Trails to the Past

Burleigh County North Dakota Biographies

North Dakota History and People
S. J. Clarke Publishing Company Chicago, Ill. 1917

VALENTINE BENZ, Among the pioneer settlers of Burleigh county who have borne an important part in its upbuilding and development is Valentine Benz, who come to this locality in 1886 and has since been identified with its farming and mercantile interests. His early home was on the other side of the Atlantic, for he was born on the River Rhine in the southwestern part of Germany, February 7, 1861, a son of John and Briggeta Benz, who were lifelong residents of that country. The father was a stonecutter by trade but also followed the occupation of farming to some extent. Two of the children came to the United States—Valentine and August—and the latter is now living on the creek four miles south of Moffit, in Burleigh County, North Dakota.

Valentine Benz was reared and educated in his native land and after laying aside his textbooks gave his father the benefit of his services until coming to America on the 1st of April 1881. He landed in New York city but continued his journey westward until he reached Lake City, Minnesota. There he was employed as a farm hand for five years but, wishing to engage in farming on his own account, he came to North Dakota in 1886 and took up a homestead two miles from Moffit in Burleigh county. He was the first white man to settle in that locality but later in the same summer others arrived, coming principally from Missouri. Mr. Benz proved up on his claim and continued to reside thereon until 1912, when he removed to Moffit, where he now makes his home. He became extensively engaged in stock raising, having a large herd of shorthorn cattle, and success attending his efforts, he added to his landed possessions from time to time until he owned about one and a half sections of land.

On his removal to Moffit in 1912, Mr. Benz erected a store building, eighty by twenty-two and a half feet in dimensions and stocked it with general merchandise. He also deals in farm implements, in fact carries everything needed on a farm. In 1913 he built a warehouse and public hall, twenty-two and a half by eighty feet and two stories in height. The lower floor he uses as a store house for his machinery, while the upper story is used as a public hall. Farming and merchandising do not constitute his only business interests for Mr. Benz is serving as president of the Farmers Elevator Company of Moffit, of which he is a stockholder and director, and he is also vice president and a stockholder of the Moffit State Bank.

In 1886 Mr. Benz married Miss Catherine Jauch, also a native of Germany, and to them have been born eight children, namely: William, now a blacksmith of Moffit; John A., at the head of his father’s general store; Oscar and Henry, who are operating the home farm; Susie, the wife of D. Bruce, who is also engaged in farming; Catherine, at home; and Nellie and Frank, attending school.

In politics Mr. Benz is a republican and in 1911 he was chosen as the third postmaster of Moffit, being appointed by the civil service on the 14th of March, that year, and still serving in that capacity to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He is a very public-spirited and enterprising citizen and does everything within his power to promote the interests of his town and county. Coming to this country in limited circumstances he has steadily worked his way upward until he is now numbered among the most substantial men of his community and while advancing his own interests has also promoted the public welfare.

JAY WESLEY BLISS, filling the office of state civil engineer under appointment of Governor L. B. Hanna, was born upon a farm in Nelson county, North Dakota, October 26, 1885, and belongs to that class of native sons of whom the state is justly proud, their ability being of such a character as contributes to the development and progress of the state. His parents are John W. and Alice L. (Cowles) Bliss. The father was born in Bainbridge, Ohio, in 1859 and in the year 1881 came to North Dakota, settling in Nelson county, where he entered land in what was then a frontier district. Two years afterward, or in 1883, he wedded Alice L. Cowles, also a native of the Buckeye state. Through all the intervening years they have been identified with the agricultural interests of Nelson county, where they still make their home.

Ambitious to secure good educational advantages and become fitted for something more than the drudgery of life Jay Wesley Bliss supplemented his early education, for which he is indebted to the common school system of Nelson county, by study in the State University at Grand Forks. He specialized in engineering and upon his graduation in 1908 won the E. M. degree. Immediately afterward he removed to Bismarck and entered the office of T. R. Atkinson, then state engineer, which gained him the initial experience that qualified him for the position that he is now filling and to which he was appointed in 1913 by Governor L. B. Hanna.

On the 26th of August 1912, in Nelson county, North Dakota, Mr. Bliss was united in marriage to Miss Elsie, daughter of John H. Nylen, a native of Iowa. They now have two children, Barbara and John Warren. The parents attend the Presbyterian church and Mr.  Bliss is a Mason and Knight of Pythias, having attained the Royal Arch degree in the former fraternity. His political allegiance has been given to the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and he is a stalwart advocate of its principles. He has never been a politician, however, in the commonly accepted sense of office seeking and has held no other position than that which he is now filling and for which his collegiate training and previous business experience well qualify him. He is making an excellent record in office, solving many important engineering problems for the state, his solution being based upon broad scientific knowledge and practical experience.

