Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-05-07

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dent Major Conger made the same rec
ord he has won as a soldier and a dip
| lomat He was conscientious, energetic
and ambitious.
| On the 21st of June, 1866, Major
| Conger was married to Miss Sarah j.
Pike of Galesburg, who has shared
with him the extreme perils he ell
countered as minister to China during
the time of the Boxer rebellion. Mr..
and Mrs. Boxer had known one anotn-
Ell from the time they were children
and they were college friends during
the years that were spent in Lombard
University. They were engaged to be
married at the time of their gradua-
ton from that institution and would
have been married several years earl
i Ter had it not been for the war, in
which Major Conger felt it his duty to
enlist. Two years after their mar
} riage Mr.. and Mrs. Conger moved to
Dexter and began their life in town.
1 Mrs. Conger is native of Ohio, al
though her girlhood was spent in
Galesburg, then the home of the Con-
gers. She is conceded by all to be a
woman of unusual brilliancy and quail
fed in many ways for the position she
holds as the wife of foreign minister.
The home life of the Congers is said
to be an ideal one. Major Conger five
years ago was offered a position by a
New York wholesale house to travel
in Brazil. He was to receive a salary
of $4,000 annually and commission
from which it was believed he would
realize an additional $4,000. The Of
fer was tempting one and at the
time Conger was not a rich man, but
it would take him so entirely away
from his family. To a friend he said
Il feel that l have not a great many
more years to live and will accept
no position where l cannot have my
family with me-"
When the situation in China began
to seem threatening Mrs. Conger was
urged to leave for Japan or the United
States, but she steadily refused to
leave her husband, preferring to re
main with him through the Picking
siege than to find place of safety
herself and leave him to face the dan.
ger without her.
AS Soldier.
The record of Conger as a soldier
of the civil war is a source of grea
pride to his friends. That he met OPP
portunities during those memorable
days and improved them is shown b.
, his promotion, step by step, from
the ranks, until at the close of tn,
war he was breveted major of tn,
!. One hundred and Second Illinois reg
iment by Secretary of War Stanton
! for gallant conduct and meritoriou
T service in the cause of his country.
!, As State Treasurer.
Conger was nominated for treasul
er of state on the first ballot Il
3 Moore's opera house, Des Moines, o.
4 August rs, 1880. He was at that tim
s serving the first year of his secon
r term as treasurer of Dallas county.
s J. A. T. Hull was named for secre
y tary of state at this convention.
r Mr.. Conger was renominated witt
s out opposition two years later. Dul
t ing the two terms he served as treas
d urer of state he made large numbe
s of acquaintance in Iowa. The wor
y of the office was we'll done, as wer
all of the tasks performed by Mr.
Conger, whether self-imposed or ott
erwise.
: In Congress.
i Conger was nominated and electe
= to congress in the fall of 1884, Will
t. serving his last year as treasurer c
d state. Two years later he received
n practically unanimous nominatio
v and was again elected and again fo
l. a third term.
l. When Conger first entered tn
d house he was entirely too modest t
O make speech. He had never mad
s. a speech in his life more than raj
n dom talk. However, he soon realize
t. that it was his duty to be able t
e speak at critical times and he pr,
e pared himself. He studied and r.
l. hearsed at night and it was not Ion
n before he was considered one of th
n best orators in the house.
% During the last years of his servic
a. in the house he was member of Sc
e eral important committees. He wa
q chairman of the committee on coli
IT age, was member of the committe
m on weights and measures and was a
10 so a member of the conference con
n mittee on the Sherman silver bill
,e 1890.
If Major Mckinley was member
the house at the same time.
Minister to Brazil.
Major Conger was serving his THU
a =, term in the house when he was te
~ dered the appointment of minister
~ Brazil by President Harrison. He r
:, signed to accept the position.
- Minister Conger returned from Br
y I'll in 1898 to attend the worlds fai
~ While in Chicago he was the guest
y honor at number of big reception
g When the Cleveland administratic
u came in power Conger was depose
= for purely political reasons. Cong
~ lived in Des Moines during the fol-
y years of Cleveland's presidency.
IS When Mckinley was elected in 49,
r strong pressure was brought to be;
y from Brazil that Conger be return,
y; to that country The president Sc
~ the appointment to the senate and
* was returned without objection,
ie Later on when the president name