George D. Perkins
Encyclopedia
George Douglas Perkins was a longtime newspaper editor, Republican
U.S. Representative
from Iowa's 11th congressional district
in northwestern Iowa, and unsuccessful candidate for his party's nomination as Governor of Iowa.
, Perkins attended the common schools. He was the son of John Dyer Perkins and Lucy Forsyth.
He moved to Wisconsin
and learned the printer's trade in Baraboo
, in Sauk County
.
In 1860, he moved to Iowa
, and established the Gazette in Cedar Falls
.
On August 12, 1862, after the outbreak of the Civil War
, he enlisted as a private in Company B of the 31st Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
. His military service ended seven months later on January 12, 1863, when he returned to the Gazette.
After 1866, he went to Chicago, Illinois, and was engaged as agent of the Northwestern Associated Press until 1869.
He moved to Sioux City, Iowa
, in 1869 and became editor and publisher of the Sioux City Journal
.
He was elected to one term in the Iowa Senate
, serving from 1874 to 1876 before losing a re-election bid. He was later chosen as Iowa's commissioner of immigration, serving from 1880 to 1882.
He was appointed United States marshal for the northern district of Iowa by President Chester A. Arthur
on January 29, 1883, and was removed by President Grover Cleveland
in 1885.
In 1889, Perkins reportedly came close to receiving Governor William Larrabee
's appointment to the U.S. Senate, to fill a vacancy that would have arisen if Senator William Boyd Allison had accepted President Benjamin Harrison
's invitation to become his Secretary of the Treasury. According to the New York Times, Perkins' editorial support for Larrabee's crusade against the railroads had earned him the governor's choice for the spot. Allison, however, refused the cabinet appointment and chose to stay in the Senate, foreclosing the need for a replacement.
In 1890, Perkins was one of three major candidates who challenged incumbent 11th district Congressman Isaac S. Struble
for the Republican nomination. At the district convention, Struble consistently outpolled the other three until, on the 43rd ballot, his opponents united behind Perkins, giving Perkins the nomination. In the worst midterm election for Republican candidates since the Civil War, Perkins was elected in November 1890 to the 52nd United States Congress
. He was re-elected to the three succeeding Congresses. In 1894, he was one of seven Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retirement of James F. Wilson, but he finished well behind the eventual winner, John H. Gear
.
In February 1898, Lot Thomas
, a state-court judge, challenged Perkins for the Republican nomination, and defeated him at the district nominating convention on the 217th ballot. In all, Perkins served in Congress from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1899.
Perkins returned to Sioux City and to the Journal. In 1906, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Republican Governor Albert B. Cummins
for the Republican nomination for governor. He served as delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1876, 1880, 1888, 1908, and 1912.
He died in Sioux City on February 3, 1914. He was interred in Floyd Cemetery.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Iowa's 11th congressional district
Iowa's 11th congressional district
Iowa's 11th congressional district existed from 1883 to 1933, when Iowa sent eleven congressmen to the United States House of Representatives. The district covered northwestern Iowa.-Makeup:...
in northwestern Iowa, and unsuccessful candidate for his party's nomination as Governor of Iowa.
Biography
Born in Holley, New YorkHolley, New York
Holley is a village in the town of Murray in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 1,802 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :The village of Holley was incorporated in 1850...
, Perkins attended the common schools. He was the son of John Dyer Perkins and Lucy Forsyth.
He moved to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and learned the printer's trade in Baraboo
Baraboo, Wisconsin
Baraboo is the largest city in, and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA. It is situated on the Baraboo River. Its 2010 population was 12,048 according to the US Census Bureau...
, in Sauk County
Sauk County, Wisconsin
Sauk County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 55,225. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo. Sauk County is included in the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area and in the Madison Combined Statistical Area....
.
In 1860, he moved to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, and established the Gazette in Cedar Falls
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States, and it is home to one of Iowa's three public universities, the University of Northern Iowa. The population was 39,260 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 36,145 population in the 2000 census...