CHARLES BREWER, of Bismarck, filling the position of secretary of the state board of regents, has been a resident of North Dakota since 1891 and figured in connection with newspaper publication at Fargo until called to public office. Since 1912 he has been continuously connected with public service. He was born in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, June 31, 1868, a son of Thomas F. and Harriett E. (Oehler) Brewer, who were natives of Michigan and North Carolina respectively. At the time of the Civil war the father responded to the call of the country to defend the Union, enlisting as a private of the Eighth Michigan Cavalry, with which he served throughout the period of hostilities, participating in a number of hotly contested engagements and marching with Sherman from Atlanta to the sea.  He was twice wounded and was mustered out at Salisbury, North Carolina, in July 1865.  His death occurred in the year 1871, while his wife, surviving him for sixteen years, passed away in 1887.

Charles Brewer, spending his youthful days in the state of his nativity, attended Davidson College of North Carolina to the sophomore year and afterward continued his education in the University of South Carolina at Columbia, where he was graduated in June 1891, with the Bachelor of Arts degree. In August of the same year he came to North Dakota, settling in Fargo, where he was connected with the daily Forum, remaining in active identification with newspaper publication there until 1913, when he was called to public office, being appointed secretary of the North Dakota game and fish board. The excellent record which he made in that connection led to his appointment to the position of secretary of the state board of regents in July 1915, at which time he removed to Bismarck, where he is now making his home.

On the 26th of November 1914, at Moorhead, Minnesota, Mr. Brewer was united in marriage to Miss Marie Malland. Fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He has always been an advocate of republican principles since attaining his majority and is an earnest party worker. He has never stood for an elective office, but his capability has recommended him for appointment to secretary ships in which he has made an excellent record. It is his custom to thoroughly master anything that he undertakes and he has made it his purpose to gain a thorough understanding of the duties of his position, which he discharges in a methodical, systematic manner that has gained him the commendation of the various members of the board of regents.

FRED L. CONKLIN who has been engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Bismarck since 1898, is a man watchful of opportunities pointing to success and the readiness with which he discriminates between the essential and the non-essential in all business affairs has been one of the elements in his growing prosperity and business prominence.  Mr. Conklin was born at Wolcott, New York, August 15, 1876, a son of Marion and Martha (L’Amoreaux) Conklin, who were also natives of the Empire state. In the year 1883 they left the east and removed to Jamestown, North Dakota, where they now reside. The father is a distinguished lawyer and has been judge and states attorney at Jamestown.  Fred L. Conklin was a little lad of seven summers at the time his parents left the Empire state and came to the northwest, so that his education was largely acquired in the schools of Jamestown.

He removed to Bismarck in 1898, when a young man of twenty-two years, and here entered the real estate and insurance field, since which time he has devoted his energies to the business, his close application, concentration of purpose and indefatigable energy winning for him growing and substantial success. He is now a director in the Bismarck Building & Loan Association and a director of the Provident Insurance Company.  About the time of his removal to Bismarck Mr. Conklin enlisted for service in the Spanish-American war as a member of Company H but was made first lieutenant of Company B of the First North Dakota Volunteer Infantry and served for about nine months in the Philippines.

On the 27th of March 1897, in Bismarck, North Dakota, Mr. Conklin was united in marriage to Miss Edith Winchester. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party but the honors and emoluments of office have no attraction for him. He attends the Episcopal church and he has membership with the Masonic fraternity. He belongs to the Bismarck Commercial Club, of which he has served as president, and he cooperates in all its plans and measures for the upbuilding and development of the city. In fact he is actively interested in any question which has bearing upon the progress and stable prosperity of the community.

MATT CLOOTEN, is the proprietor of an up-to-date livery at Bismarck and also operates his fine farm, which comprises three-quarters of a section. He was born in Jasper, Minnesota, on the 2d of June 1867, a son of Clements and Delia (Vandeberg) Clooten. The family removed to North Dakota in the fall of 1881 and here the father engaged in farming and later in truck gardening. Both he and his wife are now deceased. To them were born seven sons and two daughters and six of their children are still living.

Matt Clooten has received the greater part of his training in the school of experience as his early educational opportunities were limited. He worked with his father until he was married, at the age of twenty-three years, and then began farming on his own account. He continued to concentrate his energies upon agricultural pursuits until April 1911, when he entered the livery business in Bismarck, since which time he has given much of his attention to his interests along that line. He still, however, operates his farm of four hundred and eighty acres and derives therefrom a handsome return. He makes his home in Bismarck and is recognized as one of the substantial residents of the city.

