History of Leon, (Decatur County) Iowa United States of America

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Millard Fillmore Stookey, editor of the Decatur County Journal, published at Leon, is one of the progressive newspaper men of the state, and a representative man of his section. He was born near Leesburg, Kosciusko county, Ind., April 25, 1849. His father, Levi Jackson Stookey, a farmer by occupation, was born in Fayette county, Ohio, and is of Scotch descent. His grandfather, on his mother's side, fought in the war of 1812. His wife's maiden name was Sarah Jane Clark. She, too, is of Scotch descent. She was born in Miami county, Ohio, and her father, a Pennsylvanian, was a government surveyor, doing a great deal of surveying in Indiana in an early day. She also had a cousin, Rev. Wilson Blaine, who was educated at Oxford, Ohio, and was pastor of a Presbyterian church at Valparaiso, Ind., for many years. Both Father and Mother Stookey are members of the Presbyterian church.

M. F. Stookey came to this state with his parents May 20, 1855, and located near Marion, the county seat of Linn county. He attained a common school education in the public schools of Leesburg, Ind., and Marion, Iowa, and in September, 1866, entered Western college, then located at Western, Linn county, now situated at Toledo, Iowa. He remained there two years. In August, 1869, he entered the office of the Tama County Republican at Toledo, when M. B. C. True was editor. He worked at the printing trade nearly two years. He then taught school for several terms in the country, near Marion, when he entered the law office of Thompson & Davis, Marion, and was admitted to the bar October 30, 1873. In the spring of 1874 he located at Elroy, Wis., and established a newspaper called The Headlight. April 5, 1875, he was appointed postmaster at Elroy, and, in the fall of the same year, resigned his position, sold out his business and returned to Linn county, Iowa, where he taught school for several terms. In August, 1877, he located in Leon and commenced the practice of law. The following year he was elected justice of the peace, and, in 1880, was elected clerk of the circuit and district courts, which position he held two terms. In 1887 he was again elected to the same position. In the spring of 1891 he removed to Bethany, Mo., and became the editor of the Bethany Republican, which position he held until February 1, 1893, when he purchased a half interest in the Decatur County Journal at Leon, Iowa, and returned to that place to take up his duties as editor of that paper, where he has since resided. He has always been a hard-working republican; he has served one term as a member of the state republican committee from the Eighth district, and two terms as chairman of the republican central committee of Decatur county. He is a member in good standing of Leon Lodge No. 84, I. O. O. F., having joined that society when 22 years old, in Elroy, Wis.

He was married December 20, 1887, to Miss Jessie Forrey, and to this union there has been born one son, Paul.

SOURCE: Biographies and Portraits of the Progressive Men of Iowa published by Conway and Shaw, Des Moines: 1899.

History of Leon, (Decatur County) Iowa

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