continuing as a merchant and grain buyer until he retired on account of the encroachments of age. He was organizer of the Farmers Savings Bank at Slater and was its first president, being at the present time a member of the board of directors.
In December, 1869, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Ersland, of Cambridge, and by this union ten children were born, namely: George E., Elsie C., Carrie H., Anna G., Bell O., Mattie A., Elemer O., and Beatrice D., and Kuttie A. and Amos K., who died in infancy. The first five are now married.
Politically Mr. Nelson has ever since arriving at the age of manhood given his support to the republican party and has served in a number of responsible positions. He was postmaster at Sheldahl from 1874 to 1880 and school treasurer from 1874 to 1885. He was elected to the twenty-first and twenty-second general assembly, serving in 1882 and 1884 with distinguished ability, being especially active in behalf of better drainage laws, better school laws and free text-books. He was a delegate to the national republican convention which nominated James G. Blaine for president and has been employed many times by the state republican committee as a campaign speaker, having appeared in more than fifteen counties in Iowa and in four counties in Minnesota. Religiously, he is identified with the United Lutheran church, in which he has for many years been a prominent worker. In 1904 he was elected president of the board of directors of St. Olof College and since 189o has been a member of the board of the United Norwegian church of America, being now vice president of that body.
Mr. Nelson possessed limited opportunities of school education in his early life. His mother, however, was a woman of fine education and was his principal teacher until he came into contact with the world. His tastes were originally for mechanical pursuits but conditions led him into mercantile life, in which he attained deserved success. As a public speaker he has been highly efficient and his services have been in urgent demand. Today he is recognized as a leader among Norwegians of Iowa, due to his high character and marked business ability, and he is greatly esteemed wherever he is known.
DICK R. Spieker.
Dick R. Spieker, cashier of the Peoples Savings Bank of Nevada and recognized as one of the most progressive young business men of the city, was born in Grundy county, Iowa, September 17, 1880. He is a son of John and Hattie (Husinga) Spieker, both natives of Germany. The father came to this country with his parents in infancy, the family locating in Hardin county, Iowa, in 1852. Our subject's Grandfather Spieker did not possess a liberal amount of this world's goods when he established his