Shawnee County KS Archives Biographies.....Forbes, W. M. 1847 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 19, 2006, 11:36 pm

Author: James L. King (1905)

W. M. FORBES.

    W. M. FORBES, who has been engaged in an insurance, real estate and loan
business at Topeka since February, 1886, is one of the leading insurance men< of
Shawnee County, and is also one of Topeka's well-known and representative
citizens. Mr. Forbes was born in Decatur County, Indiana, February 28, 1847, and
is a son of John G. and Elizabeth (Mathews) Forbes.

    The Forbes family came originally from Scotland. The parents of our subject
removed to Black Hawk County, Iowa, when he was small. The father was a farmer
and there the family was reared and the parents passed away.

    W. M. Forbes was educated in the district schools, the Upper Iowa University
at Fayette and the State University at Iowa City, where he was graduated with
the degree of A. B., in 1873, and in law, in 1874. He then engaged in teaching
school for a time, and for two years was principal of the Burlington city
schools. He then settled at Beatrice, Nebraska, where he practiced law for seven
years and also was engaged in a banking business at Table Rock. In the early
spring of 1886 he came to Topeka and has been engaged in his present line ever
since, and is now located at No. 107 West Seventh street. He gives his main
attention to fire and tornado insurance risks and represents these leading
companies : Royal, of Liverpool, England; Insurance Company of North America,
Philadelphia; St. Paul Fire & Marine, Minneapolis; Pennsylvania Fire,
Philadelphia; National Fire, Hartford, Connecticut; Phoenix, Hartford; and
Springfield Fire & Marine, of Massachusetts.

    Mr. Forbes was married in Iowa to Lucretia Parsons, a native of Illinois,
and they have four sons, viz: Robert L., a farmer; Frank, associated with his
father; Carroll, mining engineer with the Victoria Mining Company, a graduate of
the Michigan State School of Mines; and Roy, who is a student in the junior year
at the Topeka High School.

    Mr. Forbes' pleasant home is situated at No. 328 Woodlawn avenue, Potwin
Place, and he served two years as mayor of this suburb and for 10 years was a
member of the School Board. Fraternally, he is a Master Mason, and for the past
10 years has been national treasurer of the Knights and Ladies of Security. He
belongs to the official board of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a man who
stands very high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens, both in his personal
relations and as an honorable business factor.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF SHAWNEE COUNTY, KANSAS
AND
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

EDITED AND COMPILED BY
JAMES L. KING
TOPEKA, KANSAS 

"History is Philosophy Teaching by Examples"

PUBLISHED BY
RICHMOND & ARNOLD,
GEORGE RICHMOND; C. R. ARNOLD.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,
1905.

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