40 Famous Iowans - Annie Wittenmyer

Born in Sandy Springs, Ohio Annie Wittenmyer was born into a family that focused on education. For this reason, despite being a girl, she was allowed her schooling. Early in her life, Wittenmyer was interested in poetry and by age 12 had published her first poem. When she was 20, she married William Wittenmyer and the couple moved to Keokuk, Iowa in 1853. As she grew up with a family dedicated to education, Wittenmyer’s life early on had the same focus. The same year she started the first tuition-free school. The school also provided clothes and food for those who were needier.

Once the Civil War started she changed her focus to relief work. She became the secretary of the Soldiers’ Aid Society and visited troop encampments where she organized local aid systems to help better collect hospital supplies that were always needed. When it came to the Union army, Wittenmyer did more than anyone else to aid the soldiers. The poor conditions of the camps upset her and she made it her new mission to do something about it. She urged her fellow Iowan women to send food to the wounded soldiers. As the problem became better recognized, Wittenmyer was put in charge of all hospital kitchens for the Union army. When the war ended, she worked day and night to find homes for orphaned children as a result of the war. Today she has orphanages all around the state. In 1862 she was appointed to the Iowa State Sanitary Commission, a first for a woman. At age 72, in 1900, Wittenmyer died in Pennsylvania. Annie Wittenmyer was one of the most important women to the Union army during the Civil War.

40 Famous Iowans - Annie Savery

Annie Savery came to the U.S. as a young girl from her home in London. She was a self-educated woman who taught herself to read and write in both English and Spanish. She was called sharp-witted and brilliant by her peers. In 1853 she married a man by the name James Savery who was a businessman in New York. The following year the couple came to call Des Moines home, at this time Des Moines’ population was around 1,500 people. Soon after moving in, James bought a small log hotel in Des Moines, which Annie spent much of her time helping to manage. This small hotel became so successful it allowed James the money to get into the real estate business and buy a few more hotels in the area, becoming known as the Savery Hotels. From this business the family obtained a worth of around $250,000 ($3.5million today).

Savery’s biggest contributions came in the 1860s when she got involved with the Iowa Woman’s Suffrage Association. In 1870 she helped found the state suffrage association and established Iowa’s first women’s suffrage society in Polk County. At this same time she served on the executive board for the National Woman’s Suffrage Association. While she served; the association was under huge pressure due to their new ideas about woman’s freedoms. During this time when several other suffrage members kept quiet, Savery spoke her mind and didn’t back down. Annie Savery was a clear thinker and hard worker for what she believed was right and fair when it came to the rights women should have.

40 Famous Iowans - Amelia Bloomer

Born in Homer, New York in 1818 Amelia Bloomer played a very significant role when it came to women’s rights and temperance issues. Although she only had a couple of years of formal schooling herself, she became a teacher and was known for her intelligence among her friends and co-workers. In 1840, she married a prominent lawyer Dexter Bloomer. He was very supportive of her interests in temperance and social issues. He encouraged her to write in his newspaper the Seneca Falls County Courier. Eventually, though, she started her own publication in 1849 called The Lily.

Initially, she was primarily writing about temperance and social issues but this developed into a passion for women’s rights, as well. Amelia’s writings caught the attention of national suffrage leaders such as Susan B. Anthony who urged her to do more with her work. Many saw her articles as inflammatory and out of place, but at the same time, circulation was growing. Her interests led her to join several different temperance and women’s rights groups. In 1848, she took part in the famous Seneca Falls Convention.

In 1855, Bloomer and her husband moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Amelia also became known for a new dress style. She believed that women should be allowed to wear less restrictive clothing. The “Bloomers” dress style was a loose fitting pair of trousers gathered at the ankles to be worn with either a skirt or dress. This fashion piece became fairly popular. Eventually, Amelia made her way up to joining to Iowa State Suffrage Association, becoming the head of the association from 1871-1873. Her passion for social issues, temperance and women’s rights is a very important part of Iowa history.

