows of his own place of business, as many more in another garage, and the street full of used cars, moved out to make room for the new ones.

In the spring of 1927 he took the Nash agency here, and last year he added the Chrysler and Plymouth. He also is distributor of the Diamond T truck for seven counties.

While still with the Ford agency, he invented five devices for the Fordson, three of which he patented and all of which he manufactured and sold. They were a choker rod, an extension starting crank, a swivel tractor hitch, a footrest and pulley shield, and an ice and mud lug.

He assisted in the organization of the vigilantes here, following the killing of two county officials in Washington a year ago.

Mr. Danielson was born four miles south of Fairfield, November 24, 1888. Without a change of residence, he attended the County Farm, Raney and Center No. 7 rural schools. This was because he transferred his attendance to whatever school in the township his sister, now Mrs. O. M. Roberts, taught. Afterward his father bought a house in Fairfield and the children lived there and taught or attended school. That gave Frank a chance to attend the Old Franklin school and afterwards the Harkness academy in what is now the Elks building.

Out of school at last, he went back to the farm, which had been enlarged by the purchase of additional acres, remaining there until he was thirty years old. He married Miss Martha Bauer of Burlington, Nov. 1, 1922. They have three children--Chester, Ruth and Dorothy May.

Mr. Danielson is a believer in the substantial values of Fairfield real estate, and since he has lived here has bought twelve pieces, still owning eleven.