George Martin Curtis (April 1, 1844 – February 9, 1921) was a two-term

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 ...

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its southeastern part. It includes Davenport, Iowa City, Muscatine, Clinton, Burlington, Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Oskaloosa, Bette ...

Biography

Born near

Oxford, New York Oxford is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The town contains a village also named Oxford. Oxford is an interior town in the south-central part of the county, southwest of the city of Norwich. At the 2010 census the town populati ...

, to John S. and Elizabeth (Carpenter) Curtis, Curtis moved to

Ogle County, Illinois Ogle County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 53,497. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle. Ogle County comprises Rochelle, ...

, in 1856 with his parents, who settled on a farm near

Rochelle, Illinois Rochelle is a city in Ogle County, Illinois. The population was 9,446 at the 2020 census. Rochelle is approximately west of Chicago and south of Rockford. History Originally named Hickory Grove, the town sits at the intersection of two rail ...

. He attended the common schools and Rock River Seminary, in

Mount Morris, Illinois Mount Morris is a village in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census, down from 3,013 in 2000. Geography Mount Morris is located at (42.047614, -89.433972). According to the 201 ...

. Curtis was a clerk in Rochelle from 1863 to 1865, and subsequently for two years in

Cortland, Illinois Cortland is an incorporated town in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,398 at the 2020 Census. It was previously 4,270 at the 2010 census, up from 2,066 in 2000. Because of its status as an incorporated town, Cortland has ...

. He moved to

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt C ...

, in 1867 and engaged in the manufacture of lumber, founding the Curtis Companies, a conglomerate of associated sash, door, and

millwork Millwork is historically any wood mill produced decorative materials used in building construction. Stock profiled and patterned millwork building components fabricated by milling at a planing mill can usually be installed with minimal alter ...

companies that eventually consolidated into a single corporation based in Clinton, Iowa. He was also one of the incorporators of the City National Bank of Clinton in 1880. After initially serving as one of its directors, Curtis was elected vice president of the bank in 1890 and served in that capacity until his death. He also served as director in a number of lumber companies.

George Martin Curtis married Etta Lewis (1850–1924) on September 4, 1872. They had two sons – George Lewis and Eugene Judson. Etta Lewis was a native of the State of New York. She was the only child of William Lewis. Both parents died in her early childhood. An aunt adopted the orphan girl and took her to Michigan, where she was educated. When she was nineteen years of age, the family moved to Clinton, Iowa. Here she met George M. Curtis, an energetic young business man, afterward prominent in the political affairs of his state, and they were married. They had three sons and one daughter; the daughter and second son died when quite young. Etta Lewis was a member of the Presbyterian church and deeply interested in church and benevolent work. As President of the Associated Benevolent Society of Clinton for five years, she was instrumental in doing much to alleviate the sufferings of the poor of that city. In 1887, he was elected to 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 ...

, serving in 1888 and 1889. He served as delegate to the

1892 Republican National Convention The 1892 Republican National Convention was held at the Industrial Exposition Building, Minneapolis, Minnesota, from June 7 to June 10, 1892. The party nominated President Benjamin Harrison for re-election on the first ballot and Whitelaw Reid o ...

. In 1894, Curtis was nominated to run as a Republican against incumbent Democratic Congressman Walter I. Hayes in Iowa's 2nd congressional district. After defeating Hayes, he served in the

54th United States Congress The 54th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1895, ...

, then was re-elected two years later and served in the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

. He refused requests to be a candidate for renomination in 1898. In all, he served in Congress from March 4, 1895, to March 3, 1899. He resumed his former business activities in Clinton, and died there on February 9, 1921. He was interred in Springdale Cemetery. His house in Clinton has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, George Martin 1844 births 1921 deaths Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Politicians from Clinton, Iowa Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa People from Oxford, New York People from Rochelle, Illinois People from Cortland, Illinois