40 Famous Iowans - Martin and Ellen Flynn

Martin and Ellen Flynn were penniless Irish immigrants who made Des Moines their home. He began his life in Iowa by carrying water to railroad construction crews. By his thirtieth birthday, he had become a wealthy entrepreneur. In 1867, Martin Flynn purchased 600 acres of farmland to the northwest of Des Moines. In 1870, Martin and Ellen built their dream home, a 14-room Italianate country home, which had several amenities that most houses of the time did not. The house still stands to this day atop Walnut Hill and is the centerpiece of Living History Farms.

Martin Flynn, who started out in Iowa so humbly carrying water to railroad workers, would end up making his fortune from that same industry. At this time, thousands of Irish men and women were migrating here and finding jobs with the railroad. Due to his talents however, Martin became one of the most sought after contractors. Flynn eventually owned 1700 acres of farmland, one of the largest farms in the Midwest. On this farm, he raised some of the finest shorthorn cattle in the country. Flynn was a catalyst in setting up other businesses in Iowa as well. These included the Flynn Dairy and Peoples Savings Bank (now Bankers Trust).

Ellen Flynn made her home a well-known social gathering place. Martin and Ellen raised a large family and many of their children went on to have successful careers of their own. In 1916, the Flynn farm was sold to the state of Iowa as a prison farm. This purpose caused extensive damage to the home. Once the organization Living History Farms was established, the home went through major renovation. Thanks to the dream of the Flynn’s, we all today can enjoy the hands-on history lesson that is called Living History Farms.

40 Famous Iowans - Richard and James Clarkson

Newspaper content in early Iowa was much different than we read today. The news consisted of local events primarily; rarely did they read about events in other states, much less other countries. In 1855, the Clarkson family moved to Grundy County, Iowa. In 1870, Mr. Clarkson and his two sons, James and Richard, purchased the Iowa State Register (now the Des Moines Register). The elder Clarkson was the agricultural editor until his death in 1890. Both sons, Richard and James, learned the printing and newspaper business from their father.

James was an editor for the family newspaper. In addition, he has become known as the greatest editorial writer in Iowa. He was also the Des Moines postmaster for several years. James received offers from four U.S. Presidents to join their cabinets and for reasons unknown, turned them all down.

His brother, Richard was the business manager of the Iowa State Register and later became the sole owner and editor as well. In 1902, he became the pension agent for Iowa and Nebraska and sold the paper. For just over thirty years, the Iowa State Register was totally owned and operated by one Iowa family, the Clarksons.

40 Famous Iowans - Alexander Clark, Sr.

Alexander Clark, Sr. was one of the most prominent community leaders of Muscatine, Iowa. He was born, however, in Pennsylvania. His father was a slave who was eventually given his freedom by his owner. Early on, Clark, Sr. traveled the country doing miscellaneous jobs along the way such as a barber, bartender, and firewood salesman. In 1842, he landed in Muscatine, Iowa where he continued with the occupation of being a barber. He was actually very successful with this at age sixteen. At the same time, Clark began investing in real estate and accumulated a small fortune.

After Clark was married, he and his wife came to be very well-known in Iowa. When they tried to have their 12 year old daughter Susan admitted to public school in Muscatine, she was denied. The Muscatine School Board thought that Susan was unfit to attend their all white school. In 1868, Clark, Sr. filed a lawsuit to the Iowa Supreme Court. He spoke on behalf of his daughter. The court found in the Clark’s favor and Susan was allowed to attend the school. This court case, it could be noted, took place almost 100 years before the notorious Brown v Board of Education case in Kansas. He had to go through the same dilemma with his son when he was denied entry into the University of Iowa. His son, Alexander Clark, Jr., did, however, become the first African American to graduate from the University. Clark, Sr. himself became only the second African American to graduate from the University of Iowa at the age of 58 years old. He became a non-traditional college student to set an example for other young African American men. The father and son went on to practice together in Iowa and Illinois.

