Trails to the Past
Iowa
Scott County
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Biographies
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Progressive Men of
Iowa
In the
spring of 1891 he took charge of the architectural office of J. W. Taylor,
at Middlesborough, Ky. He remained there until October, when he started in
business for himself. Since then he has met with marked success, his
business improving every year. Many of the finest public buildings, as
well as residences, in Davenport are from his plans. He was appointed
plumbing inspector in 1893, but, after serving a year, was obliged to
resign on account of pressure of business duties. He is a member of the Unitarian
church. He was married in
June, 1894, to Lillie May Stibolt. They have one child: Daphne Louise,
born in June, 1896.
The Metzger
family were all piano and organ manufacturers for many years in Germany,
and the present Mr. Metzger has inherited their musical talent. George
Metzger received his education in the public schools of America, but never
attended college. He received private tuition in German reading and
writing. In the fall of 1869 he took Horace Greeley's advice, and left his
home in New York, and came to Scott county, Iowa, where he engaged in the
music business, in which he had grown up from child-hood. His first
earnings, however, were as a private at $13 a month in the union army from
1862 to 1865. He was in the employ of John Hoyt, in his music house, from
1873 until 1894, when he was appointed custodian of public buildings and
property, by Governor Jackson, and two years later was reappointed by
Governor Drake. His term expired March 31, 1898, and less than a month
thereafter, on April 28, 1898, he became postmaster of Davenport by
appointment of President McKinley, and now holds that
office. Mr. Metzger
has served on the republican county committee in Scott county since 1873,
and was chairman of the committee for about ten years, and secretary most
of the remainder of the time.
He was reared an abolitionist, and soon became an intense
republican. He enlisted
August 8, 1862, in Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth New York
Volunteer regiment, and served until July 7, 1865. He was in the Second
Army corps, commanded by Gen. W. S. Hancock, and participated in most of
the battles with that corps, in the army of the Potomac, and was severely
wounded in the head at Gettysburg, and again at Auburn Church, Va. He was
first a private and later a corporal. He is a member and past commander of
August Wentz Post No. 1 G. A. R., department of Iowa, and is now serving
on the staff of General Gobin, national commander of the G. A. R., as an
aid-de-camp. He was a member from Iowa, serving on the resolutions
committee at the national encampment, G. A. R., at Cincinnati, in 1898.
Mr. Metzger is past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias, and also belongs
to the Woodmen of the World.
While he believes in the divinity of God, he does not belong to any
church.
He was married August 1, 1864, to Sarah E. Coon. They have had nine children, of whom five are living, namely: George L., born July 26, 1866; Sarah E., born March 20, 1869; Robert J., born June 23, 1871; John H., born December 20, 1873; and Mabel M., born March 22, 1882. Mrs. Metzger comes of an old Holland Dutch family that settled on the Hudson river about 200 years ago. She is a descendant of Aneka Jans. Many of her ancestors on both her father's and mother's side fought under Washington in the revolution, and Paulding, one of the captors of Major Andre, was her great uncle. Three of her brothers fought in the war of the rebellion, belonging to the Twelfth New York cavalry, and one of them was starved to death in a rebel prison. George Metzger has marched in parades and taken part in the campaigns for every republican ticket from Fremont to McKinley, and says that he expects to do so for at least seven or eight more presidents. He is one of those industrious and persistent men who work for their party the year round, and never get tired of it. He has a very large acquaintance all over the state, and enjoys the personal friendship of hundreds of men who appreciate his generous qualities.
S. F. Smith,
Jr., was born September 5, 1836, at Waterville, Me. His education was
obtained largely through private instruction from his father, who thus
fitted him to enter Harvard, and carried him through the freshman year.
Over work as a student caused his health to fail, and he was obliged to
abandon his studies for a time; but he afterwards completed the course by
studying alone at odd times.