On the 6th of April, 1890, Mr. Clooten was united in marriage to Miss Sofia Martinson, a daughter of Christian and Mary Martinson, the latter of whom is still living. To this union have been born the following children: Harry, Louis, Delia, Clements, Elizabeth, Lillian, Agnes, Margaret and Magdalen.

Mr. Clooten is a stanch republican and has been called to office, having served as school director and as a member of the police force. He is connected with the Yeomen, and in religious faith is a Roman Catholic. He finds much pleasure in motoring and hunting, in fact is fond of all forms of outdoor sport. He has thoroughly identified his interests with those of his state and is confident that a great future awaits it.

ROBERT FRANCIS FLINT, In the newer states of the Union, where governments have been organized along modern lines to meet present day needs and keep in touch with present day tendencies, there have been established offices which demand as their occupants men of practical business ability, sound judgment and marked public spirit as well as a knowledge of general political issues.  Such an official is found in Robert Francis Flint, of Bismarck, now commissioner of agriculture and labor for North Dakota. He is a western man by birth, training and experience and knows the needs and demands of the west. His birth occurred upon a farm in Morrison county, Minnesota, January 13, 1872. His father, Francis Flint, was a native of Stafford, Vermont, born in 1846, but in childhood accompanied his parents on their removal to Minnesota, where he was reared. In early manhood he wedded Jennie Russell, a native of Scotland, who had also been taken to Minnesota during her childhood days. The ancestry of the Flint family can be traced back to Thomas Flint, a native of Wales, who in 1640 left that little rock ribbed country and faced the dangers then incident to the long voyage across the Atlantic in a sailing vessel. He became one of the first settlers of Salem Village, Massachusetts, now known as South Danvers and his descendants in the new world are numerous. Among the number was Francis Flint, father of Robert F. Flint, who at the time of the Civil war proved his loyalty to his country by enlisting in the Second Minnesota Light Artillery, which he joined on the 14th of January 1862, when a youth of but sixteen years. He served until August 16, 1865, when, the war having ended, he was honorably discharged at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He was captured near Franklin, Tennessee, and for four months was incarcerated in Libby prison, so that he had all of the experiences of life in that loathsome prison pen. During his service he was promoted to the rank of corporal.  Death claimed him October 23, 1908, and in his passing the community in which he lived lost a most valued and worthy citizen.

Robert Francis Flint spent his youth in his native state, attending the public schools and assisting in the work of his father’s farm until he attained his majority. At that time he secured employment in the store and creamery at Royalton, Minnesota, where he remained until July 1899, when the opportunities of North Dakota attracted him and he made his way to Hanover, Oliver county. There he established the first creamery in the county and soon afterward went to New Salem, North Dakota, where he managed a creamery for five years. His practical experience in this connection led to his selection for dairy commissioner, to which office he was appointed in 1905. He carefully directed the duties of the position and organized the department upon practical lines of far-reaching and beneficial effect. He continued to fill that position until January 1915, when he was elected commissioner of agriculture and labor and is now filling the position, in which he manifests the same thoroughness and sagacity that he displayed in his former connections.

On the 20th of February 1900, at Mandan, North Dakota, Mr. Flint was married to Miss Camille St. Cyr. Mrs. Flint’s father, Abner St. Cyr, was a Civil war veteran, serving with the rank of lieutenant in a company of the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry.  While at the front he was badly wounded in the siege of Vicksburg, which incapacitated him.  for further service in the field. He died in 1886. To Mr. and Mrs. Flint has been born a son, Robert Jerome, whose birth occurred November 18, 1912.  Mr. Flint is a Master Mason, loyal to the teachings and purposes of the fraternity.  He makes his official duties his first interest, however, and is continually studying in order to make the work of the department more efficient and of greater value to the general public.  The worth of his work is widely acknowledged and receives the high endorsement of state officials and the commonwealth.

CHARLES GLITSCHKA, who is conducting a well patronized amusement parlor in Bismarck, was born in Carver, Minnesota, on the 28th of January 1863, a son of William and Elizabeth Glitschka. In 1877 the family came to North Dakota and settled at Bismarck, where the father engaged in merchandising until his death on New Year’s day, 1808. His wife is also deceased. They were the parents of nine children, four sons and five daughters.

