Andrew Jackson Casady

This name recalls that period of American history when “Old Hickory” was the central figure on the political stage and boys were called after him by admirers of the great Democratic leader. In fact, Mr. Casady was born when the hero of New Orleans was at the height of his fame, and he was about entering the race which ended in his first triumphant election to the presidency. It needs no prophet to tell us that Mr. Casady’s father was one of the mighty throng then shouting lustily for “Old Andy,” as the naming of his son for the future president clearly indicates where he stood. As will be seen later, the son kept up the traditions of his family when he himself came on the political stage, and as a Democratic leader or candidate fought many a valiant battle for the principles of his party.

He is a son of Thomas H. and Sophia (Scott) Casady, native New Yorkers, who were born and bred and died in the great Empire state of the east. The father was born at Albany, March 28, 1800, and died in 1857, while his wife, who was two years older than himself, survived until 1877, her birth having occurred March 28, 1798, just two years to a day before her husband’s birth. They had nine children, but of these only three are now living.

Andrew Jackson Casady was born in Jefferson county, New York, July 26, 1827, but by reason of his parents’ removal was reared from the fourth year of his age to manhood in the county of Herkimer. After growing up he taught school for a number of terms both in town and country, and at his twenty-sixth year decided to try his fortunes in what was then called the “far west.” A trip from New York to Iowa in those days was quite an event in one’s life, inasmuch as the distance was long and the facilities for transportation by no means the best. This tedious and even dangerous journey was, however, made by Mr. Casady without accident, and in December, 1853, he arrived at Iowa City.

The state being quite young and sparsely populated, the opportunities for employment or business were not so numerous as they became at a later period, so as a temporary means of gaining a livelihood Mr. Casady concluded to become a pedagogue. That teaching school in Iowa at that period was not without its picturesque features is evidenced by the fact that during school hours it was no uncommon spectacle to see Indians peeping in at the windows to see what the “pale faces” were doing. At this time, however, there was little fear of trouble from the Indians, and Mr. Casady taught many years in Iowa without feeling that his scalp was at all in danger. Meantime he had utilized his spare time in acquiring an elementary understanding of the law, and made such progress as to gain admission to the bar in 1860. In his first case he had for an opponent Rush Clark, afterward speaker of the house of representatives and one of the most distinguished men in the state.

In 1862 Mr. Casady joined a party which had been organized in Iowa City to prospect in the recently discovered gold fields in the Salmon river region of British Columbia. The passage across the plains to this wild and mountainous section was accompanied by dangers as well as privations, and Mr. Casady received a gunshot wound during one of the brushes with the Indians while traversing the country then claimed by those roving nomads. He is now the only survivor of the dashing party of young men who started out so bravely in search of adventure and fortune in the wilds of Snake river over forty years ago.

In 1865, after his return from the west, Mr. Casady went to St. Charles, Missouri, to accept the agency of the express company at that point and spent several of the subsequent years at different places in the same state. Later he returned to Albia and has since made his home at that enterprising county seat. At an early period he got in touch with frontier politics and soon became popular both as a worker and an office holder. His official service was as deputy sheriff in Johnson county, which he held under two different principals. Later he was elected in Monroe county, Iowa, to the offices of county superintendent, auditor, surveyor, assessor and attorney. As previously stated, he was born and bred a Democrat and cast his first presidential vote for Van Buren in 1848, and his zealous work has often been a benefit to his party associates at Iowa City.

September 13, 1865, Mr. Casady was married to Miss Sue P. Morrison of Illinois, but of the three children of this union two died in infancy. Marion, who reached maturity, is the wife of Thomas H. Woolsey, a telegraph operator at Great Bend, Kansas, and has one child, Hugh H. Mr. Casady and his family are well known and popular in Monroe county and enjoy a welcome in the best circles of society at Albia.