Trails-to-the-Past-Minnesota-Freeborn-Biographies-Progressive-Men

Minneapolis Journal 1897

CLEMENT STANISLAUS EDWARDS. The early history of Clement Stanislaus Edwards contains a mystery, which thus far he has never been able to solve. When about fifteen months old he was left by a lady who claimed to be his mother with a family consisting of a widow and three children in Chatham, New Brunswick, Dominion of Canada. The lady who left him there stated that she was his mother: that this family had been recommended by the bishop of the diocese; that she wished good care taken of him until her return, and that she was about to start to India where her husband had gone as an officer in the British army. She stated that her child was born March 4, 1869. She never returned and Mr. Edwards has never been able to secure any further information regarding his parents. He learned to look upon the humble people with whom he had been left as his kinsfolk, and this delusion on his part was encouraged. At the end of six years he was placed at a private school for three years, and later at a day school conducted by the Christian Brothers. The first year Clement won a prize providing for a year’s tuition and boarding, and all the privileges of the academy on St. Michael’s Mount. He spent the next year in that boarding school, where he made such progress that he was allowed to remain a second year. He was now about twelve years of age, and, being of an adventurous disposition, he went to New York City whither the children of the widow with whom he that grown up, had preceded him. He found their circumstances such that it was necessary for him to rely upon his own resources, and about this time he learned also of the death of their mother, who had always been the personification of kindness and love towards him. This sad blow took from him his only friend.

Alone in the great city, without money or friends, he secured employment as a cash boy in a large dry goods store, his compensation being two dollars a week, upon which he was obliged to live. After a short time he found employment as a clerk for a real estate broker with the more liberal compensation of three dollars a week, and correspondingly greater luxury in his mode of living. He remained in this position for about a year, when through a disagreement with his employer he left his service, and finding himself without food or shelter he acted upon the advice given on a street sign, upon which he read, “Children’s Aid Society,” and applied for assistance. He was informed that this assistance consisted in transportation out West, and a chance to find a home. He, along with a considerable assignment of stranded humanity, accepted this aid, and on the following day started with an officer of the society for Albert Lea, where they arrived November 17, 1881. The children were taken to the courthouse where was assembled a large company of farmers, some having come a hundred miles to make a selection of a son or a daughter among these waifs. Clement was selected by a man from Caledonia, but he was weary of travel and preferred rather to remain with G. O. Slocum, of Albert Lea, who proposed to take him into his home to work for his board and schooling.

Mr. Slocum’s house was his home for a number of years, where he was encouraged in his studies and permitted to make the most of every opportunity. He was an apt scholar, and after passing through the various grades, including one year’s attendance at the high school, he secured employment in the office of the Freeborn County Standard, where he learned the art of printing. Later he served an apprenticeship in Minneapolis on the Daily Market Record, being employed by Col. Rogers, the publisher of that paper, for about three years. Clement had practiced careful economy with a view to taking a college course, and in 1888 entered Parker College, at Winnebago City, where he remained two years, preparing for the ministry. While there he regularly filled the pulpit in the Free Will Baptist church at Janesville.

In 1890 he entered Hillsdale College, Michigan, for the purpose of continuing his preparation for the ministry, but, having in the meantime concluded to adopt the legal profession, and an opportunity presenting itself to take up his legal studies, he returned to Albert Lea and began the study of law in the office of Lovely & Morgan, in January, 1891 he was admitted to the bar April 3, 1894 and at once entered into partnership with Hon. John A. Lovely. In the spring of 1895 he was elected city attorney of Albert Lea, which position he now holds. A few months later the partnership of Lovely & Edwards was dissolved by mutual consent. Mr. Edwards is an active and loyal Republican, was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in college; also occupied the chair of Chancellor Commander, and is at present District Deputy Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. He is first lieutenant of Company I. National Guards, and is a member of the Albert Lea Presbyterian church. He was married September 12, 1894 to Harriet, daughter of Victor Gillrup mayor of Albert Lea.

JOHN LA PORTE GIBBS The present Lieutenant-Governor of Minnesota is John La Porte Gibbs. Mr. Gibbs was born of Colonial ancestry. His progenitors were pioneers of the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut, his father’s ancestors having settled in the former, and the mother’s in the latter, over two hundred years ago. In the long and fierce struggle for American independence, both the great grandfather and the grandfather of our subject were active participants, serving in a Massachusetts regiment. Grandfather Elijah Gibbs was a successful and wealthy farmer, and left his children well provided for. His son Eli, the father of the subject of this sketch, also followed the occupation of farming, and was in addition engaged in the lumbering business on the Susquehanna river. He acquired considerable property, but failed just previous to his death by having become responsible for promissory notes of a large amount. His death was by accidental drowning in the Susquehanna river, July 3, 1855. His wife’s maiden name was Caroline Atwood.

Their son John was born in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, May 3, 1838. The lad lived on his father’s farm and attended the district schools of his native county. He graduated from this institution in his twenty-second year, and immediately went to Ann Arbor, entering the law department of the University of Michigan. He graduated from this department a year later, and came West to carve out his fortune. He first crossed the Mississippi river at Rock Island, Illinois, and having no money in pocket or friends to aid him, set out from this point on foot through the Hawkeye state, working at such odd jobs of employment as he could secure. He finally wandered into Albert Lea, Minnesota, at that time but a small village, and secured a position as school teacher. His talents, having become recognized he was elected the fall of the following year (1862) county attorney. A year later he was elected on the Republican ticket to the lower house of the legislature, representing the counties of Freeborn, Steele and Waseca. Since that time Mr. Gibbs has been a representative of his district in the legislature five different times. He has been one of the most prominent members of that body, and has been the author of a large amount of important legislation. He was elected speaker of the house in the session of 1877, and again in 1885.

