Elmer Hunt

HUNT, COLSTON, DETTY

Posted By: Deb barker (email)
Date: 10/16/2005 at 19:31:53

The Story of Iowa, Pg 760-761; Vol. IV
ELMER L HUNT- After a long and distinguished career as an attorney at law, Elmer L Hunt is one of the outstanding citizens of Creston, the seat of Union County. He is not only a former county attorney of Union County, but also a former attorney in the World War II period- For the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D C., and various Western and Middle Western cities. Mr Hunt is prominently active in legal organizations and in the Masonic fraternity, as well as in Creston’s civic life.
Born at Eldon, in Wapello County, on October 18, 1892, Elmer L Hunt is the son of the late Reverend Charles E Hunt and Clara B (Colston) Hunt. His father, a native of Chequest, Davis County, was a minister of the Christian church for more than a half century and served as State Evangelist in Iowa, Texas, and New Mexico. He held numerous pastorates in those states and was renowned in the church. He died, in 1939, at the age of 72. The attorney’s mother, Clara B Colston Hunt, was born in Bloomfield, seat of Davis County, in 1865. She makes her home in Eldon.
Elmer Hunt spent most of his early life in Davis County, where he began his education in the rural schools. In 1912 he was graduated from the Iowa City Academy. Afterward, he spent 2 years as a liberal arts major at the State University of Iowa, also in Iowa City, and then prepared for the legal profession at drake University School of Law in Des Moines. He was awarded his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1921.
Admitted to the Iowa State Bar the following year, he began his practice in Creston May 1922. He has been active in the community ever since except for the 5 years in World War II when he served as attorney for the National Labor Relations Board. He was appointed to the board office in April, 1942, and served not only in the national capital but also in the regional offices at Denver, Kansas City and Saint Louis. As he had accepted only a war service appointment, he resigned on October 1, 1946, to return to his private practice in Creston. His office is at 121 West Adams Street in that city. In 1924 Mr Hunt served as County Attorney of Union County. He is also a member of the Union County Bar Association, the Third Iowa Judicial District Bar Association, the Iowa State Bar Association; the Blue lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; the Order of the Eastern Star; the Creston Chamber of Commerce and Phi Alpha Delta, the legal fraternity. In Politics he is a Republican and in religion a Baptist. Stamp Collecting and photography are his hobbies.
On December 18, 1936, Mr Hunt married Geneva Detty, the daughter of William and Caroline Detty, both of whom are natives of Bedford, Iowa, but who now reside at Des Moines. Mrs Hunt, who was born at Bedford, is active in the work of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Baptist Church. She and Mr Hunt are the parents of Betty Hunt, who was born on August 9, 1946, and Carol, born November 4, 1949.