Zearl Verlin Hallcock (1896-1976)

From the Red Oak Express, June 13, 1962.

   A longtime farmer in Mongomery County, Iowa, Zearl Verlin Hallcock served several terms as mayor of Elliott in the 1950s and 60s. A resident of Iowa until shortly before his death, Hallcock was born in Pilot Grove on October 24, 1896, the son of John H. (1870-1962) and Lelia Hallcock (1876-1953). Little information exists on his early life or education, except note of his residence in Pilot Grove with his family. Hallcock married in Pottawattamie County on January 9, 1918, to Loraine Kirby (1901-1975), to who he was wed for over fifty years. The couple had three children, Bernadene (1924-2008), Billy (1928-2011), and Thomas (birthdate unknown). 

  A farmer for the majority of his life, Hallcock first farmed in Pilot Grove and in 1936 took over the operation of the 80-acre Vannorstrand farm, which was purchased by his father. Following its purchase, the Hallcock family's total farming acreage extended to 440 acres in Montgomery County. Hallcock removed to Elliott, Iowa in 1946, where he continued farming, and by 1962 had the "managership of three family-owned farms" in the vicinity. Additionally, Hallcock worked as an auctioneer both before and after his removal to Elliott. 

  Following his settlement in Elliott, Zearl Hallcock was a member of the local Methodist church, the Elliott Businessmen's Club, and the Elliott Activity Club. In 1947 he served as chairman of a two-day Elliott community celebration and entered town politics in March 1950 with his election as mayor. Curiously, there were no announced candidates for mayor of Elliott that year and Hallcock's election was due to "a write-in vote of 41." He served two consecutive terms, 1950-54, and in November 1957 was returned to the mayoral chair. By 1962 Hallcock had logged five terms as Elliott's mayor, and in October 1963 announced that he wouldn't be a candidate for a sixth term.

From the Red Oak Express, October 14, 1963.

  In 1965 Zearl Hallcock entered into the Elliott mayoral race and that November defeated incumbent Robert E. Allen. He left office in January 1968, and in October 1975 suffered the death of his wife of fifty-seven years, Loraine. Hallcock survived his wife by several months, dying in Brighton, Colorado on April 22, 1976, aged 79. He was survived by his three children and was interred alongside his wife at the Hillside Cemetery in Elliott.

Azor Ruggles Mills (1827-1901)

From the Jefferson Bee, October 26, 1954.

  A prominent 19th-century resident of Greene County, Iowa, Azor Ruggles Mills was a transplant to that state from Wadsworth, Ohio, and in the early 1850s became the first person to teach in the recently organized school in Greene County. A Civil War veteran, Mills lost the use of his left arm due to wounds sustained at the Battle of Allatoona. In 1865 he was elected as Greene County's representative in the Iowa state legislature and later served as a county school superintendent. The son of Col. Henry Augustus "Harry A." (1795-1873) and Harriett (Ruggles) Mills (died 1844), Azor Ruggles Mills was born in Wadsworth on February 11, 1827. Bestowed the unusual name Azor Ruggles, Mills received this name in honor of his maternal grandfather (1768-1843), a native of Brookfield, Connecticut who later removed to Canfield, Ohio.

  During his youth Mills studied in schools local to his village and later attended the Twinsburg Academy for Boys. After attaining maturity Mills looked westward and moved to Wisconsin in the early 1850s. Following resettlement, he enrolled in the first class ever to register at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and taught school for a time. Around 1854-55 he moved to Iowa and settled in Jefferson in Greene County. Soon after his arrival, the local citizenry organized a subscription school, the first of its kind in the county. Mills was selected as the school's first teacher and also organized a debating society. The school comprised thirty-two students, and at the dawn of the Civil War, he began military drilling with his class, with all 33 (including Mills) enlisting for service in the Union Army.

  In 1862 Mills took rank among Co. E., 39th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and on October 5, 1864, was grievously injured at the Battle of Allatoona Pass in Georgia. "With four bullets in his coat", Mills was spared a death blow by the ramrod of his rifle, which he was then pulling from his gun. Instead of being struck in the heart, the bullet passed through his left arm, subsequently wounding his fellow infantryman, James Smith. This injury caused Mills to lose the use of his left arm, but he continued to serve in the Army until his honorable discharge in July 1865. After his return to Iowa, Mills was a founding member of the George H. Thomas Post in Jefferson, with which he was affiliated until his death.

  On July 25, 1865, Azor Mills married Miranda Dyle Anderson (1844-1917), whom he had known before the war. The couple were wed until his death in 1901, and had nine daughters: Emma (died in infancy in 1866), Ada (1868-1953), Ella (born 1869), Grace Ruggles (1871-1952), Lilian Bird (1873-1933), Flora (1875-1876), Ethel Ray (1877-1903), Marcy Octavia (born 1879), and Vera Elizabeth (1884-1954).

   In the same year as his marriage, Azor Mills received the Republican nomination for state representative from the counties of Greene, Carroll, Audubon, and Calhoun. Following his election in late 1865, Mills took his seat in January 1866 and during that session was named to the committees on Banks and Engrossed Bills. This term saw Mills back legislation that approved $95,000 for the construction of a main building at the newly organized Iowa State College at Ames, where six of his daughters would attend school.

