The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-05-28
Mrs. John II. Craig Passes Away This
Morning at the End of Long
Life Full of Very Useful
Activities.
OVER HALF A CENTURY
She Had Been In Close Connection
With keokuk Affairs and She
Was Founder of West
minister Church.

Mrs. John H. Craig died at the ola
family home at Third and Fulton
streets at s.; 40 o'clock this morning,
of ailments incident to her old age OF
seventy-nine years.
She was one of the prominent and
forceful women of Keokuk for over
half century, and for many years
was in close connection with many af-
fairs here, In a life very full of &C
tivities of benefit to others.
She came to Keokuk in 1868, upon
her marriage to John H. Craig, long
one of the leaders of the great Keo-
kuk bar of his time, and one OF the
most prominent attorneys OF the
state of Iowa.
She was one of the original mem
bers of the Westminster Presbyterian
church upon it's organization, and con-
tinued her interest in its affairs and
work as long as she lived. She had
joined the Presbyterian church when
IA young girl and was consistent,
working christian all her life.
Had Famous Father.
OF revolutionary stock. Mrs. Craig
was born Alice Read, in Athens, ONO,
where her father, DR.. Daniel Read,
was in the faculty of the Ohio state
university, July %, 1910. She was
educated at Bloomington academy,
Bloomington, Indiana, and later at
Glendale Female college, near Cincin-
natl, where she graduated.
Her father was one of the most
prominent educators of his generation
and for over half a century. After his
work in the Ohio, state university, he
went to the state university Of In
diana, in Bloomington, and then to the
faculty Of the Wisconsin state uni
versity, at Madison.
Then Ghe was selected to be the
president of the Missouri state uni
versity at Columbia, in which position
The remained for long term. There
Eugene Field and other men destined
to become famous came under his In
fluence when they were students at
the university. He was one OF the
very arst educators of America to adj
vocate co-education, and the womans
building at Columbia Is named Read
hall in his honor.
A Very WomanIy Scholar.
Il was with that father and in the
scholastic atmosphere that Alice Read
was reared. This accounts for the
solid scholarship she maintained all
her life, and her constant interest IN
the changing problems coming to man
kind.
She was extremely woman1y and re-
fined in her manners. and equally
strong and classical in her views OF
life and it's affairs.
Her husband died about quarter
of century ago, and after that she
devoted her energies to the rearing
and education of the younger children
and later to granddaughter. The
phrase that her monument is her chill
dren applies with peculiar aptness to
Mrs. Craig.
What She Gave the World.
| One son is Judge Hugh Fl. Craig,
of Riverside, one Of the leading jur
lists OF California; another is Theodore
A. Craig, leading attorney OF keo-
kuk; the daughter has been teacher
of history in the Keokuk high school
for years and noted for her ripe
scholarship and culture. An Older
son, D. Read Craig, formerly keo'
kuk newspaper man of the highest
type. is now In business in Minneapo-
lis. Miss Ada Read, of Keokuk,
sister and the only other surviving
member of her family, has lived with
or near Mrs. Craig here.
It was while visiting in Keokuk as
a young woman, that the daughters OF
the university professor met John II.
Craig, already lawyer holding his
own with the famous leaders of the
bar here They were married In Madi-
son, Wisconsin, December "a, 1868.
They came at once to Keokuk to
live. and Mrs. Craig has been very
important part of Keokuk ever since.