In 1887 Governor McGill appointed him a member of the railroad commission, and he was re-appointed the ensuing term by Governor Merriam. In 1896 he was nominated by the Republicans to the office of lieutenant-governor, and was elected. Though having taken up the study of law for the purpose of making that his profession, Mr. Gibbs has never engaged in its practice. Shortly after his location at Albert Lea he “took tip” a farm, and aside from his duties to the state, the occupation of an agriculturist has been his vocation since settling in the North Star state. He is the owner of a large farm near Geneva, in Freeborn County, which is twelve miles from the nearest railroad’ station. His farm has been conducted on the most improved scientific methods, and it is at present one of the most prosperous farms in Southern Minnesota. Dairying, however, is his chief specialty, and he is recognized as one of the best authorities on that subject in the state. He has lectured at various times before farmers’ institutes, contributing of his practical and scientific knowledge on this subject to the benefit of his brother agriculturists. Starting without a cent, Mr. Gibbs has now become one of the successful and prosperous citizens of the North Star state. He is prominent in the counsels of the Republican party, with which he has always affiliated, and is highly respected in the community in which he lives, as well as in the state at large, for his genial qualities and for the push and enterprise which he has exhibited in his business life. In 1868 he was married to Mrs. Martha P. Robson, widow of Captain James Robson, of the Tenth Minnesota, who was killed in the fall of 1862. They have no children.

ARTHUR EMMETT RANSOM A good many disappointments have followed the entertainment of the hope that someday a fortune might be realized from the representations of attorneys who claimed to have discovered the existence of large fortunes in European countries to which American heirs were entitled. A. E. Ransom, however, is one of the heirs to a fortune of eighteen million pounds sterling lying in the Bank of England, about the existence of which there is no doubt, but to which the Ransom family in America have as yet been unable to establish clear title.

Mr. Ransom is a native of Concord, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, where he was born September 30, 1866, the son of Nathaniel C. Ransom and Catherine Olivia Coggins (Ransom). Nathaniel is now a resident of Milwaukee. He was a member of the Forty-seventh Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers, Company H, and to his efforts in a large degree is due the progress made thus far in establishing the title of the Ransom family to the English property. The Ransoms came from England in the early part of the Eighteenth century.

Arthur E. was educated in the public schools of Wisconsin and the state university. He graduated from the high schools at Unity, Wisconsin, in 1883, receiving first honors and the prize for oratory. He entered the state university with the class of 1888, in his eighteenth year. He was a student at Madison when that institution was under the direction of President J. W. Bascom. While at the university he took a very active interest in the work in the military department, which was in charge of a regular army officer, thus insuring the best of discipline, and has been almost continually connected with the national guard work ever since.

He became a member of Company E, of the Second Regiment, located at Fond du Lac, then joined the Sheridan Guard, Company A, of Milwaukee, remaining with them until the organization of Company H, Fourth Regiment, Milwaukee, of which he was made captain. In 1893 Major Ransom moved to Albert Lea. He was elected captain of Company I, Second Infantry, but resigned on December 15, 1895, on account of business which kept him almost constantly away from home, and accepted the position of aide-de-camp on the staff of Governor Clough, with the rank of major. While in Milwaukee, prior to his removal to Albert Lea, Mr. Ransom was engaged in the capacity of private secretary to Mr. Rockwell, of the Rockwell Manufacturing Company. Upon his removal to Albert Lea, he became identified with the Ransom Bros. Company, wholesale grocers, as traveling salesman. He is widely acquainted in Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. He had spent some time in studying law with the intention of making that his profession, but gave it up for the mercantile business.

In that connection he became an expert accountant, and at one time had charge of the English course and bookkeeping department of the McDonald Business Academy, in Milwaukee. His first dollar was earned by teaching school at Thorpe, Wisconsin, in 1883. In the fall of 1894, Mr. Ransom formed a partnership with Senator T. V. Knatvold and H. C. Koontz, known as the Ransom-Knatvold Manufacturing Company, for the manufacture of pipes. This business was sold within a year to Chicago buvers. He was chosen Chief of Police at Albert Lee during 1895, and his administration of that department of public service has been regarded as highly successful. During the summer of 1896 the Albert Lea Gas Machine Manufacturing Company was organized and Mr. Ransom was made superintendent and general manager.

Mr. Ransom has always been an enthusiastic Republican. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, became captain of Division No. 21, Uniform Rank, at Albert Lea in 1894, and in February, 1896, was unanimously elected major of the Second Battalion, First Regiment. At the encampment of the Uniform Rank, in Minneapolis, in September, 1896, he was again promoted, receiving every vote for colonel of the First Regiment. He is an enthusiastic member of Browning Tent, No. 28, Knights of the Maccabees, holding the position of Deputy Supreme Commander in Minnesota, and on February 1, 1897, takes up the duties of Supreme State Deputy of Northern Iowa, having been appointed by Supreme Commander D. P. Markey. He is a member of the Minnesota Veterans’ Association. On April 11, 1887, Mr. Ransom was married at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to Miss Tillie Gilman. They have four children, three sons and one daughter.

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