Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 4.djvu/177

 After his retirement from office and the practice of law, General Eaton for many years contributed valuable historical articles to the press. He died July 14, 1896.  WILLARD L. EATON is a native of Iowa, having been born at Delhi in Delaware County, October 13, 1848. He is a graduate of the Law Department of the State University, and began the practice of law at Osage in Mitchell County, in 1874. Mr. Eaton is the son of Hon. A. K. Eaton who was one of the prominent pioneer lawmakers of Iowa, and long a leader in the Democratic party. W. L. Eaton has been three terms mayor of Osage, and county attorney. In politics he is a Republican and in 1897 was elected to represent his county in the House of the Twenty-seventh General Assembly. He was reëlected to the Twenty-eighth General Assembly and became a prominent candidate for Speaker, but not being chosen was made chairman of the committee of ways and means. He was again elected, serving in the Twenty-ninth General Assembly as Speaker of the House. EZRA C. EBERSOLE is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born at Mount Pleasant, October 18, 1840. He was educated in the common schools, Otterbein University and Amherst College, graduating from the latter in 1862. He was employed as instructor for a time in the Tracy Institute on the Hudson. He served for some months in a Pennsylvania cavalry regiment in the Civil War; and in July, 1803, was chosen professor of mathematics and astronomy in Western College, Linn County, Iowa. For two years he was professor of ancient languages in the State University. After numerous changes he settled in the law practice at Toledo. In 1882 he was elected reporter of the Supreme Court. During the time he held that position he collected the material and prepared for publication twenty-two volumes of Iowa Supreme Court Reports. He was for ten years a member of the executive committee of Western College and a portion of the time lecturer on constitutional law. He has prepared and published a valuable treatise on the laws of Iowa. JOHN EDWARDS was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, October 24, 1815. He was educated in the schools of Louisville and when quite young removed to Indiana for the purpose of leaving a slave State. In 1848 he was elected to the Legislature, serving but one term. In 1852 he was elected to the State Senate by the Whigs. He had inherited slaves from his father's estate in Kentucky but abhorring the system, he liberated them and gave them property with which to begin life in Indiana. In 1853 Mr. Edwards removed to Iowa, settling in Chariton, Lucas County, where he began the practice of law. In 1856 he was chosen a member of the convention which framed the new Constitution which was