Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-02
Stricken by Heart Failure on
Street Near His Home, In
$.e9st
Des Moines
HAS BEEN PROMINENT IN IOWA
While Governor Cue Had Completed
His Life Work, His Death Was
81 Doubly Shocking Because So unex.
pected ~ Had Been the Recipient of
Many honors-Sketch of Career.


Des Moines. June 2.--Governor Cue
Is dead. Though full Of years and hon
Ors and his life work done, yet his death
is none the less shocking because who'll
~ unexpected. Only yesterday he went
forth from his home strong and we'll.
having on premonition of the near app
preaching end.
He had been out driving in atten-
dance upon the funeral of Hon. j. IL.
Merrill, had put his horse in the stable,
and was returning home on foot, when,
at the corner of Ninth and Clark
streets, he fell stricken by heart fail
ure. Two West Ninth street cars
were standing short distance away,
and employees Of the street car COM
pany fastened to his side. They car
ried his apparently lifeless body to his
home near by. Before reaching the
house, No. 1872 West Ninth street. he
had recovered so far as to be able to
assist in effecting an entrance by the
front door.
His daughter, Miss Alice Cue, was
not at home at the time. but a neigh
Dor. Mrs. G. B. Clark, assisted him to
couch and telephoned for Doctors
Minassian and Holloway. His first
thought was lest his illness might UNI
duly shock his daughter on her return,
she having for some years been an In
valid.
DIR. Minassian arrived within fifteen
minutes, finding the sufferer conscious,
his pulse beating with surprising force,
considering the condition Of the heart,
which caused his illness. Soon there
after the color left his face, he lapsed
Into INCONSISTENCIES. and the pulsa-
tions Of the heart became faint. Ev-
erything possible was done for his re-
lief, but within few minutes the end
came.
His daughter was with him at the
last, and although in delicate health,
she bore the shock and awful con-
seriousness of her great loss with sur
prising strength and courage. The
one other daughter Mrs. Arthur G..
Leonard, of Grand Forks, N. D., was to
have reached home on Friday of this
week. The two sons, n. g. and Quincy
G. Cue, are in the east.
Sketch Of His Life.
Benjamin r. Cue was born in Green
county, N. Y, on the. 25th day OF De-
cember, 1928, and was the son of John
and Catharine Journey Cue. He spent
his boyhood years on farm. His faith
er and mother were Quakers and aboli-
fionists, and the first newspaper the
children learned to read was William
Lloyd Garrisons Liberator. Their home
was one of the stations on the under
ground railroad. where escaping slaves
always found shelter and aid. Benja-
min r. was the Oldest OF six children
and when he was 10 years of age, the
father died. and the mother had a hard
struggle for many years to provide for
and educate the children. In the spring
of 1852 the two older sons came to Iowa
and bought claim on Rock Greek. in
Scott county, where they lived in a log
cabin doing their own cooking for a
year and half, until their mother and
younger children joined them in the fall
OF 1863.
BENJAMIN +. took an active interest
In the free soiP' movement against
slavery and In the winter of 1856 WAS
one OF the delegates to a state con-
vention which assembled at Iowa City
on the 22nd of February and organized
the republican party of Iowa. In the
fall OF 1857 he was elected to represent
Scott county in the house of the Sew
enth general assembly. He was one
OF the authors OF bill to establish
IA state agricultural college, and on thu
floor OF the house fought it thru
against 81, a iva.se reset f,or the
committee on ways and means. In 1879
! he was re-aleated to the house al Il at
the end of his second term in 1871 he
was elected to the senate for four
years.
AT the close of his service IN the
senate in the spring Ut 1854, Mr.. Cue
moved to Fort Dodge and assumed
control OF the republican paper of
that place. which he had purchased. IL
June 1865, he was nominated for lieu
tenant governor by the republican
state convention.
In 1866 Governor Cue was elected
president of the board of trustees of
the State Agricultural College. Dur
ing his term the main college building
was erected. and he was made chair
man of the committee on organza-
ton. In that capacity he visited the
principal agricultural and scientific
colleges of the country, to examine into
their methods and work He was a
warm advocate of the admission of
girls as students and in the face of
strong opposition finally prevailed
upon the board to admit them.
After giving more than year to
investigation, he made a report to the
trustees and presented a plan of Or
ganization, which was adopted. He
also recommended Professor A. s..
WEIGH, then United States senator
from Florida, for president of our COL
lege, and he was elected to that posi-
zion. where he served eighteen years
with distinguished ability.
Governor Cue WAS always very
staunch friend and vigorous defender
OF the, Iowa State College from the day
OF its inception and regarded the work
He had done In its behalf as by far
the most important Of his public serv-
Ice.
He was pension agent for Iowa and
Nebraska under Grant. Previous to
that he had been editor of the Iowa
Homestead. He always took q great
interest in the Iowa Historical Hall,
and was of great assistance to Curator
AIdrich in his great work.
On the 18th of November, 1855, he
was united in marriage with Miss Eliz-