Biography of Ralph P. St. John

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 404-405

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 


RALPH P. ST. JOHN is deputy treasurer of Deuel county, and one of its 
most energetic, popular and highly esteemed officials. Mr. St. John was 
born November 30, 1856, in Columbia county, Wisconsin, and is a son of 
M. G. and Ann Eliza St. John. His father was born December 25, 1822, in 
Vermont, and is now living in Clear Lake, Deuel county, South Dakota. 
Until shortly before his retirement he had been engaged in the carriage 
business. Our subject's mother was born in Oneida county, New York, in 
April, 1833.  She died in Missouri in 1895.  Ralph learned carriage 
trimming in his father's shop, where he worked for six years. He had 
previously attended school, going into the factory when fifteen years of 
age. In the spring of 1878 he went west finally settling in Deuel 
county, Dakota, taking up a half section of land where he now resides. 
He lived in a small sod house for the first four years, and during that 
time braved all of the dangers and privations which generally fall to 
the lot of the pioneer. With a supply of corn and wheat, a few 
incidentals, and a coffee mill to grind his cereals he lived in 
comparative pioneer comfort during the hard winter of 1880-81, though 
the young folks of to-day might be rather inclined to question the use 
of the word "comfort" under the state of affairs just described. Five 
years later Mr. St. John left his farm and engaged in the harness 
business at Clear Lake, the county seat. He continued this until 1889, 
when he was appointed postmaster at Clear Lake. In January, 1892, he was 
appointed deputy auditor of Deuel county, in which capacity he served 
for one year. He was then elected to the office of auditor, which he 
held for two successive terms, and in 1897 became deputy treasurer. Mr. 
St. John is a Republican politically, and a member of the Masonic 
fraternity and the Modern Woodmen of America. In addition to his duties 
as deputy treasurer he is at present managing his father's farm, 
situated on section 6, township 114, range 48, in Deuel county. This 
farm, comprising one hundred and sixty acres, one hundred of which are 
under cultivation, is a well-improved and prosperous looking one, and it 
is quite apparent that, had our subject stuck to the plow, he might have 
made quite as flattering a success in the role of husbandman as he has 
since in political affairs.

	On the 9th of April, 1882, Mr. St. John was married in Wisconsin 
to Miss Amelia L. St. John, who was born in Monroe county, Wisconsin, 
February 15, 1863. Mr. and Mrs. St. John are the parents of three 
children: Imogene, Laura and Clarence. Laura was the first white child 
born in Clear Lake, the principal town of Deuel county.