History of Jefferson, (Greene County) Iowa United States of America

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Hon. Albert Head, whose name for more than thirty years has been identified with every stride that Greene county and Jefferson have made towards progress and improvement, was born November 25, 1838, in Highland county, Ohio. His father being a farmer, he was reared to this life until he attained his majority. In 1855, with his parents, he came overland from their Ohio home to Poweshiek county, Iowa, where his father again located on a farm. During the winter of 1857 and 1858 Mr. Head taught district school, at the close of which he took up the study of law, reading with the late Hon. M. E. Cutts, with whom he remained until 1859, when he was admitted to practice. At the same time he co-operated with Col. S. F. Cooper in the newspaper business, publishing the Montezuma Republican. He continued this but a brief time, however, for in 1861 he assisted in the organization of Company F, Tenth Iowa infantry, and was elected captain. He commanded the company until promoted to assistant adjutant-general in 1863.

During his service he was wounded several times, once at Corinth, Miss., once at Champion Hill, and once at Vicksburg, the latter being a severe injury of the head, which detained him in the hospital from May 22 until September, 1863.

Upon regaining his health he assumed his rank as assistant adjutant-general, serving on the staffs of Generals Mathias, McPherson and Raum, and was with Sherman on his famous march through Georgia to the sea.

Immediately after the close of the war he came to Greene county, locating in Jefferson, where he took up the practice of his profession, and also, in co-operation with Mahlon Head, established the banking firm of Head Brothers. Under this caption the bank was continued until 1893 when it was merged into the Greene County State bank, with Hon. Albert Head as president and the principal stockholder.

While the captain has recently transferred a great deal of the responsibility of his numerous financial and real estate interests to the care of his sons, A A. and R. C. Head, he is yet a busy man and holds many important positions of honor and trust. Aside from his positions with the Greene County State bank, he is president of the Jefferson Land and Loan company, president Bank of Paton, president of Citizens' bank, Grand Junction; vice-president Bank of Pilot Mound, trustee Drake university, of Des Moines, and president of the Greene County Agricultural society. He is also very prominent and takes a deep and active interest in numerous civic societies and holds leading offices in many of the most prominent lodges of the state, among them being treasurer Des Moines Consistory No. 3, Scottish Rite Masons; treasurer M. O. O. L., of United States; is a thirty-third degree Mason; noble grand of Greene Lodge No. 315, and member Jefferson Encampment, I. O. O. F.; member of Capital Lodge No. 110, Masonic Order, Des Moines, and Chapter R. A. M., and Knight Templar, of Jefferson, and El Kahir Temple, Mystic Shrine, Cedar Rapids.

He has been a member of George H. Thomas Post, G. A. R, ever since the institution of that post, and he takes special interest in all the doings of his friends and comrades who endured with him the hardships and privations of war. His sterling worth as a citizen and business man has long been recognized by his fellow citizens, and many times he has been called to fill high offices in the gift of his constituents.

For eight years he represented Greene county in the house of representatives, having been four times nominated by acclamation by the republican party, and was speaker of the house one term. The valuable services he rendered in this position will long be remembered by his constituents. He was several times mayor of Jefferson and each time proved an admirable executive officer and gave the city a progressive and prosperous administration. He served one year each as president and treasurer of the Iowa State Agricultural society. The captain is a gentleman whose personal deportment never fails to win the admiration of all his associates and his kind-hearted nature strongly testifies the high appreciation in which he holds the confidence that has been reposed in him by-his fellow citizens and associates. He is public spirited and enterprising in the extreme and can always be relied upon to give liberally his time, counsel and money to aid any enterprise that will promote the public welfare.

He has a bright and interesting family -- four children, three sons and one daughter. His eldest son, M. M. Head, is the capable and efficient cashier of the Greene County State bank. His only daughter, Estelle, is the wife of C. E. Marquis, the popular assistant cashier of the Greene County bank, and also one of Jefferson's leading grocers.

His second son, A. A., assists him in caring for his real estate interests, while the youngest son, Roscoe C., is a graduate of the law department of the State university and is practicing his profession in Jefferson.

In 1895 the captain erected the Head house, one of the finest hotels in the state, where he resides with his sons. Since his residence in Jefferson he has erected several fine structures, among them Head's opera house, the city hall and several brick business houses. He is the owner of about 6,000 acres of land in Greene county, in which he is more interested, personally, than in any other branch of his varied business. His 1,000-acre farm near Jefferson receives his personal attention.

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

History of Jefferson, (Greene County) Iowa

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