Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 4.djvu/539

 SILAS M. WEAVER was born in Chautauqua County, New York, on the 18th of December, 1846. He was reared on a farm and received bis education in the public schools of that county and at the Fredonia Academy. He taught school several winters, spending the summers in reading law until he was admitted to the bar at Buffalo, in 1868. The same year he came to Iowa, locating at Iowa Falls where he began practice. In 1883 he was elected on the Republican ticket Representative in the Twentieth General Assembly. He was chairman of the judiciary committee and at the close of the first term was reëlected to the Twenty-first General Assembly. It was in the Legislature of 1886 that an attempt was made to impeach and remove from office the Auditor of State, J. L. Brown. Mr. Weaver was chosen by the House, chairman of the board of managers to conduct the prosecution of the trial before the Senate. In 1886 he was elected judge of the Eleventh Judicial District and has been repeatedly reëlected, serving in that position for fifteen years. In 1891, he was nominated by the Republican State Convention for Judge of the Supreme Court but for the first time since the organization of the party, the entire Republican ticket was defeated. In 1891 Judge Weaver was again nominated for a seat on the Supreme bench and elected.  ANDONIJAH S. WELCH was born April 12, 1821, at Chatham, Connecticut, and received his early education in the schools of that place. He removed to Michigan and entered the State University at Ann Arbor from which he graduated. His first inclination was to become a lawyer; he entered upon the study and was admitted to the bar. But after a few years began what proved to be his life work, teaching. He was chosen principal of the first union school in Michigan and soon developed such ability in that work that he was elected president of the State Normal School of Michigan. Here, for fifteen years, he labored with such marked success that he ranked among the most progressive and resourceful educators of the west. After continual work in that position his health gave way and he went to Florida for a season of rest. While residing there he was elected to the United States Senate, in the process of reconstructing the government of that State and its restoration to its place in the Union, in 1868. While holding this position he had been so strongly recommended by the leading educators of Michigan for the presidency of the Iowa Agricultural College that the chairman of the special committee on organization of that institution became convinced that he was the man for the place. After extended investigation, he so reported to the Board of Trustees and was by them authorized to tender the position to Mr. Welch. He accepted upon condition that he be allowed to serve in the Senate until the 4th of March, 1869, and enter upon the duties of his new position soon thereafter. He visited the college in September, 1868, had a long conference with the trustees, presented to them his plan of organization and course of study and helped to inaugurate the 