William J. Jacobs Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1252, 1255 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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				WILLIAM J. JACOBS. 

	William J. Jacobs, a resident of Faulkton and an active 
practitioner at the bar of Faulk county, was born in Mount Carroll, 
Illinois, March 28, 1878, a son of John T. and Mary J. (King) Jacobs. 
The father was also a native of Mount Carroll, but the mother was born 
near Providence, Rhode Island. In early life John T. Jacobs turned his 
attention to the occupation of farming but afterward learned the 
weaver's trade, which he followed for many years. He is now living 
retired in Eureka, Kansas, where he is a well known and highly 
respected citizen. At different times he has held various public 
offices. 

	William J. Jacobs is the eldest of a family of six children, He 
attended the public schools of Lanark, Illinois, and afterward was 
graduated from the Illinois College of Law as a member of the class of 
1904. In the meantime, however, he had earned his own living. When but 
fifteen years of age he worked for others, being employed as a reporter 
on daily papers. He was also in the service of the Monon Railroad and 
the American Trust & Savings Bank of Chicago for years and through his 
industry and economy he provided the means that enabled him to continue 
his education. He also engaged in clerking for a time and his youth was 
a period of unremitting industry. When he had completed his law course 
he entered upon active practice in Illinois in 1904. The following year 
he came to South Dakota, settling at Bradley, where he remained for a 
year, when he was elected states attorney and removed to Clark. He then 
went to Faulkton in 1911 and has since followed his profession there, 
being accorded a good clientage that has connected him with much 
important litigation. While he devotes practically his entire attention 
to his practice he is financially connected with other interests. 

	On Christmas Day of 1906 Mr. Jacobs was married to Miss Daisie I. 
Hendrickson, who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a daughter of Henry 
and Walborg Hendrickson, the former a well known lecturer and also the 
author of a number of widely read books, including "Success Without 
Sight" and others. He makes his home in Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs 
have one child, Violet Olivine, at home. 

	Mr. Jacobs is well known in fraternal circles. He belongs to the 
blue lodge and chapter at Faulkton and has taken the degrees of the 
Scottish Rite in Masonry, while with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at 
Aberdeen he has crossed the sands of the desert. He belongs also to the 
Knights of Pythias lodge at Clark, and to a number of fraternal 
insurance organizations. In politics he is an earnest republican, but 
has never held office save when serving for four years as states 
attorney of Clark county. He is not remiss in the duties of 
citizenship, however, but cooperates in many important public movements 
looking to the benefit and betterment of city, county and state. He is 
now president of the Providence Hospital at Faulkton and is also 
secretary of the Commercial Club, taking a helpful interest in all 
those things which tend to bring about the business expansion and 
substantial development of his city. After all, however, the practice 
of law is his real life work and the`` thoroughness with which he 
prepares his cases, combined with his accuracy in applying the 
principles of jurisprudence to the points in litigation, are the strong 
elements of his success at the bar.