Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-07-30
JERRY SIMPSON.

The alliance convention for The Sev-
enth congressional district, at Great
Bend, on the 22nd inst, nominated as
the alliance candidate for congress,
Jerry Simpson, of Medicine Lodge.
There were dozen names considered
on the first ballot, but all dropped be-
fore the fifth ballot except those of Mr..
Simpson and Mr.. Scott, the latter cit
izen of Mcpherson county and alliance
lecturer for this district. Mr.. Sim
received seven or eight more votes than
he and was declared the nominee.
There were no candidates tor the NOM
ination and no one was permitted to
talk up his own claims.
Mr.. Simpson is recognized in Barber
county, where he has lived for years,
as straightforward and honorable
man IN all his dealings, man who pays
his debts, good neighbor, sober, moral
and industrious. He has been a close
student of the economic questions andls
probably the best posted man i'll the
county on these questions to-day. He is
ready and tireless talker, and does not
hesitate to express himself under any
and all circumstances and always in
language that can be understood. He
is absolutely fearless at all times.
He has taken an active part in poll
tics during the past four years. In 1886
he was candidate on the union labor
ticket for representative and received
1877 votes against 992 cast for Mr.. Nc
Neal, his republican opponent and $50
cast for DR.. Hoover, the democratic
candidate. In 1885, Mr.. Simpson was
nominated by the union labor party for
repl sentative and two weeks before
the election the democrats withdrew
their nominee and endorsed Mr.. Simp-
son. lie received 9l5 votes against
1858 cast for Mr.. Carter, his republican
opponent.
| BIOGRAPHICAL.
jeremiah Simpson was born in New Bruins
wick, March 31st. 1912. When six years old, he
moved with his parents to Oneida county,
| New York. When IA years old he left the par
| entail roof to become sailor on the great
| lakes. During the winters, when navigation
was closed, he worked in the lumber woods of
Canada and Michigan. When the war of the
| rebellion broke out, ne enlisted, ia Chicago in
| Company A, 18th Illinois infantry; August 81,
| 1851, he was discharged. After recovering
from chronic diarrhoea which he had contract
ed in the army, he returned to his old calling
on the waters and advanced rapidly and at the
| age OF %, he Yves promoted to first mate OF a
large barque. Later ne was captain OF sever
al vessels. In the fall 1877 while commanding
/ a large y;1saAl the flames II. Rutter," the
vessel was wrecked at Ludington, on me east
| shore of Lake Michigan, where his heroic con-
duet saved the ship and crew from total loss.
in the winter of 1873, he sold his interest in a
farm he and his brother owned in Porter coun-
| ty, Ind, and moved to Jackson county, Kan
sas, where he bought farm and lived on ii
! five years when he moved to Barber county,
| Kansas Here he pre-empted 100 acres and pur
| chased a section Of Land four miles east of
/ Medicine Lodge and where he has since been
| engaged in farming and stock raising. His
wifes health failing, he was forced to move to
town that she might have rest and medical
treatment.
Originally Mr.. Simpson was a republican
casting his first vote for the second election OF
| Abraham Lincoln. During the past II years
he has been in the reform movement, voting
and affiliating with the greenback and union
labor parties
He was among the first Barber county mem
| bers of the farmers alliance and on the first
of this month was selected county lecturer.