Rutherford H. Fulton Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1217-1218 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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	RUTHERFORD H. FULTON, late postmaster at Avon, Bon Homme county, 
was a native of the state of Illinois, having been born on a farm in Jo 
Daviess county on the 2d of May, 1877, and being a son of Peter and 
Caroline (Whitman) Fulton, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania 
and the latter in Illinois. Of their twelve children six are living at 
the present time. Peter Fulton was reared on the homestead farm in the 
old Keystone state of the Union, where he remained until he had attained 
the age of eighteen years, when, in 1847, he came westward to Illinois, 
where he was employed on various farms for a number of years, carefully 
conserving his resources and thus being finally able to purchase a tract 
of land in Joe Daviess county, where he continued to be engaged in 
agricultural pursuits until the time of his death, which occurred in 
1897, his devoted wife passing away in the same year. They were worthy 
church members, and the father was a stanch Republican in his political 
adherency. 

	Rutherford H. Fulton was reared on the homestead farm and acquired 
his educational discipline in the public schools of Jo Daviess county. 
In 1896 he went to Plymouth county, Iowa, where he secured employment in 
the office of the Akron Register, a weekly newspaper. In the following 
summer he returned to Illinois, where he remained about one year, at the 
expiration of which, in the summer of 1897, he returned to Akron, Iowa, 
and purchased a half interest in the publication in the office of which 
he had worked the preceding year, and there he continued to be actively 
engaged in the newspaper business until May, 1900, when he disposed of 
his interests and came to South Dakota, purchasing an interest in a 
newspaper at Alcester, Union county, and being identified with its 
publication about one year. He then came to Avon and here established 
the Avon Clarion, whose publication he continued until the 1st of 
February, 1903, when he sold the plant and business to W. J. Robinson, 
having been appointed postmaster of the town in December, 1902. In that 
office he did much to improve the service and his administration met 
with unqualified approval while he enjoyed marked personal popularity in 
the village and surrounding country, his death, on July 17, 1903, being 
deeply regretted by all who knew him. He was a stalwart and was chairman 
of the Republican in politics first board of trustees of the village 
after its incorporation, while he served one term as justice of the 
peace of the village, and in 1902 was elected to the same office as a 
county official, but did not qualify, on account of his appointment as 
postmaster. He was a member of the ancient-craft body of the Masonic 
fraternity; of Avon Camp, No. 8536, Modern Woodmen of America, and Avon 
Tent, No. 61, Knights of the Maccabees. 

	On the 28th of September, 1898, Mr. Fulton was united in marriage 
to Miss Alice Myers, of Akron, Iowa. Two children have been born, Leon 
Ernest, born March 6, 1901, died July 10, 1901, and Ruth Hazel, born 
July 7, 1903.