Edward Holcomb Stiles (October 3, 1836 – May 9, 1921) was a lawyer, politician and writer. He served in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

and

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

Early life

Edward Holcomb Stiles was born on October 3, 1836, in

Granby, Connecticut Granby is a town in far northern Hartford County, Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New Y ...

. In 1856, Stiles moved to

Wapello County, Iowa Wapello County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,437. The county seat is Ottumwa. The county was formed on February 17, 1843, and named for Wapello, a Meskwaki chief. Wapello County ...

, and taught school the following winter. He studied law with Colonel S. W. Summers of

Ottumwa, Iowa Ottumwa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves b ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1857.

Career

Stiles formed a partnership with Summers. In 1858, Stiles was elected a member of the Ottumwa City Council and became city counselor in 1859. In 1860, Stiles was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He stumped for

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

in Iowa alongside

Henry Clay Dean Henry Clay Dean (27 October 1822 – 6 February 1887) was a Methodist Episcopal preacher, lawyer, orator and author who was a critic of the American Civil War and the Lincoln Administration. Early life and education Dean was born in Fayette Count ...

for the 1860 presidential election. After the Civil War, Stiles became a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In 1861, Stiles became a county attorney. In 1863, Stiles was elected as representative in the

, representing

District 10 District 10 may refer to: Places *District 10 (Ho Chi Minh city), Vietnam *District 10 (Zürich), in Switzerland * District 10, an electoral district of Malta * District 10, a police district of Malta *District 10 School, a historic school in Marga ...

, for the 1864 session. In 1865, Stiles was elected to the

, serving in the 1866 session but ultimately resigned in 1866 after his nomination to the Republican State Convention as reporter for the Supreme Court. He was the first elected to the position of reporter of the Supreme Court. He served in the role until 1875. Stiles published with Thomas F. Withrow four volumes of ''Digest of Decisions of the Supreme Court of Iowa'', a history of the Supreme Court from territorial days to the date of publication, from 1874 to 1879. In 1883, Stiles ran as a Republican for the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

, but lost to James B. Weaver. Stiles worked as a local attorney for

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

and

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

for about twenty years. In 1886, Stiles moved to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. He then worked as a law partner with ex-Governor Thomas T. Crittenden. He also practiced law with Judge H. C. McDougal. In 1892, Stiles was appointed as master in chancery for the

United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (in case citations, W.D. Mo.) is the federal judicial district encompassing 66 counties in the western half of the State of Missouri. The Court is based in the Charles Evans ...

. In 1894, Stiles was appointed as special master of the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

St. Louis–San Francisco Railway The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway , commonly known as the "Frisco", was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central United States from 1876 to April 17, 1980. At the end of 1970, it operated of road on of track, not includi ...

and the

Atlantic and Pacific Railroad The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was a U.S. railroad that owned or operated two disjointed segments, one connecting St. Louis, Missouri with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico with Needles in Southern California ...

. He retired in 1911 from practicing law and moved to

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. Stiles prepared and published ''Recollections and Sketches of Notable Lawyers and Public Men of Early Iowa'' in 1916.

Personal life

Stiles married Emma M. Vernon of

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

, on September 19, 1861. They had six children, including Vernon, Edward, Mrs. Egbert J. Gates and Bertha V. His daughter married California state senator Egbert J. Gates. His wife died in 1911. Later in life, Stiles lived at 904 Mission Street in Pasadena. Stiles died at the home of his son-in-law Egbert J. Gates on May 9, 1921, in Pasadena, California.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stiles, Edward H. 1836 births 1921 deaths People from Granby, Connecticut People from Ottumwa, Iowa Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri Missouri Republicans Iowa lawyers Missouri lawyers Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Republican Party Iowa state senators