Charles Glitschka was educated in the public schools and when fourteen years of age began his business career, becoming connected with merchandising at that time. He continued to follow mercantile pursuits in Bismarck until February 1914, when he sold his store, and he has since devoted his time and attention to the conduct of an amusement parlor.  His place is well equipped and is accorded a representative and profitable patronage. He also has the agency for the Hollier eight-cylinder motor and owns considerable real estate in North Dakota.

Mr. Glitschka is an adherent of the democratic party and fraternally is a Knight of Pythias and an Elk. At the time of the Spanish-American war he served as clerk in Company A, First North Dakota Volunteers. He went with the regiment to the Philippines and was at the front for seventeen months, serving during a year of that time as clerk. His command was in much hard fighting and he saw a great deal of active service. He has resided in North Dakota for almost four decades and during that time has seen a development little short of marvelous. When he accompanied his parents to Bismarck in 1877 there was only a small town of tents and log cabins that gave little promise of developing into the capital city of today. At that time the white settlement ceased at the Missouri river and even in the eastern part of the state the pioneer villages were so far apart that each community had to rely almost entirely on itself for protection from the Indians. These hard conditions of early life developed in the settlers unusual hardihood and self-reliance. That our subject was a true son of the frontier is indicated by the fact that when but a boy he made a trip of one hundred and twenty-five miles during extremely cold weather and bought three thousand dollars worth of furs for his father, who was engaged in the fur business. He was caught in a severe storm and, to make matters worse, his horse gave out and it took him eleven days to make the trip, but he was undaunted by difficulties and at length reached home in safety.  He has always retained a love of outdoor life and of manly sports, such as fishing and hunting, and he likewise finds great pleasure in motoring. He has thoroughly identified his interests with those of the state and no movement seeking its advancement or development lacks his heartiest support.

HARVEY HARRIS, who as a member of the constitutional convention and of the joint commission that divided Dakota left his impress indelibly upon the history of the state, resided for many years in Bismarck, where he established his home in 1883. He was born in Oxford, Butler county, Ohio, December 13, 1852, and passed away in North Dakota’s capital May 16, 1900. His parents were John H. and Mary A. (Rose) Harris, who were natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively. The father was a farmer and both he and his wife were held in high esteem in the community in which they lived because of their sterling traits of character.

Harvey Harris acquired his education in the public schools of his native county and at an early age entered upon a professional career as a teacher in the schools of Butler county, proving notably successful in that connection owing to the readiness and clearness with which he imparted to others the knowledge that he had acquired. Later he engaged in merchandising in Oxford but the opportunities of the west attracted him and in 1883 he arrived in Bismarck, where he engaged in the real estate and loan business until his death, meeting with substantial success in that connection. He conducted business affairs of importance and negotiated many notable real estate transfers. His efforts were constantly directed through the channels of his business and in other ways toward the upbuilding of both the city and the state of his adoption. He was at the time of his demise one of the county commissioners, having been elected to that office in 1894 and again in 1897. He was deeply interested in the welfare of the public schools and was a member of the board of education for twelve years, while for eight years he served as president of the board. In politics he was a lifelong republican and was a recognized leader in the ranks of his party in North Dakota. He became a very influential member of the constitutional convention and when the division of Dakota was proposed he became a member of the joint commission that brought about that result. He aided largely in shaping the policy of the state during its formative period and his labors in that connection marked a recognition not only of immediate needs but of the opportunities and possibilities of the future.

On the 13th of November 1884, at Oxford, Ohio, Mr. Harris was married to Miss Eliza W. Jackson. He was a consistent member of the Methodist church from early boyhood and was deeply interested in all that pertained to the interests of the local church and the general organization. For many years he served as superintendent of the Sunday school in the Bismarck church and his efforts for moral uplift were of no restricted order, while the results attained are manifest in the lives of many who came under his influence.

HARRY G. HIGGINS, The financial interests of Burleigh county have a worthy representative in Harry G.  Higgins, the present cashier of the Baldwin State Bank and also identified with other business interests in Baldwin, North Dakota. He is a native of Minnesota, his birth having occurred in Lakeland in 1883. His father, John C. Higgins, was born in Ohio and when a young man removed to Minnesota, making his home first in St. Paul, but in the early ‘60s he removed to Stillwater and later to Lakeland, where he engaged in the grain business for eighteen years. At the end of that time he became a resident of Minneapolis and there he is still living. For a short time he was interested in the real estate business in that city but is now serving as superintendent for the Peavy Company, grain dealers. He married Miss Emma A. Getehel, who had removed from Michigan to Minnesota with her parents in pioneer days, the family locating near Stillwater.

