John Luman Bascom was born in Farmersburg, Iowa

Farmersburg, Iowa

Farmersburg is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 300 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Farmersburg's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 42.958516, -91.367555...

, the son of John Sanburn Bascom and Phoebe Spencer. He was an 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...

n lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party

Republican Party of Iowa

The Republican Party of Iowa is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Iowa. The State Central Committee is led by Chairman Matt Strawn and Co-Chairman Bill Schickel...

, he was elected three times to the Iowa House of Representatives

Iowa House of Representatives

The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 100 members of the House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 29,750 for each constituency...

, representing the Dickinson County

Dickinson County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,667 in the county, with a population density of . There were 12,849 housing units, of which 7,554 were occupied.-2000 census:...

 district (House District 97) and serving from January 8, 1907 to January 12, 1913. He was educated at the Northern Indiana Normal School (now Valparaiso University) in Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...

, studying science and law. He was admitted to the Iowa bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

in 1888 and worked in law and real estate. He married Winifred Yorker in 1904, from which union produced four children, three daughters and one son. Bascom is buried at the Okoboji Cemeter in Arnolds Park, Iowa.