Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-25
KEOSAUQUA'S MEN
MODEST VAN buren, COUNTY
TOWN HAS PRODUCED FA.
NOUS PEOPLE.
Milllonaires and Senators Have Been
Bern and Reared There But Little
Place Has Not Shared in the Pros.
perity--Some of Its Noted Men.


The retirement of Judge H. c. Cald-
well from the bench of the Eighth
United States circuit marks the depar-
ture from public life OF one of the last
of the "Keosauqua colony" famous, at
least, in the west.
The little town OF Keosauqua, num-
bering at its last census scarcely l.
800 people. has, however, furnished
90 the United States two United
s States district judges, one United
States supreme judge, three United
States senator's, two members of con-
& gress, one nominee for governor three
millionaires, two of them having co
lossal fortunes, one attorney general
OF Iowa, one secretary of state of Iowa,
and one member of the presidential
cabinet
Famous Men.
Among these men are Senator w.
A Clark CT Montana, the late A. g.
Tavis Of Montana, Judge Caldwell,
United States Senator George G.
Wright, United States Senator j. b.
Howell, Judge George w. McCrary,
secretary of war under President
Hayes, and John f. Dillon the renown-
ed attorney of New York City, coun-
sci for the Gould interests.
There Is no town of any size In
Iowa that has produced half the
prominent men as the village of Keo-
saala, and 1t Is certain that no town
SO small anywhere else in the United
county metropolis.
How Did 1t Happen7
It is certain that Keosaqua possess
ed no attractions sufficient to account
for the settlement of distinguished
personages. The town was even
smaller In those days and today has
hut enc railroad. The mer who be-
came famous trudged overland or rode
horseback that they might find the
place. Later the line of travel pass
ca up and down the Des Moines river
and as Keosauqua was but a short
distance above Keokul, it was nat
nral that settlers should make their
way there.
At that day and ever since the vii
lage householders sat on boxes in the
local stores and told yarns over their
Nhitsled sticks. Today the people OF
Keosauque point with pride to the pro-
ducts of the Yillage, but they are still
on the store boxes.
The Wrishts.
George Wright in an early day, left
his Indiana brother Joseph. who LATE
became governor of Indiana and min
lister to Berlin Under Lincoln and went
ITO 81 Louis AT st. Louis he bought 4
& horse and rode up the Mississippi river
until he cEnle to the Des Mcines.
when he turned to the northwest and
followed it's shores. He came to a set
\ Element OF hundred struggling
houses, clinging' to the bank and skirt
ed by a graceful bend of the river II
was 3 likely spot and he stayed there.
calelwell's Progress.
Here he found Joseph G. Knapp. just
beginning as lawyer, and they decid-
ed to become partners. Henry Clay
Caldwell came to Iowa when about Is
\ years old, He, too, went to Keosau-
qua with his parents He had ambi-
tons to be a lawyer, and Wright a.
Knapp gave him the chance. After
studying with this firm few years he
s was admitted to the bar, and in 1856
the firm became Wright, Knapp &
Caldwell Caldwell was soon sent to
the legislature, but went to the war
! when it broke out While he was
X gone George f. Wright. cousin of
& KNAPP was a member Of the firm. He
is now at Council Bluffs. one of the
first attorneys at the state bar
Caldwell became major OF the Fourth
Iowa cavalry and when he came back
from the war he settled at Little Rock
Arkansas. There he was appointed
United States district judge, prior to
1870, and later to the circuit bench.
knapp's Only shortcomine.
In the meantime Wright had been
elected to the state supreme bench, in
1855, where he served till 1873. when
he was sent to the United States SEN
ate two terms, declining reelection
Knapp had no limitations except that
he was democrat, which was and is a
shortening in Iowa. He was twice
nominated for governor and once for
siipreme Judge, but rnajorities were
against him and he practiced in Kee-
sauqua until his death, twelve years
ago
Senator Clark as Boy.
In the meantime red-headed boy
IVES playing with few not very Sc
lect companions in the streets, or rath-
er. street, of Bentonsport, tiny EN-
bryo of a town few miles below Ke-
osauqua. Occasionally his father
would take this boy to Keosauqua with
him, to see the sights and they were
admitted by the youngster to be mar
velous That lad was William A.
Clark, now of Montana, whose name
today is the symbol of quantity Of
dollars that cannot be counted
AG. Davis, the Montana millionaire
A whose name became famous by the
contest over his estate was a keosau-
guam in early days, as was Edwin
4 Manning who became millionaire and
the richest man in Iowa in his prime
He made 1t by banking and buying
Z, land.
George w. Mccrary.
a boy who was born and grew to
early manhood without attracting es
pecial attention in Keosauqua town
was George w. McCrary. He later be
came congressman, United States dis
& trict Judge and finally secretary of wal