John T. Cogan Biography


	This biography appears on pages 497-498 in "History of Minnehaha
	County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey and was scanned, OCRed
	and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031
.

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COGAN, JOHN T., was born at Montello, Wis., May 21, 1855. He attended 
school until fourteen years old, and then entered the printing office 
of the Montello Express.  When twenty years of age he purchased a half 
interest in the paper. Two years later he sold out his interest and went 
to Mondovi, Wisconsin, and assisted in the publication of the Mondovi 
Herald until 1879 when he removed to Ree Heights, Hand county, S. D., 
where he published the Ree Valley Free Press five years. In 1884 he 
went to Howard, Miner county, and published the Howard Press one year, 
and from there went to St. Paul, Minn., and engaged in job printing 
until 1889, when he returned to South Dakota, and located at Sioux 
Falls, and published the Sioux Falls Journal one year.  In 1890 went 
into the employ of Tomlinson & Day and worked on the Argus-Leader nearly 
seven years. Since coming to Sioux Falls he has been alderman from the 
Second ward four years, and during two years was president of the city 
council, and for nine months, during the absence of Mayor Williams, was 
acting mayor. He was elected register of deeds of Minnehaha county in 1896, 
and re-elected in 1898.  While a resident of Hand county he was a member 
of the legislature one term. In 1893 he was a delegate to the International 
Typographical Union, which met in Philadelphia and was the first delegate 
ever sent from the Dakotas.  He has been a member of the state central 
committee and chairman of the county committee of the Populist party, 
and evinces great activity in political and other public matters. He 
is a good official and an esteemed citizen.