Henry Bond Fargo (August 29, 1843 – December 1, 1932) was an American politician and businessman who spent most of his professional career in

Geneva, Illinois Geneva is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the western side of the Chicago suburbs. Per the 2020 census, the population was 21,393. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, located between S ...

. Born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Fargo first engaged in real estate dealings in

Redwood Falls, Minnesota Redwood Falls is a city in Redwood County, located along the Redwood River near its confluence with the Minnesota River, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,102 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat. History As the immigr ...

. A Chicago real estate firm hired him in 1887, and Fargo moved to

. There, he developed local industry and served two terms as mayor. Fargo was elected to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1912.

Biography

Henry Bond Fargo, a fourth cousin once removed of J. C. and

William Fargo William George Fargo (May 20, 1818August 3, 1881) was a pioneer American expressman who helped found the modern-day financial firms of American Express Company and Wells Fargo with his business partner, Henry Wells. He was also the 27th Mayor ...

, was born in 1843 in

Warsaw, New York Warsaw is a town in Wyoming County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 5,064 at the 2010 census. It is located approximately 37 miles east southeast of Buffalo and approximately 37 miles southwest of Rochester. The town may h ...

. The son of blacksmith William N. Fargo, Henry Fargo moved with his family to

Delavan, Wisconsin Delavan is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,505 at the 2020 census. It is located southwest of Milwaukee. The city is located partially within the Town of Delavan, but the two entities are politically i ...

when he was a child. By 1860, the family had removed to Fond du Lac. Fargo began his first business enterprises in his new home, becoming involved with real estate. He opened a real estate agency in

. His success in his endeavors brought him to the attention of E. A. Cummings & Co., the largest real estate business in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, who hired Fargo as their principal salesman. Henry moved to

in 1887 into the former home of Isaac Wilson. Fargo became a prominent politician and businessman in Geneva. Fargo founded the First National Bank of Geneva and was its first president. He was able to convince the Appleton Manufacturing Company of

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh) is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...

to relocate to Geneva in the 1890s. Fargo constructed a racetrack and theater in Geneva. Fargo was elected Mayor of Geneva in 1903 and served for a year. In 1907, he ran for mayor again and served three years. He was the first President of the First National Bank of Geneva. In 1912, Fargo, as a candidate of the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...

, was elected to the

as one of three members from the 14th district. The 14th district consisted of Kane and Kendall counties. In the 1914, Fargo finished third in the Progressive Party primary behind nominees Charles Doetschman R. Waite Joslyn. Doetschman and Joslyn in turn would finish fourth and fifth respectively for three seats. In 1925, Fargo built the Fargo Theater Building in

Sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

. He also built a hotel in Sycamore and another theater in neighboring

DeKalb DeKalb or De Kalb may refer to: People * Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in the American Revolutionary War Places Municipalities in the United States * DeKalb, Illinois, the largest city in the United States named DeKalb ** DeK ...

. Fargo died in 1932 in Geneva and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Personal life

Fargo married Anna Elizabeth Schoolcraft; together they had a daughter Orietta and a son Charles Henry. Elizabeth died in 1899. Fargo remarried to Kate Patty a year later, who died in 1930. Fargo became active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

while in Redwood Falls. After he moved to Geneva, he joined Jerusalem Temple Lodge #90. Fargo willed

his house ''His House'' is a 2020 horror thriller film written and directed by Remi Weekes from a story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. It stars Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu and Matt Smith. The film tells the story of a refugee couple from South Sudan, ...

to the Masons when he died. However, the order elected to exchange the house with a property that Fargo's granddaughters owned downtown. The house was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

with a listing 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 v ...

on May 12, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fargo, Henry Bond 1843 births 1932 deaths Mayors of places in Illinois Members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Geneva, Illinois People from Warsaw, New York Illinois Progressives (1912) People from Delavan, Wisconsin People from Redwood Falls, Minnesota