George R. Struble

Last updated May 05, 2024

George Rix Struble (1836–1918)^[1] was a judge and politician from Toledo, Iowa.

Biography

Early life and marriage

Struble was born on July 25, 1836, in Sussex County, New Jersey. His parents, Isaac and Emma (Cox) Struble, removed to Fredericksburg, Virginia, when he was quite young.^{[ when? ]} They afterwards removed to Chesterville, Ohio, in 1847. In 1856, Mr. Struble came to Iowa, locating first at Iowa City and remaining there until the following spring. He then located in Toledo, Iowa, where on April 19, 1860, he was married to Miss Sophia J. Nelson.^[2]

Political and law career

Struble later entered a partnership with C.B. Bradshaw, M.M. Goodrich and L.G. Kinne, and formed the law firm of Struble & Stiger was formed in 1881, which continued as long as he remained in active practice.

From 1870 to 1872, he served acceptably on the circuit bench and in 1879 was elected to the General Assembly where he served two terms, the last term as speaker of the House of Representatives from 1881 to 1883.^[3] An ardent prohibitionist^[4] and prominent attorney, he was once described as "the pride of the Bar in this community and the admiration of the Court."^[5] Struble was one of 12 siblings including John T. Struble of Iowa City, and Congressman Isaac S. Struble of Plymouth County, Iowa. He was also the Granduncle of Bob Struble, Sr. and great-granduncle of Bob Struble, Jr.

Death and legacy

Struble died in his home in Toledo, Iowa, December 15, 1918. Upon his death, the state representative of Iowa called him a “affable and courteous” person and a “worthy and noble citizen”.^[6]

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References

↑ A biography of some 160 words about G.R. Struble is in, Benjamin F. Gue, History of Iowa From the Earliest Times To the Beginning of the Twentieth Century, 4 vols. (New York: Century History Co., 1903) 4:254. The entry states that Struble attended the common schools of Chesterville, Ohio from an early age; also the local academy. Gue's history indicates that the Struble family settled in Iowa City in 1856, where young George studied law and was soon admitted to the bar. In 1857 he moved some 50 miles west to Toledo in Tama County, where he opened his practice as an attorney. Gue ends his account of Struble's political career in 1890. In that year the GOP nomination for Congress from the 5th congressional district went to Struble, but in the general election the nationwide landslide for the Democrats was too much to overcome. For the first time in almost four decades, the Democrats took a majority of the seats in the Iowa delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.
↑ "State Representative". www.legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
↑ The History of Tama County, Iowa (Union Publishing Co., 1883) p. 313 states that GRS made "an excellent judge, logical, clear, prompt, and impartial...." At p. 462 it states that as speaker of the house, GRS "made one of the best presiding officers the General Assembly ever had."
↑ The Annals of Iowa, pp. 526-28. A raucous GOP state convention in late August, 1893, featured a floor fight over prohibition which was then being contested state by state. The proposed 13th plank in the Republican platform favored accommodation of those localities in Iowa which were inclined to opt out of the state law prohibiting alcohol. Opponents considered such a policy to be a retreat in the battle between the home and the saloon. Judge Struble, a hardliner, moved to remove the local option from the plank. Debate over the Struble amendment lasted three hours. Struble's motion got 590 votes as against 613 for the more liberal position. The prohibition fight raged nationally for another quarter century until 1919 when (a month after Judge Struble's death) the states ratified the 18th Amendment. For the subsequent 14 years the U.S. Constitution prohibited throughout the United States "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors."
↑ See "Funeral Discourse" cited below; also J.R. Caldwell, ed., A History of Tama County Iowa, 2 vols. (New York: Lewis Publ. Co., 1910), vol. 2, p. 650-53. After chronicling GRS's political career, Caldwell's history states: "But it is the courts of Iowa which know him best, as for many years there was scarcely an important lawsuit of any character in Tama County in which he did not appear…. He appeared for the plaintiff in suit for large damages brought by Michael Casey against Tama County; successfully defended Shelton in a trial on a charge of murder which came here on a change of venue from Marshall County, and … also defended John and Bill Buhmann upon a charge of murdering John Brown at Gladbrook. He is a skillful pleader, deeply versed in the intricacies of the law, and has great influence with both juries and judges."
↑ "State Representative". www.legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

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[1] A biography of some 160 words about G.R. Struble is in, Benjamin F. Gue, History of Iowa From the Earliest Times To the Beginning of the Twentieth Century, 4 vols. (New York: Century History Co., 1903) 4:254. The entry states that Struble attended the common schools of Chesterville, Ohio from an early age; also the local academy. Gue's history indicates that the Struble family settled in Iowa City in 1856, where young George studied law and was soon admitted to the bar. In 1857 he moved some 50 miles west to Toledo in Tama County, where he opened his practice as an attorney. Gue ends his account of Struble's political career in 1890. In that year the GOP nomination for Congress from the 5th congressional district went to Struble, but in the general election the nationwide landslide for the Democrats was too much to overcome. For the first time in almost four decades, the Democrats took a majority of the seats in the Iowa delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.

[2] "State Representative". www.legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

[3] The History of Tama County, Iowa (Union Publishing Co., 1883) p. 313 states that GRS made "an excellent judge, logical, clear, prompt, and impartial...." At p. 462 it states that as speaker of the house, GRS "made one of the best presiding officers the General Assembly ever had."

[4] The Annals of Iowa, pp. 526-28. A raucous GOP state convention in late August, 1893, featured a floor fight over prohibition which was then being contested state by state. The proposed 13th plank in the Republican platform favored accommodation of those localities in Iowa which were inclined to opt out of the state law prohibiting alcohol. Opponents considered such a policy to be a retreat in the battle between the home and the saloon. Judge Struble, a hardliner, moved to remove the local option from the plank. Debate over the Struble amendment lasted three hours. Struble's motion got 590 votes as against 613 for the more liberal position. The prohibition fight raged nationally for another quarter century until 1919 when (a month after Judge Struble's death) the states ratified the 18th Amendment. For the subsequent 14 years the U.S. Constitution prohibited throughout the United States "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors."

[5] See "Funeral Discourse" cited below; also J.R. Caldwell, ed., A History of Tama County Iowa, 2 vols. (New York: Lewis Publ. Co., 1910), vol. 2, p. 650-53. After chronicling GRS's political career, Caldwell's history states: "But it is the courts of Iowa which know him best, as for many years there was scarcely an important lawsuit of any character in Tama County in which he did not appear…. He appeared for the plaintiff in suit for large damages brought by Michael Casey against Tama County; successfully defended Shelton in a trial on a charge of murder which came here on a change of venue from Marshall County, and … also defended John and Bill Buhmann upon a charge of murdering John Brown at Gladbrook. He is a skillful pleader, deeply versed in the intricacies of the law, and has great influence with both juries and judges."

[6] "State Representative". www.legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

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