Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 4.djvu/119

 he was appointed by President Roosevelt Surveyor of Customs for the port of New York.  RICHARD P. CLARKSON, eldest son of Coker F. Clarkson, was born at Brookfield, Indiana, in 1840. He learned the printing business in his father's office at that place and after the family removed to Iowa in 1855 Richard worked for many years on the prairie farm which his father improved in Grundy County. He secured a position as compositor in the office of the State Register at Des Moines in the spring of 1861 and in October enlisted as a private in the Twelfth Iowa Infantry. At the Battle of Shiloh he was captured with the regiment after a gallant fight and for seven months was a prisoner. After being exchanged he returned to his regiment serving until the close of the war. In 1870 the father and two sons, Richard P. and James S. purchased the Iowa State Register establishment and for many years worked together in their several departments, making it the most influential Republican paper in the State. Richard P. was the business manager and in 1889 became the sole owner of the establishment and from that time forward assumed editorial management of the paper. In June, 1902, after thirty-two years of service in the exacting field of daily journalism he sold the establishment and was appointed by President Roosevelt United States Pension Agent for Iowa and Nebraska. DAVID C. CLOUD was born in Champaign, Ohio, on the 22d of January, 1817. He received but a common school education and learned the carpenter's trade. In 1839 he came to Iowa making his home at Muscatine where he worked at his trade several years. His evenings were spent studying law and at the end of six years without instruction he was able to pass an examination which admitted him to the bar. In 1851 he was elected Prosecuting Attorney and rose to prominence in his new profession. The office of Attorney-General was created in 1853 and D. C. Cloud was nominated by the Democratic State Convention for the position. He was elected, serving four years. In 1856 he was elected to the House of the Sixth General Assembly and was made chairman of the committee of ways and means. When the Republican party was organized, Mr. Cloud, being strongly opposed to slavery, united with that party. He wrote and published several books on political and industrial subjects. The chief among these were works on “The War Power of the President” and “Monopolies and the People.” LORENZO S. COFFIN was born in Alton, New Hampshire, on the 9th of April, 1823. He was reared on a farm with but little opportunity to secure an education. With two years' instruction in Oberlin College after leaving home he obtained a position as instructor in Geauga