Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/710

 626 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Mr. Carutliers was first married in 1874, the lady of his choice beiBg ilary L. Flem- ing, of Fredericktown, JMissouri, and of this union there are four children living, — Mrs. Will A. Jones, of Kennett; Albert B. Carii- thers, for the past five years in the Canal zone in the government employ ; Robert L. Caruthers, an attorney of Haskell, Okla- homa ; and Mrs. Wallace E. Barron, of Cal- ico Rock, Arkansas. Mr. Caruther's first wife died in 1890. Four years later he was united in the holy bonds of wedlock to Miss Minnie Chandler, who lived but four years, her demise occurring in 1898. There were two children by this marriage, both of whom are deceased. He was again married, Mrs. Electra Townsend becoming his wife. No children were born of this union, and Mrs. Caruthers has passed on to her eternal life. In politics ]Mr. Caruthers is an earnest and unswerving Democrat, and in fraternal rela- tions is an esteemed member of the Royal Arch Masons. William L. Cole is the prosecuting attor- ney of Franklin county, an able and success- ful advocate in criminal practice and a pow- erful factor in political affairs not merely in Franklin county, but throughout the entire state of Missouri. Although not yet come to middle life, Mr. Cole's achievements in his profession and in the domain of political af- fairs mark him as belonging to the chosen band of leaders who are shaping the policies and directing the forces which are lifting the commonwealth to a still higher plane of en- lightenment and prosperity. A native of Franklin county, ilr. Cole's na- tal day is the 30th of March, and the year of his ])irth was the centennial, 1876. (iev- ald, his birthplace, was the final home of his parents. His father was also indigenous to this county, his native place being four miles east of Washington. W. N. J. Cole, the father of the present attorney, was born in 1831, spent his life as a farmer, was fairly educated for that time and was always actively interested in public education. Upon public questions he agreed with the Democrats until the time of the Civil war, when the issue of Secession drove him into the Republican party. Mr. Cole's mother Avas formerly Mrs. Susan Cooper, widow of a ilr. Cooper who came to Franklin county immediately after the Rebellion. Prior to her marriage to ]Ir. Cooper she was iliss Susan Smith, whose father was a Ken- tuckian. She was the mother of three chil- dren by her first marriage and her issue by Mr. Cole were : George L., superintendent of schools at Marshfield, Missouri ; Charles A.. superintendent of schools at Union, IMis- souri; Jacob E., a farmer of Franklin county; William L., of this review, and Emma J., who died in the county as the wife of William Williams. Mrs. Cole passed away in 1882 and her husband followed her in 1904. The Franklin county branch of the Cole family was founded by Jacob Cole in 1813. He was born near Charlestown, West Vir- ginia, in 1795. In 1798 he accompanied his father to ^Missouri. He lived in St. Charles county until the age of eighteen. As a pio- neer he became one of the best known citi- zens in this part of Missouri. His business was distilling liquor and farming. His mar- riage took place in Franklin countv, where he lived until 1882. W. N. J. Cole" was the youngest of his eleven children. William L. Cole, the subject of this sketch, received his elementary education in the country near his birthplace, and then at- tended the Owensville Normal. He taught in the district schools of Franklin and of Gasconade counties until he was chosen prin- cipal of the schools in Pacific, ^Missouri. While filling this position, he devoted all his spare time to the study of law, completing his preparation by taking the summer course in law at the State Univemty in Columbia. In 1900 he was admitted to the bar in Her- mann before Judge Hertzel, but continued to teach until 1904, when he began to practice his profession in Pacific, ilr. Cole was a member of the bar in that town until he was elected prosecuting attorney of his county in November, 1906. He succeeded Hon. O. E. Meyersick in this office and established his residence in the county seat. Twice re- elected he has maintained the reputation of Franklin county for the conviction of viola- tors of the law, some of the notorious crim- inals of the age having been overtaken by justice in the Franklin county court. Gifted by nature in the art of public speaking, Mr. Cole easily found place for his talents in the practice of law. The state Re- publican committee eagerly availed itself of so capable and convincing an expounder of the doctrines of the party and invited him to take part in the eompaign of 1904. Since