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BIOGRAPHIES
Iowa State Board of Education
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State Board of Education
1) Willard C. Stuckslager; 2) Anna B.
Lawther; 3) George T. Baker; 4) C. C. Sheakley; 5)
William H. Gemmill (Secretary); 6) Edw. P. Schoentgen;
7) J. W. Bowdish (member of finance committee); 8)
Claude R. Porter; 9) Wm. R. Boyd (member of finance
committee); 10) Gen. W. Godfrey; 11) Pauline L. Devitt;
12) Henry C. Shull |
GEORGE T. BAKER
Member of Board of Education, was born July 9, 1857, on a farm in Iowa county,
Iowa. He was educated in the district schools of Iowa, Hall's school for boys,
at Ellington, Conn., McClain's academy at Iowa City, and the Iowa state
university. He remained one year at the state university and then completed four
years of special work in civil engineering at Cornell university, Ithaca, class
of 1879. During the years from 1879 to 1889 he was engaged in railway location,
construction and maintenance work, after which he was chief engineer for the
high bridges built across the Mississippi river at Muscatine and Clinton, and
consulting engineer of the high bridge at Winona, Minn. From 1893 until January,
1910, he was engaged in general construction work on railways, paving, sewerage,
water works, and heavy building construction. Served as a member of the general
assembly in the twenty-sixth regular and special session, was a member of the
house of representatives from Scott county, was elected mayor of the city of
Davenport in 1898, serving two years and was delegate at large to the democratic
national convention in 1900. A democrat in politics.
PAULINE LEWELLING DEVITT
Member of Board of Education, born April 10, 1877, in the girl's department of
the Iowa State Reform school which her father and mother, Lorenzo D. and Angie
Cook Lewelling had recently organized near Mt. Pleasant. In 1887, shortly after
the death of Mrs. Lewelling, Mr. Lewelling, then president of the board of the
State Teachers college, moved his family to Kansas of which state he was elected
Governor in 1892. The daughter, Pauline, was graduated from the Wichita high
school and from the State University of Kansas and then taught for four years in
the high schools of that state. In 1901 she was united in marriage to James
Arthur Devitt of Oskaloosa, Iowa, at that time county attorney for Mahaska
county. To this union was born three children who have the distinction of being
third generation Hawkeye's. Mrs. Devitt was president of the Iowa Equal Suffrage
association in 1919 when a special session of the legislature ratified the
federal suffrage amendment. During the was she was appointed by Governor Harding
a member of the state council of defense and served also as sixth district
chairman of the liberty loan committee. In 1920 she was delegate-at-large to the
national republican convention. At the time of her appointment to the state
board of education in 1921 she was a member of the local school board in
Oskaloosa. In 1926-27 she served as vice president of the state conference of
social work and in 1927 was reappointed by Governor Hammill to the state board
of education.
GEORGE W. GODFREY
Member of Board of Education, residence Algona, was born at Luverne, Iowa, in
1883. Graduated from Luverne high school in 1899, from Cornell college academy
in 1905, and from Iowa State college in 1909. Received master's degree in
agriculture from Iowa State college in 1921. Awarded master farmer medal by
Wallace's Farmer in 1927. Except for one year teaching at Iowa State college,
1919-20, and three winters in agricultural extension work, chief vocation has
been farming.
ANNA B. LAWTHER
Member of Board of Education, born in Dubuque, Iowa, the daughter of William
Lawther and Annie Elizabeth (Bell) Lawther. Her grandparents were among the
earliest settlers of the state. Received early education in public schools of
Dubuque and prepared for college at Miss Stevens' school, Germantown, Pa.
Received her bachelor of arts degree from Bryn Mawr college in 1897. The year
following her graduation she became assistant bursar of Bryn Mawr college. From
1904 to 1905 she was the warden of Merion Hall, Bryn Mawr college, and from 1907
to 1912 she was the secretary of Bryn Mawr college. After resigning her position
at her alma mater Miss Lawther returned to Dubuque where she became interested
in local activities. During the campaign for equal suffrage in the spring of
1916, Miss Lawther was the chairman of the Dubuque County Equal Suffrage league
and in the autumn of the same year was elected president of the Iowa Equal
Suffrage association and was twice re-elected to that position. She was a member
of the state council of defense during the war. When presidential suffrage was
granted to the women of Iowa by the thirty-eighth general assembly, Miss Lawther
was made the democratic national committeewoman for Iowa. Was sent as a delegate
to the democratic national convention at San Francisco in 1920. She is at
present the democratic national committeewoman for Iowa.
CLAUDE R. PORTER
Member of the Board of Education, was born at Moulton, Iowa, July 8, 1872.
Educated in the Centerville schools, Parsons college at Fairfield and St. Louis
law school. Admitted to the bar in 1893. Practiced law in Centerville for years,
became prominent as a worker in the democratic party. Member of the Iowa house
of representatives 1896 to 1900 and of the Iowa senate 1900 to 1904. Democratic
candidate for secretary of state in 1898, for governor in 1908, 1910 and 1918
and for United States senator 1908, 1909, 1911, 1920 and 1926. U.S. attorney
southern district of Iowa, 1914-1918; assistant attorney general in charge of
criminal business 1918, 1919; chief counsel federal trade commission July, 1919
to October 1, 1920. Removed to Des Moines and engaged in the practice of law.
Member of the Presbyterian church.
EDWARD P. SCHOENTGEN
Member of Board of Education, born August 16, 1873, in Council Bluffs. Attended
local school until 12 years of age. Then attended an academy in Milwaukee, Wis.,
later entering the manual training school in Washington university, St. Louis.
