Evening star., 1900-07-16
MINISTER CONGER.s CAREER.
Was In the War of the Rebellion
Thrice Elected to Congress.

Maj. Edwin Hurd Conger. the United
States minister to China. was born In Knox
county, Illinois. March I, 1873. and was
a graduate in the class of g. of Lombard
University, Galesburg. III. Immediately
after graduation he enlisted as a private in
Company l. 102d Illinois Volunteer Infan-
try, in which he served until the close of
, the war, attaining the rank of captain, and
receiving from President Lincoln the brevet
of major for gallant and meritorious con-
duct in the field. He took up the study of
law. and was graduated at the Albany Law
School in 1885. when he admitted to
the bar. He practiced at Galesburg. H.
until lStS and then removed to Iowa.
After going to Iowa he engaged in farm
ing and stock raising in Madison county.
1t was not long before he was elected a
member of the board of supervisors in that
county. In 1874 he removed to Dexter Dal-
las county, and opened banking house
under the firm name of Conger Pierce &
Co. Mr.. Pierce was his sisters husband
and Il is their daughter who was with him
in CHINA. In 1877 Maj Conger was elected
county treasurer of Dallas county and
Whie serving second term he was. in
lSS' nominated by the republicans and
elected state treasurer, holding the office for
Two terms. In 1854 he was elected to the
Forty-ninth Congress from the seventh dis
ls:S to accept the Brazilian mission from
President Harrison. AS minister to Brazil
ne assisted in the negotiations for the first
reciprocity treaty under the Mckinley tariff
law. that with Brazil In the discharge Of
this duty he was highly successful
Nhen the republican party returned to
power IN the spring of 1897 Major Conser
was sent back to Brazil to compIcte tbe
work he had begun. During the year which
he spent in Brazil al this time Minister
longer FOUND ways to render important as
Sistance in developing the commercial re-
lations between the United States and
Brazil. He was transferred to China in
ISIS. During his service in Congress Major
Conser became the intimate personal friend
OF Mr.. Mckinley and they occupied ad-
joining seats In the House. When it be-
came necessary to appoint a new minis ter
10 emma President Mckinley picked out
Major conger and without hint from any
one offered him the Chinese mission in lS.,S
He did so because he considered Major
. Conger as man who had diplomatic ex-
perience, good sense and knowledge of the
interests of the people of the United States
Major CongerS congressional career was
a useful one He was chairman of the
committee on coinage, weights and meas
ures. and member of the conference COM
mittee that framed the Sherman silver pur-
chase act in 1890 He was the promoter
of the Conger pure lard bill, that passed
the House in lsJo. but failed in the Senate.
Among the most important of his congress
sional services was his successful effort to
secure the transfer Of the weather service
from the War Department to the DEPART
ment of Agriculture. He was always active
In pension work and responsible for i'm
portant amendments to the pension laws.
Major Conger had never been anything
! but n republican and had always been ac-
l tive in the party's service. In 1896 he was
unanimously chosen to head the Iowa cleo
| toral ticket for Mckinley. He made a
| thorough canvass of every congressional
| district in the state, making tifty-seven
speeches, and his work among the
/ most satisfactory and effective done in that
/ campaign. Political honors usually came
/ unsolicited to Major Conger. He had never
at any time III his career met with strong
| opposition. No man in politics in Iowa
| had fewer enemies than he.
| Major Conger came of revolutionary
| stock. His great-graudfather, James Con-
! ger of New York, served in the 18th Albany
! Company in the New York militia in the
| revolutionary war. His parents We're L. r.
| ConSer and Mary w. Hurd Conger the lat
| ter of Vermont ancestry. They came west
| at an early day and settled in Knox county
| Ill. where they accumulated a competency
| Their son. Edwin H.. was born at Gales
| burg. March Z. 1873. In his boyhood he
| worked on the home farm.
He married Miss Sarah J. Pike of Gales
| burg. Ill, whom he met as student at Lom-
bard University. He belonged to the Ma
| sonic order and the Uriversalist Church.
| His wife and their daughter Miss
| Laura Conger, were with him in China
and SO were several other ladies, friends
and relatives of the family.