Harry G. Higgins is the oldest in a family of six children, four of whom are still living. He was educated in the Minneapolis schools, completing a course in the Minnesota University, from which he received the degree of L. B. in June 1908. Following his graduation he went to Ryder, North Dakota, and entered the law office of B. A. Dickinson, an attorney of that place, with whom he remained for eight months. He then served as assistant cashier of the Citizens State Bank of Ryder until March 1910, at which time he became a resident of Baldwin. In connection with August E. Johnson, Karl Klein and F. E. Funk, all of Washburn, Minnesota, he organized the Baldwin State Bank and has since filled the office of cashier in a most creditable and satisfactory manner. The bank has a capital of ten thousand dollars and a surplus of fifteen hundred dollars. It is one of the most reliable moneyed institutions of that part of the state and does a general banking business. Mr. Higgins is also interested in the real estate business on his own account and as a representative for the firm of Klein & Johnson, land dealers of Washburn, and he is a member of a company of three having the agency for automobiles at Baldwin. He is one of the most energetic and progressive business men of Burleigh county and usually carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.

In November 1911, Mr. Higgins married Miss Alice B. Bacon, a resident of Minneapolis and a daughter of A. A. Bacon, who has been a member and lieutenant of the Minneapolis police force for the past twenty-four years. Mr. and Mrs. Higgins have two children: John and Harry.

Mr. and Mrs. Higgins are members of the Presbyterian church, and the republican party finds in him a stanch supporter of its principles. He has served as school treasurer but has never taken a very active part in political affairs aside from voting. He is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Woodmen of the World and is serving as secretary of both lodges in Baldwin at the present time. As a business man and citizen he commands the respect and esteem of all who know him, and he well merits the success that he has achieved in life.

ALBERT C. HINCKLEY, who is living retired in Bismarck after many years of active life, was born in Lisbon, Maine, on the 5th of March 1848. His parents, Niah and Clarissa Hinckley, are both deceased. The father was a hotel proprietor and farmer.

Albert C. Hinckley attended the public schools and after finishing his education was employed along various lines. In 1881 he removed to Bismarck, North Dakota, and after ranching for a time turned his attention to the cattle business, in which he engaged until the 15th of April 1913, when lie retired. He was an excellent judge of stock, kept thoroughly informed as to the market and derived a good profit from his transactions. For a number of years he also kept a livery barn. He holds title to the Hinckley block in Bismarck and to other valuable real estate and is recognized as one of the substantial residents of his city.

On the 11th of June 1903, occurred the marriage of Mr. Hinckley and Mrs. Nellie Lambert.  He supports the republican party with his ballot and has served as alderman ever since the adoption of the commission form of government. He is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and in his life exemplifies the spirit of the fraternity. He can always be depended upon to give freely of his time and thought to projects seeking the advancement of his community and among his most salient characteristics are progressiveness and public spirit. The large measure of, material prosperity which is his is the direct result of his energy and sound judgment and none begrudges him his success.

GEORGE JUSTIN JOHNSON, filling the position of state bank examiner and making his home at Bismarck, is a western man by birth, training and preference and possesses the enterprising spirit which has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding of the states of the Mississippi valley. He was born in Jefferson, Iowa, June 12, 1878 and is of English descent, although his paternal grandfather was a native of Virginia, showing that the family was founded in the new world in colonial times. His father, Amos Johnson, was born in Delaware, Ohio, and in his youthful days became a resident of Cedar county, Iowa, where he met and married Miss Rachel McBurney a native of Canada. The death of Mr. Johnson occurred in the year 1903.

Spending his youthful days in his native city, George J. Johnson there pursued a public-school education, passing through consecutive grades to the high school, after which he entered a business college of Des Moines. When his course there was completed he was appointed to the position of deputy county auditor of Greene county, Iowa, serving in that capacity for three years. He next entered the City Bank at Jefferson and remained in that connection for three years, at the end of which time he became a resident of North Dakota, removing to Grand Forks, where he was appointed to a position in the loan department of the Union National Bank. A year later he became head bookkeeper in the First National Bank at Crookston, Minnesota, where he continued for a year and on the expiration of that period he returned to Jefferson, Iowa, where he remained until the summer of 1905. Continuing in the banking field, he went to Des Moines as assistant cashier of the Mechanics Savings Bank, which position he filled for three years and then again came to North Dakota. He was elected to the presidency of the Farmers & Merchants Bank at Monango, where he continued until 1913, when he was appointed chief deputy to the state bank examiner. In May 1915, he was advanced to the position of state bank examiner, in which capacity he is now serving. His long experience in connection with the banking business thoroughly qualifies him for the duties that now devolve upon him.

