Connecticut western news., 1908-08-06
SENATE LOSES
 ITS LEADER.
Allison of Iowa Dies at
 Dubuque Home.
LAWMAKER MANY YEARS.

Not Only Oldest Man In Upper House,
 but Also Held Seat Longer Than Any
 Other In Country's History-Born la Ohio, but a Resident of Adopted
 State Since Early Manhood-Filled
 Prominent Positions In Senate and
 Thrice Declined Places In Presiden-
 tiaI Cabinets.
 Dubuque, la, Aug. 5.-William Boyd Allison. dean of the United States sen ate. died of heart failure here. He was seventy nine years old and had been a United States senator since 1873. Senator Allison had not been in the best of health for some time past.
 MT. Allison was born at Perry, O., March 2. 1929, in a log house on his fathers eighty acre farm in Wayne county, O. Like many another who came out of the famous western re serve into national prominence, he got little education in the winter and great deal of strength and experience on the farm. He made his way through a two years course at the Wooster academy and one year of higher study at Allegheny college, Meadville, Pa, to which early seat of learning he travelled on foot and at which he cooked his own meals.
 Senator Allison was admitted to the bar in 1850. He was married to Miss Anna Carter of Wooster, O., at Ash land. O.. in February, 1855. From 1850 until 1857 he practiced law in Ohio and in 1857 he removed to Dubuque, where he took up the practice of law
 Helped to Nominate Lincoln.
 Senator Allison was delegate to the Republican state convention in 1859 and to the national convention in Chicago in 1860. He was a member of the governors staff during the civil war and raised troops to fight for the integrity of the nation in 1861. In 1863 he was elected to congress and served continuously until 1871. In 1873 he was elected United States senator from Iowa and represented his state in this capacity until the time of his death.
 In 1881 he was offered the position of secretary of the treasury of the United States by President Garfield, but declined to accept the office. In 1889 he again refused this office when offered him by President Harrison. For the third time he refused the pf- flee when it was offered him by Pres ident Mckinley in 1897.
 Tn 1892 he was chairman of the in- ternational monetary conference at Brussels. He was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination be- fore the national Republican conven- tion in 1888 and again in 1896.
 The "Father of the Senate"
 Mr. Allison entered the senate March 4, 1873, and had served continuously ever since, making the longest period as a member of that body ever covered by any individual. When he died he had just completed the fifth month of the thirty-sixth year of his occupancy of this important post, thus exceeding by almost three years and a half the service of the late Senator Morrill, of Vermont, who held the record for con tinuous service previous to Senator All lison.
 Mir Allison first entered the senate by appointment as the successor of Senator Harlan of Iowa. He entered upon his first elective term in 1878 and was successively chosen by the legislature of Iowa for the terms be- ginning in 1885, 1891, 1903 and 1908. His present term would have expired March 4. 1909 but he had already been elected for still another term. Thus if death had not interfered his service in the senate was assured un- til March 1913. If he had lived until that date he would have just com pleted his fiftieth year in the senate.