During this time he clerked several years in Boston, serving at
different times in a wholesale drug store, the office of a manufacturing
company, and a book store. In 1856 he came to Chicago, and after clerking
a few months in a store was sent to Davenport, to a branch establishment
Having always desired to become a lawyer, he began the study of law in
1857 in the office of Judge James Grant, at Davenport, and only four years
later was taken in as a partner. The firm did a large business in the
collection of defaulted city and county bonds, and their income increased
with wonderful rapidity. Mr. Smith's portion in 1862, amounted to only
$200, while in 1873, the last year of the copartner ship, it was over
$50,000. The Mark Howard case, ended in 1873 was one of the most notable
in which they were engaged. It arose out of bonds of various cities and
counties in aid of the Mississippi & Missouri railway, and resulted in
securing $1,000,000 for the firm's clients, and their attorney fee was
$100,000, probably the largest fee that had then ever been paid in the
state. In the fall
of 1873, Mr. Smith's health failed, due to overwork, and to recuperate he
went with his family to Europe, remaining nearly three years, visiting the
principal cities and points of interest on the continent. Since his return
to Davenport in 1876, he has not practiced law, but has been engaged, more
or less, in banking He helped organize the Davenport National bank many
years ago, and has been connected with it ever since, much of the time as
president or vice-president, retiring from the presidency in January,
1895. He was also one of the organizers of the Union Savings bank, and is
now a director and its attorney.
From June, 1892, to June, 1893, he was president of the Iowa State
Bankers association, an office which can be held for a period of but one
year, and in 1898 was vice-president, for Iowa, of the American Bankers
association. Mr. Smith
has always been a republican, and has held numerous important local
offices. He served on the city council for four years, retiring in April,
1893, and during his term of service started the movement which resulted
in the paving of Davenport's principal streets, and he served as chairman
of the paving and financial committees, under the administration of both
parties. In 1897 he was elected mayor of Davenport, being the first
republican to fill that office since 1883. In 1896 the democratic majority
was 1,035, and in 1897 Mr. Smith's majority was 326. He has always been loyal to the
interests of the city, and has taken an active part in many public
enterprises. He has been president of the Davenport Business Men's
association, and of the Children's Home society of the state, has been a
director of the Academy of Science, and now serves in that capacity in the
Ladies' Relief association and the Davenport Library association. He has
been vice-president of the Iowa Sons of the Revolution ever since its
organization, and is now its president, and also holds the position of
deputy-governor of the Society of Colonial Wars, for Iowa. He was in
early life a Baptist, but transferred his membership to the Congregational
church some years after his marriage, his wife belonging to that
denomination. He was married
August 17, 1863, to Mary Reed, daughter of Rev. Julius Reed, D. D., of
Davenport. They have one child, Anna R., who was born September 15, 1870,
and who is still at home with her parents.
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HANSSEN, Gustavus Adolphus, of Davenport, is of Gorman
ancestry, his parents being pioneers of his native town, Davenport, where
he was born November 22, 1869. His father, Louis Hanssen, is one of the
wealthy, retired residents of the old river city in which his sons have
risen to do him honor, ranking among the first businessmen of Davenport.
Louis Hanssen's Sons is the firm name, and the store occupies the same
spot upon which was built the father's store, early in the 50's.
METZGER,
George, postmaster of Davenport, is one of the best known republican
politicians in the state. He has been a familiar figure at republican
state conventions for many years, and in Scott county he has been the
trusted manager of the republican campaigns for a dozen years or so,
during which time the party has made steady gains, and for three years has
carried the county. Mr. Metzger was born in Germany, April 19, 1845. Five
years later his father, Anthony Metzger, a German revolutionist, came to
America to secure his liberty. He was one of the revolutionists of
1848-49, was exiled and tied first to Switzerland, and from there to the
United States, in 1850. He was a well-to-do piano and organ manufacturer
in Germany. He died in America in 1869. His wife was Elizabeth Mary
Stichter, and her ancestors were soldiers under Napoleon Bonaparte, some
of them of considerable prominence. She now lives with her son George, in
Davenport.
SMITH, Samuel Francis, mayor of the city of Davenport, has been
a lawyer of wide reputation, and is among the best known bankers in the
state. The ancestors of both his parents were of the Puritanic type,
coming from England to Massachusetts early in the seventeenth century. He
is the son of Rev. Samuel Francis Smith, a noted Baptist clergyman, whose
name is known almost the world over as the author of our national hymn
"America." He was born in Boston, December 9, 1808, and died November,
1895, at Newton, Mass. He graduated from Harvard university in 1829, being
a classmate of Oliver Wendell Holmes, who refers to him in his poem, "The
Boys.'' Mr. Smith's mother, Mary White Smith, whose name was not changed
by her marriage, was born in 1813, and is still living. Her grandfather,
Rev. Hezekiah Smith, was for forty years pastor of a Baptist church in
Haverhill, Mass., and served as a chaplain in the revolutionary
war.