Fraternally Mr. Johnson is an Elk and Mason, being a member of Ellendale Lodge, No. 13, A. F. & A. M., having attained the Scottish Rite degrees and being a member of El Zagal Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S., while his religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and by reason thereof, as well as his ability, he was appointed to the office which he is now capably filling.  He is making an excellent record, discharging his duties with a sense of conscientious obligation that leaves nothing to be desired.

HENRY J. LINDE, attorney general of North Dakota, entered upon the discharge of the duties of this office in January 1915, at which time he removed to Bismarck. His previous experience as a lawyer and lawmaker well prepared him for the onerous and responsible duties that devolved upon him in this connection. He was admitted to the bar in 1906 and throughout the period of his practice followed his profession in this state. However, he is a native of Ridgeway, Iowa, born December 31, 1879. His parents, John 0. and Martha (Brenno) Linde, are still residents of that place. Both are natives of Norway, the former born in 1836. Coming to America in 1858, he established his home in Chicago, where in 1860 he was married. Not long afterward he removed with his bride to Ridgeway, Iowa, where he has now continued to make his home for many years.

In the schools of that city Henry J. Linde pursued his early education, supplemented by study in Luther College at Decorah, Iowa, from which he was graduated in the class of 1901, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree. He then entered the educational field as a teacher, becoming one of the faculty of Park Region Lutheran College at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, occupying the chair of English and science. He spent two years in that institution, after which he entered the University of Minnesota as a law student, completing his course in 1906. Immediately afterward he located for practice at Plaza, North Dakota, where he remained for three years, when he became a member of the bar at Stanley. He was in active practice in that city until January 1915, when he entered upon the duties of his present position. The success which he has attained is due to his own efforts and merits.  The possession of advantages is no guarantee whatever of professional advancement, which comes not of itself nor can it be secured without integrity, ability and industry. These qualities Mr. Linde possesses in an eminent degree and is faithful to every interest committed to his charge. An excellent presence, an earnest manner, marked strength of character, a thorough grasp of the law and the ability to accurately apply its principles made him an effective and successful advocate and are so characterizing his official service that public opinion names him as one of the foremost men who have ever occupied the position of attorney general.

On the 27th of November 1907, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mr. Linde was united in marriage to Miss Julia Martin, a daughter of Ole Martin. His religious faith is that of the Lutheran church and fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Linde has always voted the republican ticket and is a firm believer in the principles and purposes of the party. In 1908 he was elected a member of the state legislature and in 1910 was chosen for the office of state senator for a term of four years. This was followed by his candidacy for the position of attorney general and popular suffrage called him to the office. He manifests marked strength whether in the interpretation of the law as an attorney or in framing laws as a legislator, and his public record has won the high indorsement of his fellow citizens.

JAMES D. MCDONALD, who is living in honorable retirement from the cares of active life in Bismarck, was born in Ontario, Canada, on the 22d of November 1852, a son of Donald and Margaret (Falconer) McDonald. The father engaged in farming and was also postmaster for a considerable period. Both parents have passed away. To them were born five sons and nine daughters, all of whom are still living.

James D. McDonald was educated in the public schools of the Dominion and during his youth also learned the blacksmith’s trade. He remained in his native country until 1876, when he came to the States, arriving in Bismarck, North Dakota, on the 16^th of March. For four years he was in the employ of the Northwestern Transportation Company after which he established a blacksmith’s shop of his own, which he conducted for twenty-five years. He invested his earnings in land and at length took up his residence on his farm in Burleigh county. He personally operated the place for thirteen years and proved very successful as an agriculturist, harvesting large crops, the sale of which yielded him a good income. At length, feeling that he had accumulated a sufficient capital to provide him with the comforts of life during his remaining days, he retired and removed to Bismarck, where he still resides.

In 1881 occurred the marriage of Mr. McDonald and Miss Catherine McCormac, who died in 1891, leaving two sons: Dr. J. A., who is practicing at Cando, North Dakota; and Donald, residing in Wyoming. In 1894 Mr. McDonald was again married, Miss Catherine Brady becoming his wife.

Mr. McDonald is a stalwart republican and has served as a member of the city council for thirteen years and as a member of the school board for nine years. Fraternally he belongs to the Yeomen and to the Modern Woodmen of America, and in religion he is a Roman Catholic. During the forty years of his residence in North Dakota he has seen the greater part of its development and believes firmly that still greater prosperity is in store for the commonwealth. He has a wide acquaintance in Bismarck, and his worth is indicated by the fact that those who have been most closely associated with him hold him in the highest esteem.

