Polk County IA Archives Biographies.....Cole, Chester C. 1824 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 9, 2007, 3:48 am

Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1896)

JUDGE CHESTER C. COLE is one of the most eminent men of Iowa, having taken a
leading part in political, professional and educational work, and by merit and
ability winning a place in the foremost ranks among Iowa's honored sons.

   He was born in Oxford, Chenango county, New York, June 4, 1824, and is a son
of Samuel and Alee (Pullman) Cole, the former a native of Connecticut and the
latter of Rhode Island. The ancestry of the family can be traced back to John
Cole, who came from England to America about 1670, and settled in New England.
The paternal grandfather of our subject, Thomas Cole, was a native of
Connecticut, and died in Oxford, New York, in 1828, being almost a centenarian
at the time of his death. Samuel Cole carried on the occupation of farming as a
life work. He had two brothers, Amos and Silas, who served in the Revolutionary
war. He was a highly educated man, and became one of the pioneer settlers of
Oxford, New York, where he attained to considerable prominence in public
affairs. He died in Chenango county, New York, November 8, 1832, while his wife
survived until January, 1858. They were both members of the Unitarian Church. In
their family were eleven children, six sons and five daughters, and with the
exception of one son. Nathaniel, who died in infancy, all lived to mature years
and reared families of their own. They were Eunice Wilcox, Hannah Hancock,
Calvin, Prudence Blackman, Spencer, Phoebe Ann Fanning, Charles, Rachel Harvey,
William H. and Chester C. The last two are the only survivors of the family, and
William now resides in Baltimore, Maryland. He was for many years agent of the
American Bible Society, and of late years has been an accountant.

   Judge Chester C. Cole was reared in the county of his nativity, began his
education in the public schools, and also pursued his studies in the Oxford
Academy. He was not a robust boy, his health being very poor much of the time.
He lived on the farm with his mother until thirteen years of age, when he
entered upon his business career as a clerk in a store in Oxford, where he
continued for four years. Again he entered school, for he was ambitious to
acquire a good education, and the broad, general information he obtained made an
excellent foundation for his law studies, which he commenced about the time he
attained his majority. He was admitted to the bar in August, 1848, after
completing a thorough course in the Harvard Law School, of Cambridge,
Massachusetts. The following month he entered upon the practice of his chosen
profession in Marion, Crittenden county, Kentucky, where he continued until May,
1857, when, wishing for a wider field of labor, he sought a home in the
Northwest. It was then that he came to Des Moines, and almost immediately
entered upon a large law practice. His thorough knowledge of his profession, his
ability as a pleader, and his logical and forcible arguments soon won him a
reputation that secured for him a liberal clientage.

   It was not long before he became prominent in political circles, and in June,
1859, about two years after his arrival in Des Moines, he was nominated by the
Democracy for the office of Judge of the State Supreme Court, but was defeated.
In 1860 he was a candidate for Congress, running against Samuel R. Curtis. The
canvass was an exciting one and memorable in the politics of the State. From
start to finish, covering a period of seventy days, joint debates were had twice
a day. This was in a day before railroads in southern Iowa and the contestants
traveled in private conveyances crossing the State from east to west three
times. In these debates the remarkable versatility of Judge Cole as a debater
was splendidly brought out. Pitted against a man of acknowledged ability and
accepted leadership of a party, made doubly aggressive by the force of numbers,
he more than held his own to the discomfiture of his able opponent and the
amazement of his adversaries following. Mr. Curtis was a man of good abilities,
but lacked quickness in making timely replies to his young and agile opponent's
thrusts. Judge Cole, while defeated in this contest by 1,000 votes, established
a reputation as a convincing, logical speaker that has been as enduring as his
splendid reputation as a jurist and advocate.

   About this time the war broke out, and he was known as a war or Douglas
Democrat, and subsequently, in February, 1864, as such, was appointed Judge of
the Supreme Court by Gvoernor [sic] William M. Stone, and was twice elected
afterward. He resigned his position as Chief Justice, and returned to the
practice of law, which he still continues. His three terms of service on the
bench indicate his fidelity to the public interests. Having a thorough knowledge
of the law and a mind particularly free from bias, he was one of the most able
men that has ever served in that position. The language of his decisions was
always plain, simple and clear, vigorous and pointed. The decisions themselves
were models of perspicuity and judicial soundness. In 1892 he was made Dean of
the Iowa College of Law, a department of Drake University.

   On the 25th of June, 1848, Judge Cole married Miss Amanda M. Bennett, a
daughter of Egbert and Gertrude (Richtmyer) Bennett. They had seven
children,—four sons and three daughters: Calvin S. died in early childhood;
William Watson, who married Frances Josephine Chapin, and had three
children,—Amanda M., Rachel and William W.,—was formerly a lawyer in Des Moines,
and in 1888 removed to Portland, Oregon, where he engaged in the legal
profession, and also in the lumber business on the Columbia river, between
Portland and Astoria; he died there, November 17, 1894, leaving a wife and three
children, but the youngest child died May 12, 1895; Gertrude Alice is the wife
of A. C. Atherton, of Lewistown, Illinois, who occupies the position of general
superintendent of a railroad in Illinois, and they have three children,—Chester,
Alce and Donald; Mary E. is the wife of D. C. McMartin, a lawyer of Des Moines,
and their children are Flora, Mary; Cole and Peter; the next of the family,
Chester C, died in early childhood; Frank B. married Ella Jenkins and resides in
Havana, Illinois, where he is engaged in railroading; they have two
children—Chester Cicero and Carrie; and Carrie Stone is the wife of J. R.
Hurlbut, who is at the head of the wholesale drug house of Hurlbut, Ward &
Company, of Des Moines; their only child is Horace A.

   Ever since their youth Judge Cole and his wife have been members of the
Presbyterian Church; he served as Elder for many years, as did two of his
brothers,—Spencer and William. Since 1849 he has been a Master Mason, and for a
number of years was connected with the Knights of Pythias, and served as
Chancellor of the Des Moines Lodge. About the time of the war he identified
himself with the Republican party, from which party he received his appointment
as Judge, and has ever since been an ardent advocate of its principles. He is a
man of broad general information and ripe scholarship, a fluent and forcible
speaker and a correct and attractive writer.

   For a time he was interested in farming and farm lands, but has now disposed
of all his farm property. He owns a fine residence at the corner of Cottage
Grove avenue and Twenty-ninth street, where he now lives. He also owns Cole's
Block, at the corner of Fifth street and Court avenue, and other property,
including the old home where he reared his family, known as Colchester Place, on
Fourth street, just north of the Savery Hotel. He lived there for twenty-five
years, and the place is rendered memorable by the liberality with which he
always entertained his friends there. One of the receptions which he gave was
attended by over 900 guests, including members of the Legislature, Supreme Court
and other dignitaries. He possesses the hospitable spirit of the Southern
gentleman, the dignity and cordiality of the Easterner and the progressiveness
and advanced ideas of the Western man.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

A MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF IOWA

ILLUSTRATED

"A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendants."'—MACAULAY.

"Biography is by nature the must universally profitable, universally pleasant,
of all things."—CARLYLE

"History is only biography on a large scale"—LAMARTINE.

CHICAGO: THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1896



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