George Albert Crooks Biography


	This biography appears on page 1168 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				GEORGE ALBERT CROOKS. 

	George Albert Crooks, who has served as manager of the New Hope 
Grain Company of Crooks, South Dakota, since 1910, is one of the well 
known and substantial citizens of Benton township, Minnehaha county, 
where he has resided continuously for the past thirty seven years. His 
birth occurred in Iowa on the 4th of March, 1871, his father being 
William A. Crooks, a guard in the state penitentiary at Sioux Falls, 
South Dakota. He was a little lad of six years when the family came to 
this state, the father having arrived here a year or two previously and 
taken up a homestead on section 3, Benton township, Minnehaha county. 
There the son was reared, attending the common schools in the 
acquirement of an education. 

	On attaining his majority Mr. Crooks took charge of the operation 
of the home farm and at the same time also had the management of the 
Farmers Cooperative Creamery Company during the period of its 
existence, conducting the enterprise on his own account for a time. In 
1910 he was made manager of the New Hope Grain Company at Crooks, in 
which capacity he has served ably and continuously since. He is a 
stockholder in this concern and in the Crooks Lumber Company, of which 
he was made the first president and subsequently acted as secretary. In 
the conduct of business affairs he has proven himself a man of 
excellent executive ability and sound judgment whose efforts have 
accrued to the benefit and growth of the enterprises with which he has 
been connected. 

	In 1899 Mr. Crooks was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda 
Ferguson, of Tracy, Minnesota, by whom he has four children, namely: 
Violet M., Gladys, Georgina and Harold C. He is a progressive 
republican in politics and for the past eight or nine years has held 
the office of justice of the peace, making a highly commendable record 
in that connection. Fraternally he is identified with the Modern 
Woodmen of America and Modern Brotherhood of America, while his 
religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist church. 
Ever since reaching manhood he has been active and efficient in 
business, and the high esteem in which he is held is evidence of his 
personal worth.