GEORGE WHITCOMB NEWTON, for many years an active, able and distinguished member of the bar, is now living retired in Bismarck, in which city he took up his abode during territorial days, remaining an active practitioner there until a recent date. He was born at Swanton, Vermont, February 12, 1838, a son of Silas Whitcomb and Charlotte Amanda (Smith) Newton, both of whom were natives of the Green Mountain state and representatives of old colonial families. The Newton family was founded in the new world by Richard Newton, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of George W. Newton, who came from England during the early period of the new world colonization. Alvin Newton, the great-grandfather in the paternal line, was a member of a Massachusetts regiment of Continental soldiers in the Revolutionary war and was present at the battle of Concord, while John Austin, great-grandfather in the maternal line, was also one of those who fought for the independence of the nation. The paternal grandfather, Alvin Newton, was a soldier of the War of 1812. The family has through many generations been one of prominence in Vermont and in that state the parents of Mr. Newton continued their residence until called to their final rest.

Reared in Vermont, George W. Newton completed his literary education by graduation from the Thetford Academy of Orange county, Vermont, as a member of the class of 1860. The succeeding two years were devoted to the study of law and in 1863 he was admitted to the bar, after which he located for practice in Franklin county, Vermont, where he successfully engaged in the prosecution of his profession until 1883. The growing northwest attracted him, however, and in that year he removed to Bismarck, Dakota territory, where he opened a law office and soon won recognition as one of the foremost members of the North Dakota bar. He argued many cases and lost but few. His course in the courtroom was characterized by a calmness and dignity that indicated reserve strength and his handling of a case was always full, comprehensive and accurate. He saw without effort the relation and dependence of the facts and so grouped them as to enable him to throw their combined force upon the point they tended to prove. His briefs always showed wide research, careful thought and the best and strongest reasons which could be urged for his contention, presented in cogent and logical form and characterized by a style unusually lucid and clear.

Mr. Newton has been twice married. On the 9th of May 1866, in Vermont, he wedded Miss Mary L. Skeels, who passed away in Bismarck, North Dakota, March 27, 1906, leaving three sons, as follows: William Skeels Newton, of Seattle, Washington; George Gordon Newton, of Superior, Wisconsin; and John Henry Newton, of Mandan, North Dakota.  On the 22d of February 1913, in Fargo, North Dakota, Mr. Newton was again married, his second union being with Elizabeth D. Young nee Moore, the widow of John Young.

Fraternally Mr. Newton is a Master Mason, while his religious faith is that of the Congregational church. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party but he has neither sought nor held any office outside the strict path of his profession and even then has cared little to fill public positions. However, in 1874 he was made states attorney of Franklin county, Vermont, and occupied that position for two years. He remained in the active practice of his profession in Bismarck until 1914, when he retired, for he has passed the seventy-seventh milestone on life’s journey. To him have come “the blest accomplishments of age—honor, riches, troops of friends.”

FRANK E. PACKARD, Among the state officers of North Dakota is numbered Frank E. Packard, who is filling the position of chairman of the tax commission by appointment of Governor Burke. He has long been recognized as a prominent republican, but with him citizenship transcends party lines and devotion to the public welfare is one of his marked characteristics. His loyalty to his country was manifest by service in the Spanish-American war and has found tangible expression in many ways during his connection with North Dakota.  Mr. Packard was born on a farm in Wright county, Iowa, November 18, 1873. His father, Frank D. Packard, a native of Massachusetts, was born in 1849 and at the time of the Civil war he served for six months in the Iowa volunteer infantry, although but a young lad in his teens when he joined the army. His father, Cyrenus Packard, was also a veteran of the Civil war, enlisting early in 1862 as a member of Company H, Thirty-second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he held the rank of first lieutenant. He was in command of his company when killed at the battle of Little Rock, Arkansas. Frank D. Packard was united in marriage to Miss Harriett J. Olden, a native of New Jersey, who died in the year 1874. The father long survived and in 1900 came to North Dakota, settling at Grand Forks, where he passed away in April 1914.

