Biography of Homer D. Walrath

	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 with a 
	review of their life work... Also a compendium of national biography."
        Publisher: Chicago, G.A. Ogle, 1898. Pages 231-233

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

HOMER D. WALRATH.—If there be one man in Codington county who is better known than any of his 
fellow citizens that man is certainly Mr. H. D. Walrath, the president of the First National Bank of 
Watertown. Mr. Walrath has been a resident of Watertown for the past eighteen years, and during that 
time he has been one of the most active and enthusiastic leaders in city and county affairs, as well as ore 
of the leading financiers in the state. Mr. Walrath was born in Morristown, St. Lawrence county, New 
York, May I, 1842, and .is the son of B. W. and Sarah L. (Ives) Walrath. B. W. Walrath was a native of 
Herkimer county, New York. His father, William Walrath, came to this country from Germany in the 
early days. Sarah Walrath, our subject's mother, was born in Connecticut, and was a daughter of Orin 
Ives, also a native of the Nutmeg state, and of English descent. Her grandfather was a Revolutionary 
soldier.

Our subject was the second son and fifth child in a family of nine children, six daughters and three sons. 
He spent the earlier years of his life upon his father's farm in St. Lawrence county, New York, and for 
some years attended the local schools during the winter and assisted in the farm duties in the summer. He 
later entered the St. Lawrence University, at Canton, New York, and after completing the course there 
began teaching school. He was but seventeen years old at the time. Until the age of twenty-two he 
continued to instruct the youth of his native county, and between terms found time to do a deal of work 
upon the homestead He then secured a position as clerk in the wholesale and retail tobacco house oi C. P. 
Clark, of Ogdensburg, New York. He continued in the employ of Mr. Clark for six years, during the last 
three years of which he was head bookkeeper. In 1 870 he went to Omaha, Nebraska, and found work 
there as an assistant in taking the United States census for that year. He then got a place in a bookstore, 
where he remained for three months, but was taken sick and compelled to return to the east. He went to 
Plainfield, Indiana, and was appointed clerk of the Indiana House of Refuge at that point. He remained 
there for a year and a half, and then started for the far west once more, going to Rock Springs, Wyoming, 
to take the position of general overseer of the Wyoming Coal and Mining Company's property there. He 
secured this place through Thomas Wardell, treasurer of the company, whose acquaintance he had made 
in Omaha. Mr. Walrath had charge of shipping all of the coal from the mines, made up the payrolls. etc. 
He looked after the interests which were intrusted to him very successfully, but at the end of a year and a 
half resigned his position, owing to the fact that he was compelled to work Sundays, to which he objected 
on conscientious grounds. He was offered a large increase in salary when his desire to leave was 
announced, but he declined to reconsider his determination, and at once severed his connection with the 
company. Mr. Wardell, the treasurer, presented him at the time with one hundred dollars as a testimonial 
of the company's regard and as a token of its appreciation of his services.

After leaving Rock Springs Mr. Walrath went to Cherokee, Iowa, where he established a general 
merchandise store. He did an excellent business there for several years, but, in 1880, on account of ill 
health, disposed of his stock, and removed to Watertown, South Dakota, where he has since resided. The 
same year he organized the Codington County Bank in company with S. B. Sheldon, and became its 
president. Two years later this institution was changed from a private to a national bank, and the name of 
" First National " given it. Mr. Walrath was chosen as president and has held that position up to the 
present time. The First National Bank is one of the best known and most conservative financial 
institutions in the state, and its success is almost entirely due to Mr. Walrath's efforts, and his able manner 
of conducting its affairs. The capital stock at present is fifty thousand dollars, and the undivided profits 
amount to twenty-nine thousand dollars. Mr. S. B. Sheldon is cashier of the bank. Mr. Walrath, in 
addition to his banking interests, is one of the largest land owners in that part of the state, holding title to 
one thousand four hundred and forty acres in Codington and adjoining counties. His residence in 
Watertown, which was built in 1 888, and which cost over fifteen thousand dollars, is said to be the finest 
private house in South Dakota. It is a large mansion, of modern construction and artistic design, and, with 
the ground about it, occupies an entire block, known as " Olive Place." The interior furnishings and 
appointments are sumptuous, and it is supplied with all known conveniences for the accommodation and 
comfort of its occupants. It is certainly not exaggerating to say that Mr. Walrath has one of the finest 
homes in the entire state. In political matters our subject is a Republican, and has always been an 
enthusiastic adherent of his party. He has devoted little or no time to politics, however, though he served a 
number of times as a city councilor. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Royal Arcanum.

In 1873 Mr. Walrath married Miss Emma F. Sheldon. Mrs. Walrath was born in Massena, St. Lawrence 
county, New York, on the 21st of April, 1850, and-is a daughter of Charles H. and Olive (Barnhart) 
Sheldon. Her birthplace was what is known as 13arnbart's Island, on the St. Lawrence river. Mr. and Mrs. 
Walrath had two children, Homer and Charles, both of whom died when less than a year old.

Mr. Walrath is in all respects a self-made man. He began life with scarcely anything, and by dint of 
energy and perseverance. coupled with great industry and remarkable business and executive ability, he 
has steadily progressed in wealth and position until to-day he may be safely accorded a first place among 
Codington county's leading citizens. He has had his trials and reverses, his bad fortune with the good, but 
to the man who wills success these are but incidents, and Mr. Walrath never for a moment allowed 
temporary gloom to obscure the goal of his ambition—success. He has demonstrated, like so many others, 
in this and past generations, that every young man is the "  architect of his own fortune, " and that this 
fortune may be exactly what he strives to make it.