ARTHUR FARQUHAR.
This utilitarian age has been especially prolific of men of action, men of high resolves and noble purposes, who give character and stability to the communities honored by their citizenship, and whose influence and leadership are easily discernible in the various enterprises that have added so greatly to the reputation which Audubon county enjoys among her sister counties of this great commonwealth. Conspicuous among this class of men in Audubon county is Arthur Farquhar, former county superintendent of schools of Audubon county, and at present a well-known business man of Audubon, who is engaged in the life insurance business.
Arthur Farquhar was born on March 27, 1868, in Knox county. Ohio, a son of F. P. and Lucena L. (Bagly) Farquhar, both natives of Ohio. Lucena L. Bagly came to Iowa in 1837 with her parents, who located at West Liberty, her father homesteading the land where the town of West Libnow stands. Mr. Farqiihar's father came to Iowa and settled at West Liberty, where he met and married Lucena Bagly. After living in Iowa for some years they returned to Ohio, where they lived until 1873, in which year they returned to West Liberty, where they remained until they came to Audubon county in 1886, and here they spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of eight children, namely: Ada, deceased; Ella, who is living in Audubon; Horace, who lives at Lincoln, Nebraska; George, who lives at Villisca, Iowa; Fred, who is a resident of Winterset, Iowa; May, living at Audubon; Arthur, the immediate subject of this review, and Mary, deceased. Three of these children were born in this state and four after the family's return to Ohio, and the youngest was born after the return to Iowa. F. P. Farquhar was born and raised a member of the Quaker church.
Arthur Farquhar received his early education in the common schools of Muscatine county, this state. He same with his parents to Audubon county in 1886 and taught school here for ten years. In 1899 he was elected county superintendent of schools and served in that capacity for seven years, or until 1907. After retiring from the office of county superintendent, Mr. Farquhar opened a life insurance agency, and is still a general agent in nine counties for the Register Life Insurance Company, of Davenport, Iowa. During the time he was engaged in teaching school, Mr. Farquhar occupied his summers in farming, and in 1891 bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Melville township, which he still owns.
On January 17, 1892, Arthur Farquhar was married to Nellie Leach, the daughter of James and Mary (Dean) Leach, natives of England, who came to this country and located in South Dakota, where they spent the rest of their lives. Mrs. Farquhar came to Audubon county in 1881, and made her home with her sister, Mrs. James Hunt, until the time of her marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Farquhar two children have been born, Aubrey L., deceased, and Wynona L., who is living at home with her parents.
For many years, Arthur Farquhar has been prominent in the councils of the Republican party, and for the past eight years has served as chairman of the Republican central committee of Audubon county. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and belongs to the chapter and the commandery at Audubon. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias. Mr. and Mrs. Farquhar attend the services of the Presbyterian church, although neither is a member of any church.
Arthur Farquhar, by virtue of his long service as county superintendent of schools and by virtue of his present business as well as his activity as chairman of the central committee of the Republican party of Audubon county, is well known in this section of the state. He is an enterprising and progressive citizen and entitled to rank among the leading men of his county.
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Transcribed from History of Audubon County, Iowa Its People, Industries and Institutions With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, by H. F. Andrews, editor, Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, 1915, pp. 332-334.
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