This case goes to show that even then African Americans who spoke their voice to government could be heard despite all the other injustices to the people at this time. Clark also became a very well-known member of the Republican Party. He died in Liberia in 1891 while serving as the U.S. Minister to Liberia. He had been appointed by President Harrison. This is thought to have been the highest appointment of an African American by a U.S. President to that point in history.

40 Famous Iowans - Washington Freeman Peck

From fairly early on, Washington Peck knew what he wanted to study and make his life’s work, medicine. Growing up in Galen, New York, Peck started studying the science of medicine at age eighteen. Washington Peck attended Bellevue Medical College of New York. This was the first school in the country to blend clinical and didactic teachings. During his time at Bellevue College, he spent two years as House Surgeon in Bellevue Hospital. In 1863, he graduated with highest honors. Soon after graduating he joined the military as a surgeon for the next eighteen months. His work in the service won him official commendation for the work he did at Lincoln General Hospital.

In 1864, he was relocated to Davenport, Iowa where he gained substantial recognition for his special attention to surgery. In 1867, Peck was made President of the Iowa State Medical Society. Just two years later, in 1869, Peck went in front of the trustees of the University with the idea of adding a medical department to the school. To his surprise, the board liked the idea and helped Peck through the preliminary steps to start the medical department. When the department was established Peck was named Dean and Professor of Surgery. The medical department struggled for years due to financial problems and rivalry from other hospitals. Thanks to Peck’s vision and hard work, a premier educational institution and hospital would eventually flourish in Iowa.

40 Famous Iowans - Mary Potts

Mary Potts of Ottumwa, Iowa came up with her idea of the “sad” irons with detachable handles. They were called “sad” because they were heavy irons. Her creation was then patented in 1871. This was unheard of at the time because women’s rights still had not taken off and women could not even vote yet. So, to have a female inventor was really quite unusual. The invention was simply a detachable handle for pressing irons. Several irons could be kept on the stove to heat. The handle could attach to one and be used until the iron cooled and then the handle could be easily switched with to another hot iron. Potts claimed that her irons were insulated with a filler material that was a non-conductor of heat to keep the irons hot for longer periods of time.

She exhibited her invention at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. If it isn’t incredible enough that she received a patent at this time, there’s more. She also received patents for several variations to the original “sad” iron. Potts’ product was widely manufactured and sold in both the U.S. and Europe. Today, her invention is well-known by antique collectors. This “sad” iron changed forever a very laborious and lengthy household chore of ironing.

40 Famous Iowans - Judith Foster

Judith Foster was born in Massachusetts in 1840. Foster was an American lecturer. She lectured on a wide variety of topics and published a book in 1882 entitled Constitutional Amendment Manual. She also wrote several pamphlets concerning temperance as well. In 1869, she moved to Clinton, Iowa with her son and husband. She studied law and in 1872, was admitted to the State Bar.

Foster was officially the first woman to practice law in Iowa. While initially she practiced on her own, later in her career, she formed a partnership with her husband. She also became one of the first women to practice in Iowa’s Supreme Court. She later focused on another strong interest which was temperance work. She became the superintendent for the Legislative Department of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. During this period, she became a rigorous supporter and advocate for better women’s suffrage in politics. In 1907, she was appointed as a special agent of the Federal Department of Justice.

40 Famous Iowans - Arabella Babs Mansfield

Arabella Babs Mansfield was the first woman allowed to take the bar examination on June 9, 1868 in Chicago, Illinois. She passed with high scores, making her the first female lawyer in the United States.

Born in Burlington, Iowa in 1846, Mansfield was raised in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. In 1862, she attended college in her hometown at Iowa Weslyean College. Graduating as valedictorian after only three years, she taught for a while at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, before moving back to Mt. Pleasant where she married John Mansfield. John was a professor at Iowa Wesleyan and he encouraged his wife to study law. She was very close to her brother, Washington, himself an attorney, and she studied in his law office in preparation for the exam. Prior to Mansfield taking the bar, the state of Iowa had a law in place to allow only white males over the age of twenty-one to take the exam. As a result of Mansfield passing this exam, in 1869, Iowa became the first state to admit women to the practice of law. However, after being sworn in, Mansfield did not actually practice law. Instead, she focused on teaching and activist work.

