The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-08-23
PORTER AND DENlsON.
Each Thirty-Four Years of Age
Sketch of Their Lives Both
Natives of Iowa.

September OF that year. Both are ma
tive 1owans also, Porter having been
born in Appanoose county and Denison
in Wright county. Likewise the two
men are graduates of the high schools
at the county seats of their native coun-
ties. Porter at Centerville and Denison
at Clarion. Porter attended Parsons
College, while Denison went to Upper
Iowa University, graduating in 1898.
Porter studied law in the st. Louis Law
school, being admitted to the Iowa bar
in 1893. Denison after teaching school
three years in Kansas was graduated
| from the law department of the Univer-
sity of Nebraska in 1898 and began the
practice of law at Clarion, his boyhood
home, while Porter returned to his ma
tive city, Centerville, to engage in his
life occupation.
To continue the similarity of the lives
of the two men, Porter is married and
has little son of five years, while Den
ison is also married and has little son
of three years of age. Mrs. Porter was
formerly Miss Maude Boutin, of Hamp-
ton, Iowa. Mrs. Denison was Miss
Maude L. Clark, of Freeport, Ill. She is
a graduate of the University of Chicago,
but Mr.. Denison became acquainted
with her while they were students to-
gether at the Upper Iowa University.
In political life Porter has somewhat
the advantage of Denison, for he has
served through four sessions of the
state Legislature, two as a member of the
house and two in the senate, giving him
a thorough knowledge of state govern
ment. Mr.. Porter was first elected to
the state Legislature in 1895 from Appa-
moose county, when only % years old.
This was the same year General Drake
was elected governor of Iowa from the
same county, Porter carrying the county
as democrat and Drake as a republic
can.
1t was in this legislature that Porter
first began to attract attention. He
was member of the committee with
Senator Tom D. Haely, of Ft. Dodge, and
Frank Merriam, which investigated the
state institutions and made the report
in favor Of state board of control
which was established through their
activity. In the board of control move
ment Porter took a leading part. He
was also active in securing much need
ed mining and labor legislation and
assisted materially in the passage of
the famous Temple amendment, which
prevents railroad companies from re-
quiring it's employees to sign away in
advance of injury their rights to bring
personal injury suits.
| Mr.. Porter was elected to the state
senate in 1899 and while member of
that body voted against the Molsberry
railroad merger bill, which Governor
Cummins also opposed by his veto. In
his election to the senate Mr.. Porter
was chosen from the republican Appa-
noose-Davis district.
| At the outbreak of the Spanish-Amer-
lean war, Porter enlisted as private in
the Centerville company and served
with the Fiftieth Iowa regiment and
was quartered in Florida during the
summer of hostilities anxiously await
ing call to the front which never came.
During his army service Mr.. Porter was
promoted to be sergeant major. The
peaceful side of Mr.. Porters life is
shown by his prominence in the Presby-
terrain church, being an elder in the
Centerville church. He is also connect
ed with several fraternal orders, among
them being the Elks, Knights of Pythias
and Knights Templars.
John D. Denison, jr., has also been
frequently called upon by his party,
though still young man, to accept
nominations which seemed almost GER
tain of defeat. He was candidate for
county attorney in Wright county in
1898, shortly after he was graduated
from the law school. He was defeated,
but ran nearly 800 votes ahead of the
rest of the democratic ticket. Later
Mr.. Denison was nominated for the
state legislature, but was defeated
again, getting 500 more votes than the
balance of the democratic ticket that
year in Wright county. He was on the
state ticket for attorney general five
years ago, just two years after Claude
r. Porter made his first appearance on
a democratic ticket as candidate for
secretary of state. Both were defeated.
Mr.. Denison was temporary chairman of
the democratic state convention in 1900
and was chosen alternate delegate-at-
large to the St. Louis national conven-
ton of 1904, being placed under instruc-
lions for Hearst by the Iowa convention.
Mr.. Denison has taken more prom
inent part in fraternal orders than has
Mr.. Porter. For four years Denison was