Their son, Frank E. Packard, spent his youthful days under the parental roof and supplemented a public school education by study in Hamline University at St. Paul, Minnesota, from which he was graduated with the class of 1901. In the meantime the same spirit of patriotic loyalty which had characterized his father and his grandfather was manifested by his enlistment in April 1898, for service in the Spanish-American war with the Thirteenth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He was in the Philippines on active duty for a year, participating in the capture of Manila and in other military operations in the islands, which resulted in quelling the incipient rebellion there. In October 1899, he was honorably discharged at San Francisco and returned to his home in Wadena, Minnesota. He then continued his education by entering Hamline University, from which, as stated, he was graduated in 1901. He then engaged in newspaper work, and was associated with the Pioneer Press and the Minneapolis Journal. In 1902 he went to Crookston, Minnesota, and edited the Journal and in 1905 he was associated with the Grand Forks Herald. Then in 1906 he helped organize the Times. In 1907 he went to Valley City and edited and was also owner and business manager of the Times Record. He remained there until his appointment on the tax commission by the governor in 1912.

On the 16th of September 1903, in Crookston, Minnesota, Mr. Packard was united in marriage to Miss Beulah R. Richardson, by whom he has two children. Beryl L. and Clare G. Mr. Packard is a Presbyterian in religious belief and his political opinions are those of the republican party. The only public office he has held is that which he is now filling, having in July 1912, received from Governor Burke the appointment as tax commissioner for a term of five years. He is making a most creditable record in office, discharging his duties with promptness and fidelity, his work being performed in a capable, thorough and systematic manner. He has made it his purpose to study the questions relating to the office most carefully and his opinions are the result of sound judgment and wise discrimination.

REUBEN NELSON STEVENS, is engaged in the private practice of law in Bismarck and his record shows that while he has argued many cases he has lost but few. No one better knows the necessity for thorough preparation or more industriously prepares for the presentation of his cause before the court, and his handling of a case is always full, comprehensive and accurate, while his analysis of the facts is clear and comprehensive. He has filled various official positions where his legal knowledge has been called into play and has thus aided in shaping the course of the commonwealth.

Mr. Stevens is a native of New York, his birth having occurred in Orleans county, August 10, 1858. His father, Stephen Stevens, was born in Genesee county, New York, in 1808 and wedded Elizabeth Jane Grindell, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1861 they removed westward to Pekin, Illinois, and afterward took up their abode upon a farm in Menard county, that state, where their remaining days were passed, the father departing this life in 1872, while the death of the mother occurred in 1882.  Reuben N. Stevens was but a young lad at the time of the removal to Illinois, so that his early education was acquired in the common schools of that state. He studied law at Petersburg, Illinois, and in February, 1882, he removed to North Dakota, settling in Fargo, hater he took up his abode at Lisbon, where he engaged in law practice from 1883 until 1890. He was then appointed assistant attorney of the department of justice to consider Indian depredations and went to Washington, D. C, where he remained in the discharge of his official duties through the Harrison administration and the first year of President Cleveland’s administration. In 1894 he came to Bismarck and assumed the editorship of the Bismarck Tribune, a daily paper of which he thus had charge for two years. On the expiration of that period he resumed the practice of law, which he followed uninterruptedly until 1900, when he was again called upon for public service through appointment to the position of United States commissioner of the Nome district of Alaska, remaining in that country in the discharge of his duties until 1903. Upon his return to Bismarck he again entered upon active law practice and was connected with much important litigation tried in the courts of the state until 1911, when on the 17^th of March he assumed the duties of register of the United States land office, so continuing for four years or until May 1915.  In his retirement he again entered upon the private practice of law, in which connection he is accorded a large and distinctive representative clientage.  His public service, however, covers a still broader field than already indicated, for he was made a member of the North Dakota constitutional convention which met at Bismarck in July 1899. Ten years prior to that time, or in 1889, he was made chairman of the committee sent to Washington to secure statehood for North Dakota and after its admission to the Union he was four times elected to represent his district in the general assembly, proving a most active and able working member of the house of representatives, in which he served on various important committees, while upon the floor of the house he did much to shape legislation.

Mr. Stevens has been twice married. On the 6th of April 1870, at Petersburg, Illinois, he wedded Miss Sarah E. Rourke, who passed away in 1890, leaving three children, as follows: Clara E.; Emma J. who is the wife of Ralph D. Ward, of Garrison, North Dakota; and Mary J., at home. On the 9th of May 1896, in Bismarck, North Dakota, Mr. Stevens was again married, his second union being with Miss Mary H, Rourke, a cousin of his first wife.

Fraternally Mr. Stevens is identified with the York Rite Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. No history of North Dakota would be complete without reference to Reuben Nelson Stevens, so closely has he been identified with its progress and .so important have been his activities as an official and in the strict path of his profession. He has studied closely public conditions, the needs, demands and opportunities of the state, and with singleness of purpose has worked for the benefit of the commonwealth, his labors being directly resultant in placing North Dakota in the prominent position which it occupies.