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C.F. BECKER

The most elaborate history is necessarily an abridgment, the historian being compelled to select his facts and materials from a multitude of details. So in every life of honor and usefulness the biographer finds no dearth of incident, and yet in summing up the career of any man the writer needs touch only the most salient points, giving only the keynote of the character, but eliminating much that is superfluous. Consequently, in calling the reader's attention to the life record of the worthy gentleman whose name heads this paragraph no attempt shall be made to recount all the important acts in his useful life, nor recite every interesting incident in his commendable career, for it is deemed that only a few of them will suffice to show him to be eminently worthy of a place in this volume along with his fellows of high standing and recognized worth.

C.F. Becker, the well-known and well-liked cashier of the Citizens State Bank at Elgin, Fayette county, was born two and one-fourth miles east of Arlington, Fairfield township, this county, on July 30, 1860, and he is the son of Frederick and Sophia (Miller) Becker, an honored and influential family of that place, the father having been born in Gutenburg, Germany, and the mother at Eospringer, Baden, Germany. The father came to America when only fourteen years of age, unaccompanied, located first at Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained three years, then came to Fayette county, Iowa, where he soon got a good start and he has since resided continuously in this county, now having a good farm and a very pleasant home. His wife was seventeen years old when she came to the United States, having accompanied her brother here, they coming direct to Fayette county, Iowa, and here she grew to maturity, received her education and met and married Mr. Becker.

C.F. Becker received the advantages of a liberal education, having attended the common schools of his native community, later taking a preparatory course at the Upper Iowa University at Fayette and then attended the academy at Iowa City. Deciding on a business career, after having worked at farming on the home place during the summers of many years, he went to Poughkeepsie, New York, and took a commercial course, graduating there with an excellent record in 1882. He soon afterwards returned to Fayette county, Iowa, then went to Grand Island, Nebraska, where he clerked for some time, then came to Clermont, Iowa, and clerked there about eight years, then in September, 1892, he became cashier of the Citizens' State Bank at Elgin, Fayette county, and has continued to worthily and satisfactorily discharged the duties of that responsible position to the present time, the numerous patrons of this popular bank ever finding him obliging and courteous and well qualified by education and innate ability to fill such an important place. He has been very successful in a business way and he is a stockholder and treasurer of the Elgin Canning Company, a large and growing concern of this place.

Mr. Becker was married on May 13, 1885, to Alice A. Ford, of an excellent and well established family at Clermont, this county, where she was reared and educated and where she has a wide circle of friends. To Mr. and Mrs. Becker the following interesting family has been born: Ray A. graduated from the medical department of the Iowa State University in 1910, where he made an excellent record and is exceptionally well equipped for his chosen calling. Harry F. Becker is living on his father's farm, devoting his attention to agriculture; Clarence and Lewis F. are also members of the family circle.

Fraternally, Mr. Becker is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and also the Legion of Honor. Politically, he is a Republican and he has been school director of his district for many years. No man in this part of the county stands higher in public esteem than Mr. Becker, having always led a life of uprightness and been strictly honest in all the relations of life, besides aiding in any way possible the advancement of his community.

~Transcribed for  Fayette Co. IAGenWeb by Steve Boeding