HON. EDWARD L. GARDEN, a hardware merchant of Souris, has been prominently identified with events shaping the history of the state as a member of the house of representatives and also as a member of the state senate and his official service has been a tangible evidence of his public-spirited devotion to the general good. He was born in Decorah, Iowa, on the 30th of November 1873, a son of Halver and Isabelle (Opdahl) Garden, who came to the United States in 1843, being among the first of the Scandinavian people who came to America. Halver Garden settled in Dane county, Wisconsin, and became one of the founders and one of the dominant factors in the upbuilding of the first Scandinavian Methodist church in the world. He was instrumental in organizing a society and erecting a house of worship at Cambridge, Wisconsin, and after he removed to Winneshiek county, Iowa, two years later he was the leading spirit in the building of the second Scandinavian Methodist church in the world. He was also connected with the material development of the districts in which he lived as a pioneer settler. He bought land from the government at a dollar and a quarter per acre and transformed the raw prairie into richly productive fields. He was also quite active in republican politics but was never an office seeker, and he passed away in 1909 at the age of eighty-four years. His wife died the same year surviving her husband but thirty days, passing away at the age of eighty-one.

Edward L. Garden supplemented his public school training by study in the Decorah Institute. He was twenty-six years of age when in 1899 he came to North Dakota and in that year he filed on a homestead in Bottineau county west of the river. Later, however, he sold his relinquishment and in 1901 turned his attention to mercantile pursuits, establishing a hardware store in Souris. In 1904 he opened a branch store in Lansford and in 1905 established another store in Landa. In 1909 his Lansford store was destroyed by fire and the following year he sold his Landa establishment. The Souris store, which is the parent store, is one of the leading hardware enterprises of Bottineau county and in addition to carrying a large line of shelf and heavy hardware he does an extensive plumbing and heating business. In 1916 he again broadened the scope of his activities by establishing a branch store at Carbury. His business affairs have been carefully and wisely managed and a spirit of enterprise actuates him in all that he undertakes. He owns the controlling stock in the Souris Messenger, one of the leading weekly publications of the county. In addition to his other interests he owns two quarter sections of farm land in Bottineau county and in his various business affairs is meeting with well earned and well merited success.

In 1906 Mr. Garden was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Purdy, of Pembina county, North Dakota. They have one son, John Stone. Fraternally Mr. Garden is a Mason, holding membership in Tuscan Lodge, No. 44, A. F. & A. M.; Phoenicia Chapter, No. 17, R. A. M.; Lorraine Commandery, No. 2, K. T.; and Kem Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Grand Forks. He also belongs to Souris Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., while he and his wife are connected with Alpha Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star at Bottineau. He is likewise a member of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Garden is a republican in politics and for many years was a prominent leader in local political circles. In 1906 he was elected to represent his district in the state legislature, in which he served for four years, giving thoughtful and earnest consideration to the questions which came up for settlement. Subsequently he was elected to the state senate and served for four years in that honorable body, during which period he was connected with much important constructive legislation, doing everything in his power to promote the welfare of the state and to place upon its statute books laws that would work not only for immediate but also for future benefit. He is recognized as a man of broad and liberal education which has been self-acquired. He has ever held his mind receptive and has been an apt pupil in the school of experience. While his business affairs have been of growing importance, he has never allowed commercial interests to so monopolize his time as to leave him no opportunity for activity in other fields but on the contrary has recognized his duties and obligations in other connections and stands today among those citizens whose worth is widely acknowledged.

WILLIAM H. GARDEN, a well known citizen of Landa, was born on the 26th of November 1857, in Decorah, Winneshiek county, Iowa, a son of Halvor and Isabelle (Opdahl) Garden, of whom further mention is made in the sketch of E. L. Garden on another page of this work. Our subject passed his boyhood and youth in Decorah and vicinity, where he attended school and also learned the barber's trade.

Mr. Garden remained with his parents until he attained his majority and on leaving home went to Pembina county, North Dakota, and for twenty-six years followed his trade at Drayton. In the meantime he went to McKenzie county and proved up on a homestead, which he still owns but now rents. In 1915 he removed to Landa, Bottineau county, and opened a barber shop, which he is now conducting with excellent success, receiving his share of the public patronage.

On the 14th of September 1888, Mr. Garden was united in marriage to Miss Julia Hegland. He takes a commendable interest in public affairs and while a resident of Drayton served on the city council. In politics he is a republican and in religious belief is a Methodist. Fraternally he belongs to the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen and he has always endeavored to live up to the principles of those organizations, which are founded on the brotherhood of man.

ANDREW GEISTER, Coming to this country in limited circumstances, Andrew Geister has steadily worked his way upward until he has become one of the substantial citizens and leading business men of Bottineau county. He is now manager and treasurer of the Lansford Mill Company, one of the important milling concerns of the state, located at Lansford, where he makes his home.  He was born on the 9^th of November 1869, in Germany, of which country his parents, Andrew and Margaret (Kleifges) Geister, were lifelong residents. The father was also a miller by trade and it was under his direction that our subject began his apprenticeship.  He continued to work in his father's mill in Budesheim, Germany, until 1893, which year witnessed his arrival in the new world.

