Charles R. Robertson Biography


	This biography appears on pages 32-33 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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				CHARLES R. ROBERTSON. 

	Charles R. Robertson is a member of the Robertson-Schwartz 
Company at Redfield, where he has been active in business since 1911. 
Although the interim to the present is of brief duration, it has been 
sufficient to establish his position as an energetic, enterprising and 
ambitious business man-such a one as contributes to public prosperity 
while advancing individual success. He was born on the 5th of 
September, 1887, in Arlington, Wisconsin, and is a son of William and 
Janet (Mair) Robertson, natives of Scotland. The father was one of the 
pioneer settlers of the Badger state and there followed farming to the 
time of his death, which occurred November 2, 1909, when he was 
seventy-three years of age. His widow still resides in Lodi, where they 
reared their family of six children: Robert H., who is now residing in 
Creston, South Dakota; Agnes, at home; Thomas, who is living in 
Winnebago, Minnesota; William, who died in May, 1913, at the age of 
thirty-seven years and was buried in Winnebago, Minnesota; Charles R.; 
and David J., who was manager of the advertising department of the 
Dakota Farmer, until September 1, 1914, when he resigned to enter the 
Iowa State College at Ames, Iowa, where he is specializing in animal 
husbandry. After completing his course there he intends to return to 
South Dakota and engage in modern scientific farming. 

	Charles R. Robertson acquired his education in Arlington and 
Poynette, Wisconsin, and in Parker College, Winnebago, Minnesota, where 
he was graduated with the class of 1906. He then went to Minneapolis, 
where he was employed by Wyman Patridge & Company, wholesale dry-goods 
merchants, with whom he continued for one year, receiving his initial 
business experience there. He afterward went to Winnebago, Minnesota, 
where he had experience in the retail dry-goods line, continuing for 
two years at that place. He subsequently occupied positions with 
various large department stores in Chicago and other cities before 
taking up his permanent abode in South Dakota. He removed to this state 
from Lodi, Wisconsin. At Aberdeen, South Dakota, he was with the Olwin 
Angell Company with which he continued for two years and then 
established an exclusive shoe business at Aberdeen, which he conducted 
for two years. On selling out there in the spring of 1911, he came to 
Redfield and took over The Leader, a department store of Redfield, 
organizing the Robertson-Schwartz Company for the conduct of the 
business, which has proven successful from the beginning. Theirs is 
today one of the largest stores of the kind in South Dakota, outside of 
Sioux Falls their trade covering a wide territory and reaching a large 
figure annually. They carry an extensive and carefully selected line of 
goods and their business merits the substantial growth which has come 
to it. 

	On the 14th of February, 1914, in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. 
Robertson was united in marriage to Miss Mary Armstrong, a daughter of 
Dr. J. Clayton Armstrong of that place, and their hospitable home is 
most popular with the many friends that they have won during the brief 
period of their residence in Redfield. In politics Mr. Robertson is a 
progressive republican and fraternally he is connected with the Masons 
in the lodge, chapter and commandery. Laudable ambition has guided him 
in all of his business relations and indefatigable energy and 
unfaltering determination are bringing to him substantial success.