George D. Cord Biography

	This biography appears on pages 1000-1001 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	GEORGE D. CORD, one of the founders and builders of the attractive 
and thriving town of Delmont, Douglas county, and the president of the 
Security State Bank of Delmont, was born in Kaukauna, Outagamie county, 
Wisconsin, on the 8th of September, 1866, being a son of Charles and 
Mary (Knapp) Cord, of whose five children we enter the following brief 
record: Catherine A. is the wife of William Dyke, of Effingham, 
Illinois; Mary died March 24, 1904. and was the wife of Howard Parmelee, 
of Lincoln, Nebraska; Dr. Charles E. is a practicing physician at 
Chicago Heights, Illinois; Mark D. is a resident of Danbury, Iowa, 
having been engaged in the real-estate business, but being now retired; 
and George D. is the immediate subject of this sketch. The honored 
father was born in Lincolnshire, England, about the year 1835, and was 
there reared and educated, learning the trade of millwright. In 1854 he 
came to the United States, locating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he 
was employed as a miller for a number of years, in different mills. 
Later he became the owner of a mill at Barton, that state, operating the 
same for several years, and while there residing his marriage was 
solemnized. He finally removed to Kaukauna, where he built a flouring 
mill, operating the same about five years, this being at the time of the 
Civil war. He had a large stock of flour on hand and at the time of 
Lee's surrender there was so great a depreciation in the value of this 
commodity that he met with great financial loss, being forced into 
bankruptcy. He then removed to Madison, Wisconsin, where he secured 
employment in the mills, continuing to be thus engaged until he had to a 
degree recouped his financial resources. He then removed to Anamosa, 
Iowa, where he erected mills, and in 1881 he located in Oakland, 
Nebraska, where he operated a mill about four years, and there he met 
his death as the result of an accident. He was preparing to clean a 
revolver, and in taking the same from a trunk the lid fell in such a way 
as to discharge the weapon, the shot causing his death within ten 
minutes. He was at the time preparing to come to the Black Hills 
district of Dakota, to take charge of milling properties. He was a man 
of excellent business ability and sterling character, was a Republican 
in politics, a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church and a 
member of the Masonic fraternity. His widow, who was born in the state 
of New York, now resides in the home of her elder daughter, in 
Effingham, Illinois, she likewise being a devoted communicant of the 
Episcopal church. 

	George D. Cord, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared under 
the grateful influences of a refined and cultured home, and secured his 
educational discipline in the public schools, completing his studies in 
the high school at Anamosa, Iowa. At the age of sixteen years he secured 
a position in a job-printing office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he 
remained one year, gaining an excellent knowledge of the "art 
preservative." He then entered the service of the Chicago, St. Paul, 
Minneapolis & Omaha Railroad, in the capacity of station agent, 
remaining in the employ of this company for a period of about sixteen 
years, within which was located at various points on the line of the 
system, having been for thirteen years the agent at Coleridge, Nebraska. 
In 1899, at which time he was agent at Harrington, Nebraska, he resigned 
his position and forthwith came to South Dakota, locating in Delmont, 
Douglas county, the town having at the time a population of only eighty 
persons, and here he engaged in the real-estate business, bringing to 
bear in his operations the characteristic push and energy with which he 
is so eminently endowed. Mr. Cord has bought and sold much of the 
village property and also the major portion of the land for miles 
around, having been largely instrumental in bringing here a desirable 
class of settlers, who have developed rich and productive farms and have 
been signally prospered. It may be safely said that to him more than to 
any other one man is due this gratifying development of this section, 
while he has so ordered his course as to gain and retain the highest 
confidence and esteem of all. In January, 1903, he effected the 
organization of the Security State Bank, in which he owns the 
controlling stock, and he is president of this institution, which is 
ably conducted and which is accorded an appreciative support in the 
community. In politics he is a stalwart advocate of the principles and 
policies of the Republican party, in whose cause he has been an active 
and valued worker, and during the campaign of 1902 he was a member of 
the state executive committee of his party, while at the time of this 
writing he is a member of the county executive committee. His religious 
faith is that of the Episcopal church, and fraternally he is prominently 
identified with the Masonic order, being affiliated with Arcania Lodge, 
No. 97, Free and Accepted Masons, at Armour; Scotland Chapter, No. 31, 
Royal Arch Masons, at Scotland; St. Bernard Commandery, No. 11, Knights 
Templar, at Mitchell; Oriental Consistory, No. 11, Ancient and Accepted 
Scottish Rite, at Yankton, and El Riad Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of 
the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Sioux Falls. 

	On the 20th of January, 1886, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. 
Cord to Miss Carrie F. Jones, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they have two 
sons, Charles B. and Arthur E.