History of Corydon, (Wayne County) Iowa United States of America

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Biographies:

Lewis Miles of Corydon, who served several terms in the legislature and has been twice appointed United States district attorney, was born in Marion county, Ohio, June 30, 1845. He came to Wayne county with his parents in April, 1853, and has resided there constantly since. His father, William Miles, was a farmer. He died December 26, 1879. His mother, Emily Welch Miles, died October 11, 1865.

Lewis Miles worked on a farm until 19 years of age, when he commenced the study of law in the office of Gen. S. L. Glasgow. He was admitted to the bar at Corydon, in October, 1868, and commenced active practice in November, 1872, at which time a partnership was formed with Capt. J. N. McClanahan. In October, 1869, when but a few months past 24, he was elected to the state legislature, and despite his youth, was recognized as one of the most influential members of the lower house. In June, 1873, the relation with Captain McClanahan was dissolved, and another formed with W. H. Tedford, now a judge in the Third judicial district, under the firm name of Tedford & Miles, which continued until February, 1879. His next law associate was J. W. Freeland and the firm of Freeland & Miles enjoyed a prosperous business until 1891, when it was dissolved. Mr. Miles practiced alone until August 1, 1894, when he became associated with C. W. Steele, under the firm name of Miles & Steele, which still continues.

Mr. Miles was married February 20, 1868, to Miss Mary D. Robb, at Corydon. They have an interesting family of four children; William E., born March 9, 1871; Charles B., born February 4, 1874; Winifred, born March 9, 1876, and Lois, born August 5, 1882.

In 1879 he was a candidate on the republican ticket for the state senate, and was defeated, although running far ahead of ticket. In 1880 he was presidential elector for the Eighth district and voted for Garfield and Arthur. He was the choice of his party for member of the upper branch of the general assembly again in 1883, and was elected by a good majority, serving in the Twentieth and Twenty-first General Assemblies. President Harrison appointed him to the position of United States district attorney for the southern district of Iowa, and during his incumbency of that office, extending over a period of four years, not a single indictment drawn by him or in his office was quashed or declared insufficient. His record as an officer and his distinguished party services secured his reappointment to the district attorneyship when the republicans returned to power in 1896, the Iowa delegation being united in recommending him for the place. He takes an active part in politics, and is in demand as a speaker during every campaign. He made thirty-seven speeches in the McKinley-Bryan campaign. He has been engaged in the active practice of law since 1872, except when broken by his appointment to the United States attorneyship, and has a law library of over 3,000 volumes. He is regarded by the bar of the state and by the leading politicians of all parties as one of the brightest and ablest men in the state.

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

Edward Lorenzo Hart, one of the foremost attorneys of Corydon, was born near the village of Hadley, Lapeer county, Mich., December 3, 1850. He is of English descent on the paternal side, the early ancestors having come to America at a very remote day and settled at or near Hartford, Conn. Members of the family later removed to Rochester, N. Y., from whence William Hart, the grandfather of this subject, moved with his family to Hadley, Mich. The Harts, as far back as they can be traced, were farmers and mechanics. Ansel Hart, the father of E. L. Hart, settled near the village of Cambria, Wayne county, Iowa, in 1856, where he was postmaster for several years. He died there in 1877. His wife and the mother of Edward L. was Clementina Russell, a member of one of the pioneer families of Ionia county, Mich.

E. L. Hart attended the common schools of Wayne county about six months in the year from 1856 to 1862, and became proficient in the studies taught in that early time. He was notably good in orthography, and earned considerable notoriety by spelling down all comers at the spelling schools, then very common in the neighborhood. No schools were taught during the two years following the outbreak of the war, and it was decided that he should return to Michigan in order that he might have school advantages. Accordingly, on his fourteenth birthday, he started on foot to Ottumwa, then the terminus of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad and sixty miles distant, from which point he took the train for his native state. Arriving there he at once entered school, remaining until 1866, at which time he returned to his home in Wayne county, making the journey from Ottumwa on foot. At Cambria the following winter he attended a school which was taught by Theodore Laing, now a prominent lawyer in Concordia, Kan., whose interest in the boy did much to encourage him to further pursue his studies. The fall of 1867 found him in the schools of Garden Grove under the tutorage of Prof. R. A. Harkness, now of Parsons college. Here he remained for four years, excepting the time required to earn money with which to pay his expenses, by teaching. He was but 17 years of age when he began teaching, and that avocation was followed for six years. The last school taught by him was at Corydon. In 1872 he spent six months as clerk and bookkeeper in a dry goods store, and again in 1876 about the same length of time as clerk in a drug store. It was late in 1876 when he took up the study of law by devoting a portion of each day to reading standard law books borrowed from J. B. Evans, now of Princeton, Mo., who later became his preceptor. After having been admitted to the bar in 1877 he opened an office in the town of Allerton, in his home county. In 1878 he formed a partnership with George Albertson, and the same was continued until 1881, when he purchased the interest of that gentleman and continued alone till 1891, at which time he removed to Corydon. The following May a business relation in practice was established with R. C. Poston, and the same is still existing.

When Mr. Hart first came to Wayne county, away back in 1856, the country was new, very new, and but few farm residences broke the monotony of the wide, trackless prairies. His father purchased 240 acres of land at that time, which was during the following years fenced with rails hauled from a point five miles distant. Helping with this and driving four yoke of oxen to a breaking plow furnished the amusement to while away the spare hours of Mr. Hart's youth.

He was reared a republican, and voted with that party until reaching his twenty sixth year, when, after a careful study of political economy, he was led to repudiate the doctrine of protection and became a radical free trader. However, he has always advocated measures and policies rather than parties. He has taken a more or less active part in the campaigns of his county for the last twenty years. He was married to Miss Ida Matson September 8, 1873. She is a daughter of Thomas A. Matson, formerly of Chariton. They have six children?Edward L., Jesse B., David R., George A., Mary and Charles A.

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