From the Jefferson Bee, March 14, 1901.

  After leaving state government Mills continued prominence in Greene County, being elected to two consecutive terms as county superintendent of schools where his "labors were practical and whose efforts were effective." Additionally, Mills was a charter member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Jefferson, where he taught a bible class for forty-five years. He also farmed near the northern Jefferson city limits, and with Joseph Manning established a boot and shoe manufacturing business in town. 

  Due to physical disability, Mills later retired from his business pursuits but continued to reside in Jefferson until his death at home on March 12, 1901, at age 74. He was survived by his wife and daughters and was interred at the Jefferson Cemetery. Mills was subsequently memorialized by his fellow townsman and friend John Gray as having had:

"A rare mixture of aloofness and friendliness, aloofness inherited from eastern origins, friendliness bred in the new west. He willingly shared the burdens of humanity even to the risking of his own life, whether on the battlefield, or in the halls of legislation, his strength and voice were ever on the side of right."

Redfield Clipper Mills (1891-1965)

From the Iowa State Red Book.

  Iowa makes its first appearance on the site for 2021 with Redfield Clipper Mills, who was twice a state senator from the state's 17th district. The first veterinarian to be accorded a profile here, Mills returned to politics in 1948 with his unsuccessful run for Iowa lieutenant governor. A lifelong Iowan, Redfield Clipper Mills was born in Redfield, Dallas County, on January 22, 1891, the son of John Henry and Sarah Alice (Duck) Mills. A newspaperman, John Henry Mills was the publisher of the Redfield Record, which he purchased in 1889. Following its purchase, he renamed it the Redfield Clipper, and upon his son's birth in 1891 bestowed upon him the same name!

   A student in both the country and town schools, Mills graduated from the Redfield High School and for three years farmed in North Dakota. Deciding upon a career in veterinary medicine, Mills enrolled at the Kansas City Veterinary College and graduated in 1915. Following graduation, he opened his practice in Redfield and after American entry into WWI enlisted for service. For two years he served with the U.S. Veterinary Corps and attained the rank of First Lieutenant.

  After his return stateside Mills recommenced with his practice in Redfield and married in Dallas County on December 30, 1920, to Ella Frances Shaw (1902-1999). The couple's forty-four-year marriage produced six children: Clipper Eugene (1923-1994), Milton Locke (1925-2003), John Paul (1927-2018), Mary Alice (1928-2008), Donald Thurston (1932-2018), and Janet Elizabeth (1934-2016). 

  In addition to his veterinary practice, Mills was active in the Knights of Pythias Lodge and the American Legion. An active Republican in his region, Mills would attend "every precinct, district, and county Republican convention since 1920." He first pursued elective office in 1924 when he sought the Republican nomination for state senator from the 17th district. Following his win in the Republican primary, Mills went on to oppose Democratic nominee J.W. Morris, and that November defeated him by a vote of 11,646 to 6,246. He took his seat in January 1925 and during the 1925-27 session was named to the committees on Agriculture, the Board of Control, Dairy and Food, Fish and Game, Highways, Labor, Pharmacy, and the Suppression of Intemperance. He also chaired the Committee on Military Affairs.

From the 1925-26 Iowa State Red Book.

  A successful candidate for reelection in 1926, Mills was named to two new committees for the 1927-29 session, Mines and Mining, and Police Regulations. He again chaired the Military Affairs Committee and was named vice-chair of the Committee on Labor. Mills was defeated in his bid for a third term in the June 1928 Republican primary, losing out to Frank Bissell (1878-1970), 4,514 votes to 3,478. Mills would again seek his old senate seat in the June 1932 Republican primary but was defeated by George M. Hopkins (1866-1940), who went on to win the general election in November.

   In 1933 Redfield Mills returned to government service when he took on the post of chief doorkeeper for the Iowa state senate, and continued to serve until at least 1935. In 1945 he was named as a vice commander of the Iowa American Legion at its 47th annual convention, and in 1948 returned to politics when he announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa. In a Dallas County News writeup on his candidacy, Mills's WWI service and terms in the senate were highlighted, with the News remarking:

"Mills is Dallas county's only candidate for state office  in the 1948 election, and is receiving numerous pledges of heavy support in his home county. He is well known throughout the state, but is particularly anxious that the vote in his home county be heavy as a tribute to his long service to Dallas County agriculture and the Republican party."

From the Cedar Rapids Gazette, March 9, 1948.

From the Dallas County News, April 28, 1948.

  One of three candidates vying for the Republican nomination, Redfield Mills lost out in the June primary, polling 88,098 votes to incumbent Kenneth Evans's winning total of 156,620. Two years following his loss he was named as an inspector for the U.S Poultry Association, and in the twilight of his life was a resident of the Iowa Soldier's Home in Marshalltown. He died there on June 12, 1965, aged 74, and was survived by his wife and six children. Ella Mills survived her husband by over thirty years and following her death at 97 in 1999, was interred alongside him at the East Linn Cemetery in Redfield. 

From the Dallas County News, June 16, 1965.