William Becker was born in Sollinger, Prussia, April 17, 1821. His parents were Abraham and Gertrude Becker, and he was trained to the mercantile business, in which he was prominent for many years in Scott County. He came to this country in 1848 and first went to St. Louis, where he secured employment in a store. He remained there four years and managed to save up one thousand dollars. With his earnings he came on horseback to Le Claire, in 1852, and embarked in the mercantile business on his own account. In 1853 he erected a store building and conducted a successful business until 1858, when he decided to sell out and make a visit to his native land. After remaining abroad about six months he took passage on the steamship "Austria” for the United States. This vessel left Hamburg, September 1, 1858, with six hundred and forty-two passengers ; they reached Southampton on the third day, when a dense fog caused a delay of twenty-four hours. For ten days the vessel crept along in the fog and on the thirteenth day it caught fire and was burned to the water's edge. Mr. Becker managed to cling to an improvised raft which was thrown overboard until he was picked up by a passing vessel, which landed him at a Portuguese port. He finally reached New York on the fourteenth of October and returned to his home in Iowa after having had a most thrilling and perilous experience at sea.
For many years Mr. Becker was the most prominent merchant in Scott County, outside of Davenport, and up to the time of his death, which occurred January 3, 1886, he was a conspicuous figure in the community. He was married in 1859 to Lina Schild and had a family of three sons and one daughter.
BIOGRAPHIES