History of Champaign County Ohio United States of America

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John Sills Jones, representative, was born in Champaign county, Ohio, Feb. 12, 1835; son of William H. and Rachel (Sills) Jones. He was a student at the Ohio Wesleyan university, and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1857. He was elected prosecuting attorney for Delaware county in 1860, but resigned in 1861, and enlisted in the Federal army, serving as private and receiving promotion through the several ranks to that of colonel of the 174th Ohio regiment, and was brevetted brigadier-general of volunteers, June 27, 1865. He was mayor of Delaware, Ohio, 1866; prosecuting attorney of Delaware county, 1866-71; presidential elector, 1872; Republican representative in the 45th congress, 1877-79; a representative in the Ohio legislature, 1879-84, and during both terms chairman of the judiciary committee of the house. He was a member of the board of trustees of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' home, 1870-74; trustee of the same from 1887, and president of the board of trustees. He was also a trustee of the Wesleyan female college, 1865-74.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John F. Gowey, Lawyer and Representative in the Sixtieth and Sixty-first General Assemblies of Ohio, was born in Champaign county, where he still resides, December 7th, 1846. The name was originally spelled Goewey, and his ancestors settled and lived in Rensselaer county, New York. He is the son of Hartland D. Gowey and Eliza A. (Willey) Gowey. His mother, whose ancestors were natives of Connecticut, was born in Ohio. His father was a native of Madison county, New York, and after his arrival in Ohio engaged in mercantile pursuits in the town of North Lewisburg, Champaign county. His education was acquired primarily in the Ohio Wesleyan University; and at the age of twenty he began the study of law under the preceptorship of Hon. John H. Young, of Urbana. In 1869 he was admitted to the bar, and at once entered on the practice of his profession. In 1872 he was elected, on the Republican ticket, to fill a vacancy in the House, and in 1873 was re-elected for the next full term. While a member of this body he has served on the Committees on Privileges and Elections and on Insane Asylums. In 1875, declining a re-election to the House, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Champaign county. To undertake to estimate the life and career of one so young as he, would be a premature proceeding; but, marked as it has been by integrity and the profitable exercise of sound abilities, there can be no danger in predicting that his future will satisfy every reasonable hope of his many friends. He was married, April 25th, 1867, to Clara McDonald, of Champaign county, Ohio.

From: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century. Columbus, OH, USA: Galaxy Publishing Co., 1876.

History of Champaign County Ohio

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