Cherokee is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,253 at the 2010 Census, down from 5,369 in 2000. It is the county seat of Cherokee County.
James Harlan was an attorney and politician, a member of the United States Senate, a U.S. Cabinet Secretary at the United States Department of Interior under President Andrew Johnson, and a Federal Judge.
Guy Mark Gillette was a Democratic U.S. Representative and Senator from Iowa. In the U.S. Senate, Gillette was elected, re-elected, defeated, elected again, and defeated again.
Richard Louis Murphy of Dubuque, Iowa was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Iowa. Elected with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, as only the second Democratic Senator from Iowa elected since 1858, Murphy's service was cut short by his accidental death in 1936, with over two years remaining in his only term.
George Allison Wilson was an American politician and lawyer. He was a United States Senator and 28th Governor of Iowa.
The Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Iowa.
Lloyd Thurston was a seven-term Republican U.S. Representative from southern Iowa. First elected in 1924, he served until 1938, when he unsuccessfully sought election to the U.S. Senate. By his final term, he had served on three of the most powerful House committees.
Vincent Francis Harrington was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa. Harrington was commissioned in the United States Army Air Forces after the Pearl Harbor attack, resigned from Congress when President Franklin D. Roosevelt disallowed members of Congress from serving in the military at the same time, and died of natural causes while on active duty in England. A Liberty Ship was named in his honor.
Iowa's 9th congressional district existed from 1873 to 1943. The district was configured four times, first as part of a nine-district plan, then twice in eleven-district plans, then again in a nine-district plan. In the nine-district plans, the Ninth District encompassed the northwestern corner of Iowa, but in the eleven-district plans it encompassed Council Bluffs and nine surrounding counties.
The Henry Wallace House is an historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was the home of Henry Wallace who was an advocate for agricultural improvement and reform. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the Sherman Hill Historic District in 1979 and it has been individually listed since 1993.
The Vermilion Estate is a historic building located in Centerville, Iowa, United States. W.F. Vermilion was a native of Kentucky who settled in Iowa after earning his medical degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago. He served as a captain in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war he was admitted to the Iowa Bar, and served a term in the Iowa Senate as a Republican.
Porter Hall is a historic residence located in Centerville, Iowa, United States. The 2½-story frame house exhibits aspects of the Picturesque Tudor Revival style, especially in the half-timbering and stucco. The house gained its present appearance during the ownership of Dr. Charles James in the 1910s and 1920s. There is some question as to whether this is an older 1880s house that has been extensively remodeled. It receives its name from Claude R. Porter who owned this property from 1906 to 1909. Porter was a Democrat, who served two terms in the Iowa House of Representatives, two terms in the Iowa Senate, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, and a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission. He was also a perennial candidate for Governor of Iowa and the U.S. Senate from Iowa, but lost every election to his Republican opponent. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Lewis Hotel is a historic building located in Cherokee, Iowa, United States. Robert A. Lewis was a New York City native who settled in the Cherokee area in 1872. He had a background in carpentry, but he established a nursery in Cherokee. After moving into town he started planning for his hotel around 1897. He served as the contractor for its construction, and it was completed two years later. The hotel remained in the care of his family until 1966.
The Smith–Johnson House, also known as The Old Brick, is a historic residence located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. It was built for William T. Smith in 1853, the same year he was elected as the first mayor of Oskaloosa. A lawyer, Smith was a native of Pennsylvania who settled in the town in 1848 and became county attorney the same year. In addition to his political and legal responsibilities he founded the first bank in town, and he was involved with other profitable financial ventures. He lived in the house until 1865 when Abijah Johnson, a Quaker merchant who moved to Oskaloosa to be a part of the flourishing Quaker communities here and in the surrounding areas. His son J. Kelly Johnson, an attorney who served in the Iowa Senate, took over the house after his father's death in 1894.