Mr. Geister first located in Wahpeton, North Dakota, where he became associated with Math Braun & Company as second miller, and remained in the employ of that firm for nine years. At the end of that time he went to Fertile, Minnesota, as head miller in the Garfield Roller Mills, serving in that position for four years, and in 1906 removed to Lansford, North Dakota, where he assisted in organizing the Lansford Mill Company and built the present mill and elevator of that concern. Mr. Geister has since served as treasurer and manager of the company, which now does an extensive business. Their mill has a daily capacity of from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five barrels per day and turns out the finest product that the market affords. Mr. Geister is also interested in farming and owns four hundred and eighty acres of land in Bottineau county.  In 1903 he was united in marriage to Miss Anna Klemik, of Melville, Minnesota, and they have become the parents of four children, namely: Leo T., Erna, Allen and Agatha.  They are faithful members of the Catholic church and Mr. Geister also belongs to the Catholic Order of Foresters. His political support is given the men and measures of the republican party. He is a business man of much more than ordinary ability and his success in life is due entirely to his own industry, enterprise and good management, for he came to America empty handed.

O. L. GORDER, a hardware dealer whose enterprise is a large contributing factor to the upbuilding of Landa, was born in Pope county, Minnesota, August 16, 1875, a son of Lars and Olena (Hanson) Gorder, who were natives of Norway, in which country they were reared and married. About 1869 they came to the United States, settling in Pope county, where they lived to the time of their death.

O. L. Gorder pursued a common school education and in 1895 came to North Dakota, settling in Bottineau county, where he was employed for two years as a farm hand. In 1898 he filed on a homestead in starbuck township, on which he lived for five or six years.  There he continued to engage in general agricultural pursuits until 1910, when he and his brother, J. L. Gorder, embarked in general merchandising in Landa, continuing the business until February 1913, when they sold out to C. C. Jacobson. The following year 0. L.  Gorder spent in visiting in Europe and in the spring of 1915 he established his present hardware business in Landa, building up a good trade during the intervening period, so that he is now accorded a very liberal patronage. He is also the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of farm land in Bottineau county.

In 1913 Mr. Gorder was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Thorvaldsen, of Landa, by whom he has two children, Orlando and Leo. In politics Mr. Gorder is independent, voting for men and measures rather than party. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church and are held in high esteem in the community in which they reside, while the hospitality of the best homes is freely accorded them.

JUDGE EVAN BENSON GOSS, serving on the supreme court bench of North Dakota, is a son of Benson Oliver and Hope (Nutter) Goss, the former a native of St. Lawrence county, New York, born in 1845, while the latter is a native of Vermont. They are now residents of Michigan.

Judge Goss was born near Rockford, Michigan, December 8, 1872. Spending his boyhood days under the parental roof he determined upon the practice of law as a life work and prepared for his profession at the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor. His advancement at the bar has been continuous. Following his admission he engaged in practice at Grand Rapids, Michigan, from which place he removed to Bottineau, North Dakota, in December 1895. No dreary novitiate awaited him, for although advancement at the bar is proverbially slow, his ability soon won him recognition that gained him a liberal clientage.  He was elected states attorney for Bottineau county and was re-elected for a second term.  Still higher official honors awaited him. for in June 1905, he qualified as district judge of the eighth judicial district and was re-elected in 1908. In November 1910, he was elected a member of the supreme court of North Dakota. After entering upon the work of his chosen calling it was soon recognized that his is a natural discrimination as to legal ethics and that he is thoroughly well read in the minutiae of the law, being able to base his arguments upon rare knowledge of and familiarity with precedents and to present a case upon its merits. He never failed to recognize the main point at issue and never neglected to make a thorough preparation. His pleas were characterized by a terse and decisive logic and a lucid presentation rather than by flights of oratory and his power was the greater before court or jury from the fact that he ever made it his aim to secure justice and not to enshroud the cause in a sentimental garb or illusion that would thwart the principles of right and equity involved.

On the 24th of November 1898, Judge Goss was united in marriage, in Willow City, North Dakota, to Miss Louisa Wright, and they have one daughter, Marion Eleanor. Judge and Mrs. Goss are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and in his fraternal relations he is a Mason and an Elk, in the former organization taking the degrees of the York Rite and afterward of the Mystic Shrine. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and upon its ticket he was elected to the supreme court bench in 1910.  His decisions indicate strong mentality, careful analysis, a thorough knowledge of the law and an unbiased judgment. The judge on the bench fails more frequently, perhaps, from a deficiency in that broad-mindedness which not only comprehends the details of a situation quickly but also insures a complete self-control under even the most exasperating conditions than from any other cause; and the judge who makes a success in the discharge of his multitudinous delicate duties is a man of well-rounded character, finely balanced mind and splendid intellectual attainment. That Judge Goss is regarded as such a jurist is a uniformly accepted fact.