Her teaching continued at Iowa Wesleyan and DePauw University in Indiana. Here, in 1893, she became a Dean of the School of Art. Another true passion was her work with the National Woman Suffrage Association. She worked closely with Susan B. Anthony on several issues. In 1980, Mansfield was inducted into Iowa’s Women’s Hall of Fame. There is a statue in Mansfield’s honor on the campus of Iowa Weslyean College.

40 Famous Iowans - Robert Reid

It was in the mid-1800s when Robert Reid, the creator of Reid’s Yellow Dent corn, found his new type of corn. Once the seed was created, it quickly became the most popular field corn seed. Reid was from Illinois, but his creation of this variety of corn helped the entire Midwest, including Iowa, where his discovery was made by accident.

When an older version of dent corn called “Gordon Hopkins” was mixed with the native “Little Yellow” corn, the new corn mutation was created. In the 19^th century, Yellow Dent corn was considered one of the most productive open pollinated varieties corn. From 1870 through 1900, Reid’s sons helped refine and improve the corn. In 1893, the corn won for Best Agricultural Product at the World’s Fair. At that it, time produced 35 to 45 bushels of corn per acre.

Today, the Yellow Dent corn can be found in small stores that save their own seeds or it can be ordered. Reid’s Yellow Dent has also been used for developing hybrid seed corn. Reid’s discovery has continued to allow producers in the Corn Belt to have access to a strong, successful seed. Therefore, it can be said that Reid’s creation helped feed many people and helped bring to life other new types of seed corn as time has passed.

40 Famous Iowans - Joseph Dain

Joseph Dain owned Dain Manufacturing, producing “Dain” tractors, hay handling equipment, and other farming equipment. Dain’s company was originally founded in Missouri, but eventually moved to Ottumwa, Iowa in 1909. Dain Manufacturing Limited was bought out by John Deere in 1911. Dain was the first to produce a tractor that was All Wheel Drive. This was a huge progressive step for farmers and is still used today. Only 100 Dain tractors were produced starting in 1918, while John Deere had been working on prototypes since 1912.

Not long after, John Deere put a halt to the production of Dain tractors for a different, cheaper version called the Waterloo Boy. These tractors were produced until 1924. In 1923, John Deere’s Model D tractor was being mass produced, making the Waterloo Boy model obsolete.

Joseph Dain was a true driving force behind the production and design of tractors. When Dain died, people started to question whether John Deere as a company would survive. They made it through their hardships by producing at least 100 of the All Wheel Drive tractors that Dain has designed. The other big event that saved John Deere was World War I. Deere began producing war equipment instead of farming equipment in 1917.

40 Famous Iowans - Elizabeth Koren

Elizabeth Koren was the wife of a Lutheran minister who traveled to Northeast Iowa from Norway in the 1850s. Elizabeth’s husband was the first Norwegian Lutheran minister west of the Mississippi River. He was also responsible for purchasing the land where today Luther College is located in Decorah, Iowa. During the family’s travels Koren made a journal dated from 1853 to 1855. The diary talks about everyday life and how lonely and hard was for families who relocated from other countries. Her husband was a very busy man, considered to be a patriarch to the area. The diary also recounted what it was like for four adults and two children to live in a one-room log house throughout the winter.

Elizabeth Koren’s husband, Ulrik Vilhelm Koren was largely responsible the settlement of Norwegians in America. In addition to his ministry, Ulrik was an author and a theologian. Today, Decorah, Iowa is the home of Vesterheim Museum. This museum is dedicated the Norwegians who traveled to America sharing their cultures and traditions. The Koren home is included among its historical structures, as well. While Ulrik Koren is well-known for bringing the Norwegian heritage to this part of the country, we can also learn much from his wife Elizabeth who was brave enough to move her entire family to a new world and culture.