Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....Dike, Edwin W. 1820 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com December 12, 2005, 9:33 pm Author: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908) EDWIN W. DIKE, retired, a highly esteemed citizen of Santa Monica, is a native of Vermont, born in the town of Chittenden, Rutland County, February 10th, 1820. He is the son of Dan Dike, a native of the same town and a farmer by occupation, living there the greater portion of his life, subsequently removing to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where he died at the age of about eighty-three years. The father of Dan Dike, Jonathan Alexander Dike, was a native of Tolland, Conn., and his father was a Revolutionary soldier. Mr. Dike's maternal grandfather was Thomas Mitchell, who lived at Taunton, Mass., then a suburb but now a part of the city of Boston. Mr. Dike's maternal great grandfather was a Howard by birth, a Scotchman, but by choice and instinct an American patriot. He was an active member of the historic "Boston Tea Party" that indignantly threw overboard quantities of tea from a merchant vessel into the waters of Boston harbor in 1774 because of the arbitrary and unjust taxation of the English government. Edwin W. Dike was reared on the home farm, received an excellent education in local public schools and finished at Burr Seminary, Manchester, Vt. From the farm he went into a general store at Brandon, Vt., where he spent four years and acquired a practical knowledge of business methods. Later he took up mechanics, became a wood and iron worker and held a responsible position in the shops of the Rutland & Burlington Ry. Co. for six years, later became assistant master mechanic of the Burlington division of the same road for four years. He then purchased an interest in the Cove Machine Company, at Providence, R. I., and assumed management of the same, making a specialty of the manufacture of calico printing and bleaching machinery. By reason of failing health he disposed of his interests and in 1857 came west to Faribault, Rice County, Minn., where, with the accumulations of past years of enterprise and industry, he embarked in the money loaning business. He also acted as purchasing agent for a Baltimore house, extensive exporters of ginseng to China and for them did a large business. The country was then new and infested with bands of hostile and warlike Sioux Indians. During the historic Indian uprisings throughout west and northwest Minnesota, in 1863—in which upwards of seven hundred white men, women and children were massacred. Mr. Dike took an active part in the defense of the settlers and in the final punishment of the murderous savages. After the battle of Wood Lake, about four hundred of these Indians were taken as prisoners to Mankato and there tried by court martial. Two hundred of them were convicted and condemned to death. After a careful and deliberate review of the case by President Lincoln, he decided that forty of them should be hung. By reason of extenuating circumstances two of the forty were finally reprieved, and Mr. Dike was appointed one of the citizen marshals to execute these thirty-eight Sioux warriors at Mankato. This unpleasant duty was promptly performed according to law. They were all hanged until dead at one and the same time from one gallows. Later, for a time, Mr. Dike assumed management of a flour mill, the property of a cousin, Major W. H. Dike—Major of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He was a pioneer mill owner of the great west, and among the first to ship flour to the eastern markets from the State of Minnesota. In 1873 Mr. Dike was appointed Treasurer of the State of Minnesota by Governor Horace Austin to take the place of a defaulting treasurer, and removed to St. Paul, the state' capital. Upon assuming charge of the state treasury, Mr. Dike evolved and put into use an entirely new system of bookkeeping, by which he was enabled to determine the nominal condition of the state finances at the close of each day's business and make technically accurate balances of all his accounts at the end of every month. These reports were published in the leading newspapers of the state. He was the first state treasurer to deposit the state's funds in national banks, receiving interest on daily balances, a new source of revenue to the state which, during his administration, amounted to about $9,600. At the time of the historic Jay Cook failure, which precipitated a financial panic throughout the country, Mr. Dike assured his bankers that the state's funds—upwards of three quarters of a million dollars—would remain with them on deposit. This declaration effectually restored confidence and safely held the impending crisis in check at St. Paul, the then financial center of the great Northwest. During his term of one year's incumbency by appointment, Mr. Dike inaugurated other salutary reforms and discharged the duties of the office with such marked ability and fidelity as to demand, by the people, his election to succeed himself. At the solicitation of his friends he ran as an independent candidate on an independent reform ticket and the following editorial paragraph that appeared in the St. Paul Daily Pioneer Press, published prior to holding the Republican convention, expresses the sentiments published in many other leading newspapers throughout the state: "There seems to be a universal sentiment favoring Mr. E. W. Dike, the present incumbent, for treasurer. He took possession of the office when its affairs were in a most disorganized condition, and when he was hampered by newly passed, untried and seemingly contradictory laws, and in a very short time brought order out of chaos. His sole desire seems to be to do his duty as he interprets this duty in the interests of the state and not to meet the exigencies of a speculative relationship. The treasury needs the guidance of (what Mr. Dike is) an honest man. He has to a wonderful degree the confidence of the people and we shall be greatly disappointed in the wisdom and good sense of the Convention if it fails to nominate him by acclamation. No name could add more strength to the ticket." Mr. Dike's friends loyally supported him, purely by the reason of the enviable record he had made as a faithful and able public servant, for his strict integrity and his splendid personality. After one of the most momentous and memorable campaigns in the history of the state, he was elected over his Republican opponent by a majority of four thousand votes, while the balance of the Republican ticket was elected by a majority of eight thousand. This was a great personal triumph for Mr. Dike. He served under the administration of three governors of Minnesota—Horace Austin, Cushman K. Davis and John S. Pillsbury. During his incumbency as state treasurer, Mr. Dike married Mrs. Julia C. Smith, nee Robinson, of Woodstock, Ill., a daughter of David W. Robinson, a prominent citizen of that city. She is a lady of charming social attainments and foremost in all worthy charitable work. They resided in Woodstock from 1876 to 1899. In 1883 Mr. Dike was appointed by President Arthur one of three United States Commissioners to inspect the western one hundred and fifty miles of the Santa Fe Railroad, then terminating at Needles, California. After performing this duty, he traveled somewhat in the state, visiting Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and other cities. He returned to Woodstock and there remained until 1899 and in 1900 he permanently came to Santa Monica, where he has made substantial investments. He is a stockholder in the Santa Monica Investment Co., one of the strong financial institutions of the city and is (1908) its vice president. Mr. Dike is a man of high ideals and strong personality inherited from a sturdy ancestry that dates back to the early history of this country, and rounded out by a long and eventful career of individual endeavor. He is one of Santa Monica's most substantial and loyal citizens. Hale and hearty at the age of eighty-eight, he has retired from active business and enjoys the personal confidence and esteem of a-wide circle of friends. Mrs. Dike is active in social and club circles and lends her influence to all worthy charitable movements. Their home, Violet Cottage, is one of the many pretty residences of Santa Monica, and is located at No. 1138 Third Street. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities: prefaced with a brief history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County, 1542 to 1908: supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and embellished with views of historic landmarks and portraits of representative people. Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/losangeles/bios/dike138bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 9.1 Kb