C. W. GRAVES, One of the most wide-awake and progressive business men of Bottineau county is C. W.  Graves, a well known druggist of Lansford and secretary of the Lansford Commercial Club, of which he was one of the founders. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, December 26, 1883, and is a son of Thomas and Emma (Thruen) Graves, who are still living and now reside in Warsaw, Minnesota. The mother is a native of Rice county, that state, but the birth of the father occurred in Illinois. By occupation he is a carpenter and builder.

C. W. Graves completed his literary education in the Faribault high school and at the age of fifteen years began his business career as a clerk in a drug store at Morristown, Minnesota, where he received his first lessons in pharmacy. In 1900 he entered the pharmaceutical department of the University of Minnesota, where he was a student for two years, and was later employed as a pharmacist in Minneapolis until 1905. In that year he left his native state and removed to Lansford, North Dakota, where for two years he held the position of pharmacist in the drug store of Samuel Turner. At the end of that time he and James Dunn bought out his employer and connected the business under the firm name of the Donnybrook Drug Company for two years. In 1909 Mr. Graves purchased his partner's interest in the business, which he has since conducted independently with marked success.  Under his ownership the drug store has become one of the most modern pharmacies of North Dakota. Besides this property he owns a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Ward county.

Mr. Graves was married in 1907 to Miss Delia Fink, of Berthold, North Dakota, who was at that time engaged in teaching in this state. They have become the parents of three children, namely: lone A., Beryl K. and Truman F. Fraternally Mr. Graves is a member of Lansford Lodge, No. 82, A. F. & A. M., and politically he affiliates with the republican party. As previously stated he is secretary of the Lansford Commercial Club and is one of the most public-spirited and progressive citizens of the town, taking a very active interest in its development and upbuilding.

H. H. GRAVSETH, cashier of the State Bank of Roth, was born in Norway, June 9, 1892, a son of Hans I. and Rena (Raannaa) Gravseth, both of whom remained in Norway, where the father passed away in 1913, while the mother is still living on the old homestead.  The father was a farmer by occupation, devoting his entire life to the work of tilling the soil.

H. H. Gravseth was educated in the public schools of Norway and in 1909 came to the United States, landing at New York city on the 3d of November of that year. He made his way directly westward to Roth and the following winter attended school, continuing his education in the American Business College at Minneapolis and the Crookston College at Crookston, Minnesota. In the summer months he worked on farms and in the summer of 1911 he began farming on his own account by renting land. For three summers he was thus engaged and during the summers of 1914 and 1915 he worked for others. During the month of July 1915, he was employed in the State Bank of Roth and in the fall of that year secured a situation in the Farmers Bank at Newburg, with which institution he was associated for six months. In March 1916, he came to Roth and was assistant cashier of the State Bank until the following July, when he was advanced to the position of cashier, being promoted to that position after only ten months connection with the banking business, a fact which indicates with what readiness he has mastered the work of the office, showing notable adaptability in this connection.  Always realizing the value of education, he attended a business college in Minneapolis in the winter of 1912-13 and Crookston College in the winter of 1913-14.

He has a receptive mind and a retentive memory and he is doing everything in his power to further qualify himself for the responsibilities of business life. He belongs to the Norwegian Lutheran church and his entire course commends him to the confidence, goodwill and high regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact. He is yet a young man and already has attained a position which many an older business man might well envy.

WILLIAM O. HALES, editor and proprietor of the Maxbass Monitor published at Maxbass, North Dakota, was born in Van Buren county, Iowa, on the 16th of August, 1890, and is a son of William and Lilly (Mankin) Hales, natives of Iowa and Ohio respectively. For many years the father was a traveling salesman but at length came to North Dakota and turned his attention to farming. In 1900 he filed on land in Pierce county, this state, and for some time engaged in its development but finally sold that place and bought a farm in McHenry county. There he engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred August 16, 1916. His wife had passed away on the 12th of August 1910.  William O. Hales began his education in the public schools of Iowa and after the removal of the family to this state continued his studies in Rugby and Willow City. He remained with his parents until eighteen years of age, when he began learning the printer's trade, at which he worked in the employ of others for six years. During that time he became thoroughly familiar with the newspaper business and in the spring of 1915 removed to Maxbass and purchased the Maxbass Monitor, which he has since conducted with good success. He has a good advertising patronage and the circulation of the paper has steadily increased under his management. The Monitor is now a bright, newsy sheet, well edited and well printed. In addition to his paper Mr. Hales has some farming interests in Bottineau county.

On the 4th of October 1911, he was united in marriage to Miss Carrie M. Deming, and they have become the parents of two children: Francis, born April 9, 1913; and Mildred, born February 37, 1915. Mr. and Mrs. Hales are members of the Congregational church and he is a republican in politics. He is now filling the office of justice of the peace and is untiring in his support of any worthy object which he believes will benefit his town, county or state.