The Wells-Stubbs House is a historic residence located in Fairfield, Iowa, United States. This house was built for George and Priscilla Wells in 1874. Its notoriety is derived from the residency of Daniel P. Stubbs, who lived here from 1877 to 1905. Stubbs was a leader in the Greenback Party in Iowa, and he served as their candidate for state and national offices. Early in his law career he was a partner with future congressman and Senator from Iowa, James F. Wilson. Stubbs was a successful defense attorney, as well as an attorney for the railroads. While still a Republican, he was elected mayor of Fairfield and to the Iowa Senate. He did not hold office as a Greenbacker.
The S.S. Farwell House is a historic building located in Monticello, Iowa, United States. Farwell was an Ohio native who settled in Iowa in 1852, and spent of couple years in the late 1850s in Missouri before returning to the Monticello area. He was engaged in farming before the American Civil War, during which he served as a Captain in the 31st Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He saw action at Chickasaw Bayou, Vicksburg, and Missionary Ridge. He mustered out as a Major. After the war he served in the Iowa Senate and in various political appointments before becoming a banker. The two-story, frame house was built in two parts. The original Italianate section was completed in 1868, and the Colonial Revival addition with the front porch was added about 1909. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The Kirkwood House is a historic building located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It was built for local attorney and businessman Samuel J. Kirkwood who also served as Governor of Iowa, represented Iowa in the United States Senate, and was Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of President James A. Garfield. The house was built after his second term as governor and remained his home until his death in 1893. His widow remained here until her death in 1923. This was his home during most of his political career and it reflects the "rural and unpretentious style of living" that the Kirkwoods preferred. The house was originally located on a much larger estate, but the rest of it has subsequently been divided into lots and sold. The two-story L-shaped wood frame structure, which sits further back from the street than other houses on the block, has paired brackets and a roof line cornice as its only ornamentation. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The Lemuel C. and Mary (Vaughn) Boughton House is a historic building located in Cherokee, Iowa, United States. The 2½-story, frame, Queen Anne house was completed in 1891. The exterior features cottage bay windows, projecting gabled bay windows on the central pyramidal-roof, and decorative eaves. The concrete wrap-around porch is not original to the house and was added in 1910. An iron fence surrounds the parameter of the property. The interior features decorative staircase railings and newel posts, molded baseboards, paneled doors, many with fluted jambs and bull’s-eye corner blocks. Transoms are located over bedroom doors on the second floor. While Cherokee has other Queen Anne houses, the Boughton House is more architecturally elaborate. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
The Roy C. and Lena (Johnson) Seaman House is a historic building located in Cherokee, Iowa, United States. The 1½-story, frame, American Craftsman style Bungalow was completed in 1913. The exterior features a side-gabled roof that extends over the full-width front porch. Of particular note are the decorative field or river stones that are utilized in the porch and the chimney, typical of the Craftsman style. Other decorative elements on the exterior include rafter tails on the porch and above the shed-roofed dormer windows. Much of the original woodwork has been maintained in the interior of the house. Faux timbers extend across the living room and the dining room ceilings. The interior also features built-in cabinets and a brick fireplace. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
The Elijah D. and Mary J. (Adams) Waln House, also known as the C.P. and Gertrude E. Whittemore House, is a historic building located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, United States. It is significant with the settlement of the city that was influenced by the establishment of the Military Road, for being constructed of locally made brick and locally quarried limestone, and its Greek Revival architecture. Elijah and Mary Waln and their family were early pioneers in Mount Vernon. He set up the first general variety store in town, and was also one of the founders, a trustee, and a benefactor of Cornell College. He also served in the Iowa House of Representatives. The family's first house was a 2½-story frame structure that they had built when they moved to town. It was replaced around 1865 with this two-story, brick, Greek Revival-style residence. Waln hired brothers Henry and William Albright, who were Mount Vernon's first masons and owned its first brickyard, to build the new house. They lived here until 1892 when they sold the house to C.P. Whittemore, who added the rear addition and enclosed the lower part of the front porch in 1900. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