In 1891 he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Boston, taking
the course in architecture, receiving the degree of S.B. in architecture in
1895. He then studied abroad two years in Paris, France, at the Ecole des Beaux
arts as a pupil of Jean Louis Pascal, Member L'Institute, and a government
architect. The balance of the time was spent in the French provinces and Italy.
Returning to this country, he was identified with architectural work in St.
Louis and in 1899 opened an office in Council Bluffs, practicing in that city
during the next ten years. He then relinquished the practice of his profession
and became actively connected with the wholesale grocery form of Groneweg &
Schoentgen company. He was married in 1901 to Miss Mabel Pratt, of Des Moines,
daughter of M.M. Pratt. In 1901 appointed a member of the capitol commission by
Governor A.B. Cummins. Appointed to the board of education in 1909 by Governor
Carroll. A democrat in politics.
HENRY C. SHULL
Member of Board of Education, was born January 16, 1892, at Sioux City, Iowa,
son of Deloss Carlton and Francis Edith Shull. Was educated in the Sioux City
public schools and graduated from the Sioux City Central high school in June,
1910. Collegiate education University of Chicago, 1910 to 1914 (Ph. B. 1914).
Legal education Harvard law School and University of Chicago law school (J.D.
1916). Began the practice of law in Sioux City. In August, 1917, enlisted in the
service of the navy and was discharged February, 1919, retiring as an ensign,
U.S.N.R.F. Returned to Sioux City and entered the law firm of Shull, Stilwill,
Shull and Wadden, of which he is now a member. Was married in August, 1921, to
Alice Lincoln, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S.A. Lincoln, Alton, Iowa. A member of
Monahan Post No. 64 of the American Legion, the Masonic fraternity, and the
First Baptist church. A republican. A member of the Iowa State Bar association
and the American Bar association.
WILLARD C. STUCKSLAGER
Member of Board of Education, born in the town of Lisbon, Linn county, Iowa,
October 24, 1869. Graduated from the high school at Lisbon in 1886. Entered
Cornell college at Mount Vernon, Iowa, and in 1893 Chicago university. In 1894
engaged in the banking business at Lisbon, Iowa, entering the
Stuckslager-Auracher bank, founded by his father in 1874. At present president
of the bank and also of the Mount Vernon bank. Is interested in educational
matters and has been a member of the board of trustees of Cornell college for
the past twenty-two years, fourteen years of which time he has been a member of
the executive committee. Elected representative in 1899 and served during the
twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth general assemblies. In 1903 he was elected to the
senate and served during the thirtieth, thirty-first, thirty-second,
thirty-second extra, thirty-third and thirty-fourth general assemblies. A
republican in politics.
WILLIAM R. BOYD
Chairman of the finance committee of the Board of Education, is a native of Iowa,
having been born in Lisbon, Linn county, May 19, 1864. His boyhood was spent in
Tipton, Iowa, where he attended the public schools. He was graduated from the
college of liberal arts of the state university in June, 1889, having earned his
way by teaching school and clerking in a store. He was principal of the school
at Mechanicsville, Iowa, two years. He was editor of the Tipton Advertiser two
years, editor and associate editor of the Cedar Rapids Republican sixteen years.
Mr. Boyd served as postmaster of Cedar Rapids from 1899 to 1909, resigning this
office to accept his present position. He has long been interested in
educational matters, and was for several years a member of the board of trustees
of Coe college, and for a time lecturer on political economy in that
institution. Mr. Boyd is a director of the American Trust and Savings bank, and
president of the Perpetual Savings and Loan association, both located in Cedar
Rapids. A republican in politics.
W.H. GEMMILL
Secretary of the Iowa State Board of Education, was born in Ontario, Canada,
March 14, 1871. In September of that year his parents moved to Keokuk county,
Iowa, and settled on a farm near South English. He attended the rural schools
and graduated from the South English high school in 1889. He entered the Iowa
state college at Ames and graduated in November 1894, with the degree of
bachelor of science. During these years, he taught several terms in country
schools. He has taken educational work in history and economics in Highland Park
college, Drake university and Des Moines college. He was principal of schools at
Gibson, Iowa, two and one-half years; county superintendent of Keokuk county
four years; superintendent of schools at Dallas Center 1901 to 1911, and
superintendent of the Carroll schools 1914 to 1917 and resigned to become
secretary of the board of education. He was married in 1895 to Birdie D.
Richards. They have four children, Agnes, John, Helen and Iva.
JACKSON W. BOWDISH
Member of the finance committee of the Iowa State Board of Education, was born
in Merwinsville, Litchfield county, Connecticut, on the border line between new
York and Connecticut. His parents and all the other members of the family except
himself were natives of New York state. When he was a child his parents moved
from Duchess county, New York, to Linn county, Iowa, and located on a farm in
Maine township. He resided on the farm until after he was of age, having
completed his education at Cornell college, Mount Vernon, Iowa. He left the farm
to enter the banking business, which he pursued the greater part of his life. In
1880 he was engaged in the banking business in Canisteo, New York, where he
married charlotte Allison. On his return to Iowa in 1886, he was elected clerk
of the district court of Linn county, after which he followed the grocery
business for a short time. in 1892 he assisted in the organization of the
Bohemian American State Bank, and the Iowa Savings Bank of Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
which, by merger became the present American Trust and Savings Bank. In politics
he is a democrat.
C.C. SHEAKLEY
Board of Education
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