George W. Abbott Biography


	This biography appears on pages 32-33 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				GEORGE W. ABBOTT.  

	Since 1891 George W. Abbott has resided in Sioux Falls and 
throughout the entire period covering almost a quarter of a century, 
has been prominently connected with its financial interests. He is also 
a leading figure in Masonic circles, few members of the order in the 
state being as widely known. His efforts have indeed been a tangible 
asset in the advancement of Masonry in South Dakota and his 
acquaintance among his brethren of the craft elsewhere is also 
extensive.  

	Mr. Abbott is a native of New England. He was born at Tamworth, 
Carroll county, New Hampshire, October 10, 1858, a son of Lyman and 
Shuah W. (Rowe) Abbott. Upon the homestead farm he was reared and in 
his native town acquired his education by attending the public schools. 
He also continued his studies in the high school and Phillips Academy 
at Exeter, New Hampshire, and thus liberally educated started out to 
make a place for himself in the world. At the age of twenty years he 
went to Colorado as secretary to a mining expert and continued in that 
state until 1882, when he came to the territory of Dakota, settling in 
what is now McIntosh county, North Dakota, which county he aided in 
organizing and which he also served as its first superintendent of 
schools. He engaged in general merchandising and also filled the 
position of postmaster of Hoskins, now Ashley. At the same time he 
operated a cattle ranch and was thus closely associated with the early 
development of that section of the state. In 1887 he removed to 
Minneapolis, where the furniture and hardware business claimed his 
attention until 1891, when he removed to Sioux Falls and accepted the 
position of general manager of the Cooperative Loan & Savings 
Association, filling the position until 1894, when he resigned. 
Immediately afterward he organized the Union Savings Association and 
became general manager, secretary and treasurer. To his unfaltering 
exertion, his strong executive ability and keen insight is due the 
splendid success of what is today one of the city's most important 
financial institutions. In 1891 he was elected vice president of the 
International Building & Loan League, an organization representing over 
a half billion dollars of paid in capital, and he served until 1894 He 
has also figured prominently in connection with other financial 
interests. In 1902 he was one of the reorganizers of the Colton State 
Bank at Colton, South Dakota, and was chosen its first president, so 
remaining until he sold his interests in that institution in 1904. He 
remained in active connection with the Union Savings Association until 
1912, when he disposed of his interests therein.  

	On the 1st of June, 1885, Mr. Abbott was united in marriage to 
Miss Mary G. Quinlan, of Cleveland, Ohio, and they have become the 
parents of four children: George L., now living in Des Moines; Gladys, 
who attended and graduated from All Saints school of Sioux Falls and 
continued her education at Lake Forest, Illinois; Ann Josephine, who 
became a student in Wellesley College of Wellesley, Massachusetts, and 
graduated therefrom in 1914; and John Marion a student in the Shattuck 
Military Academy of Minnesota. 

	George W. Abbott is prominent in club life. For many years he has 
been a member of the Minnehaha Country Club, a member of the Dacota 
Club and for several years its president, and has served as director, 
vice president and president of the Commercial Club of the city. In 
Masonry he has attained high rank, belonging to Minnehaha Lodge, No. 5, 
A. F. & A. M.; Sioux Falls Chapter, No. 2, R. A. M.; Cyrene Commandery, 
No. 2, K. T., of which he is a past eminent commander; and El Riad 
Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of which he is past potentate and past 
representative to the imperial council. He is likewise a member of 
Occidental Consistory, No. 2, A. & A. S. R. He may justly be proud of 
his Masonic record, for few, if any, in the state have had higher 
honors conferred upon them by that organization than has Mr. Abbott. He 
is now the representative in the grand lodge of the grand lodge of 
Mississippi and also the representative of the gland commandery of the 
District of Columbia in South Dakota. He is also a member of the Elks 
and the Knights of Pythias organizations. His political allegiance has 
been given to the republican party where national issues and questions 
are involved but he has neither sought nor desired political office. He 
has served, however, as a member of the board of education for several 
years and is a stalwart champion of the cause of education. In fact, 
his influence is always on the side of progress and advancement. He is 
a member of the First Congregational church and he has served as a 
member of the board of trustees and as its chairman. He is a lover of 
outdoor life, greatly enjoying hunting and other sports which take him 
into the forest and bring him close to the heart of nature. His 
friends, and they are many, find him a most congenial companion, 
pleasant to meet at all times, and his fellow townsmen know him as a 
reliable man, thoroughly trustworthy under all circumstances and on all 
occasions, and in his entire record there is an absence of anything 
sinister or anything to conceal.