John Quincy Adams Tufts (July 12, 1840 – September 4, 1902) was an American

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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from Iowa and California. He was founder of a sporting goods company in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Personal

Tufts was born on July 12, 1840, in

Aurora, Indiana Aurora is a city in Center Township, Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 3,750 at the 2010 census. Geography Aurora is located at (39.058551, -84.906351). According to the 2010 census, Aurora has a total area of , of wh ...

, to Servetus (or Servitus) Tufts and Emily (Dudley) Tufts. The family moved to a farm in

Muscatine County, Iowa Muscatine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,235. The county seat is Muscatine. The southeastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. Muscatine County comprises the Muscati ...

, in 1852. He attended common schools as a child and then

Cornell College Cornell College is a private college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron ty ...

Mount Vernon, Iowa Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. The population was 4,527 at the time of the 2020 census. Mount Vernon is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Mount Vernon ...

. He married Susan Shaw Cook on October 10, 1861. They had eleven children.Ancestry.com
/ref>"John Q. Tufts Dead," ''Los Angeles Herald,'' September 5, 1902
/ref> Tufts moved to Los Angeles in 1887. He was a member of the Masons and of the Creel Club On September 4, 1902, he died at his home, 3303 South Grand Avenue, at age 68. He was survived by his wife and ten children, Mrs. F.M. Lyon, Mrs. A.B. Cass, Mrs. Will Muir, Edward B. Tufts, John Q. Tufts Jr., Will A. Tufts, Carl R. Tufts and Roy N. Tufts, all of Los Angeles; Mrs. Robert Frick of San Francisco, and Mrs. T.A. Sanson of

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

. He was interred in Angelus Cemetery in

Central Los Angeles __NOTOC__ Central Los Angeles is the historic urban region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Geography The City of Los Angeles The Los Angeles Department of City Planning divides the city into Area Planning Commission (APC) areas, each fur ...

Vocation

Agriculture

In 1858, Tufts moved to

Cedar County, Iowa Cedar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,505. Its county seat is Tipton. The county is named for the Cedar River, which runs through the county. Cedar County is located between t ...

, and was a farmer near Wilton in that county.

Iowa

Tufts was a member of 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 ...

in 1870, 1872 and 1874. In his final term he was the chairman of the Railroad Committee of the Iowa House and was considered a strong advocate for railroad regulation.

U.S. government

In 1874 he was elected as a Republican to represent

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, Bettendo ...

in the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. He did not run for re-election in 1876. He served in Congress from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1877. He was also a United States Indian Agent in the Union Agency at Muskogee in the

(now

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

), from 1879 to 1887. During his tenure as Indian Commissioner, he organized the first unit of the

United States Indian Police The United States Indian Police (USIP) was organized in 1880 by John Q. Tufts the Indian Commissioner in Muskogee, Indian Territory, to police the Five Civilized Tribes. Their mission is to "provide justice services and technical assistance to ...

in February 1880.OKLAHOMA'S Frontier Indian Police
, By Art T. Burton. In his annual report to the Secretary of the Interior, John Q. Tufts consistently asked to have the number and pay increased for the United States Indian Police. He urged the government to resolve the question of citizenship in the Indian Nation and he supported the

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

's claims to citizenship in the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...

. John Q. Tufts also asked that laws be passed to provide imprisonment of intruders who return after being removed for the theft of coal and timber. The intruders were often whites who stole with impunity from Indian lands.

Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, he engaged in the

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

business and also founded the Tufts-Lyons Arms Company, a sporting-goods firm. In 1890 he was elected to the City Council from the 5th

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. He served one term, then ran for mayor on the Republican

ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a tol ...

, losing to Thomas E. Rowan in 1892."John Quincy Tufts Taken by Death," ''Los Angeles Times,'' September 5, 1902, page A-2
/ref> He was opposed in his race for mayor by the ''Los Angeles Herald,'' which said of him that he was "openly hostile to a large class of

teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the u ...

, hackmen and others" and that he had "also favored a cut in the wages of

day laborers Day labor (or day labour in Commonwealth spelling) is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form of contingent work. Types Day laborers (also kn ...

in the public employ." The ''Times,'' however, endorsed him because of his "recognized standing in the business community.""J.Q.Tufts," ''Los Angeles Times,'' December 2, 1892, page 4
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tufts, John Q. Los Angeles City Council members Members of the Iowa House of Representatives United States Indian agents 1840 births 1902 deaths Burials at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery People from Aurora, Indiana People from Cedar County, Iowa People from Muscatine County, Iowa Cornell College alumni California Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 19th-century American politicians