.
On August 12, 1862, after the outbreak of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, he enlisted as a private in Company B of the 31st Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
31st Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 31st Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 31st Iowa Infantry was organized at Davenport, Iowa and mustered in for three years of Federal service on October 13, 1862.The regiment was mustered out on...
. His military service ended seven months later on January 12, 1863, when he returned to the Gazette.
After 1866, he went to Chicago, Illinois, and was engaged as agent of the Northwestern Associated Press until 1869.
He moved to Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, in 1869 and became editor and publisher of the Sioux City Journal
Sioux City Journal
The Sioux City Journal is the daily newspaper of Sioux City, Iowa. The publication covers western Iowa and portions of Nebraska and South Dakota.It is owned by Lee Enterprises Inc....
.
He was elected to one term in the Iowa Senate
Iowa Senate
The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 members of the Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 59,500 per constituency. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts...
, serving from 1874 to 1876 before losing a re-election bid. He was later chosen as Iowa's commissioner of immigration, serving from 1880 to 1882.
He was appointed United States marshal for the northern district of Iowa by President Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
on January 29, 1883, and was removed by President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
in 1885.
In 1889, Perkins reportedly came close to receiving Governor William Larrabee
William Larrabee (Iowa)
William Larrabee was a Republican politician from Iowa. He served as the 13th Governor of Iowa from 1886 until 1890.-Early life:Larrabee was born in Ledyard, Connecticut, into a family of French Huguenot extraction...
's appointment to the U.S. Senate, to fill a vacancy that would have arisen if Senator William Boyd Allison had accepted President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
's invitation to become his Secretary of the Treasury. According to the New York Times, Perkins' editorial support for Larrabee's crusade against the railroads had earned him the governor's choice for the spot. Allison, however, refused the cabinet appointment and chose to stay in the Senate, foreclosing the need for a replacement.
In 1890, Perkins was one of three major candidates who challenged incumbent 11th district Congressman Isaac S. Struble
Isaac S. Struble
Isaac S. Struble was a four-term Republican Representative of Iowa's 11th congressional district. Serving from 1883 to 1891, the Plymouth County resident was a noted congressional opponent of plural marriage in Utah.The member of a politically-active family, Isaac's six brothers included John T....
for the Republican nomination. At the district convention, Struble consistently outpolled the other three until, on the 43rd ballot, his opponents united behind Perkins, giving Perkins the nomination. In the worst midterm election for Republican candidates since the Civil War, Perkins was elected in November 1890 to the 52nd United States Congress
52nd United States Congress
The Fifty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...
. He was re-elected to the three succeeding Congresses. In 1894, he was one of seven Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retirement of James F. Wilson, but he finished well behind the eventual winner, John H. Gear
John H. Gear
John Henry Gear was the 11th Governor of Iowa, United States Representative, and Senator.-Biography:Born in Ithaca, New York, he attended the common schools and moved to Galena, Illinois in 1836, to Fort Snelling, Iowa, in 1838, and to Burlington in 1843, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits...
.
In February 1898, Lot Thomas
Lot Thomas
Lot Thomas was a state-court judge who also served three terms as a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's now-obsolete 11th congressional district, in northwestern Iowa....
, a state-court judge, challenged Perkins for the Republican nomination, and defeated him at the district nominating convention on the 217th ballot. In all, Perkins served in Congress from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1899.
Perkins returned to Sioux City and to the Journal. In 1906, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Republican Governor Albert B. Cummins
Albert B. Cummins
Albert Baird Cummins was the 18th Governor of Iowa, U.S. Senator and two-time presidential candidate. Cummins was perhaps the most influential leader in Iowa politics in the first quarter of the 20th century...
for the Republican nomination for governor. He served as delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1876, 1880, 1888, 1908, and 1912.
He died in Sioux City on February 3, 1914. He was interred in Floyd Cemetery.