The Andrew John Cusac Family Newsletter
Issue #29 February, 2009
This is an electronic newsletter for those looking for information on the family or descendants of Andrew John Cusac (about 1750 - about 1816)
Send comments, questions, photographs or information to sakratzer@yahoo.com or skratze@bgsu.edu
Contents:
1. Obituary of Hannah Rodman Porter
2. George D Porter biographies
3. George M Porter Biography
4. Ethel Clark Porter Obituary
5. Notes and obituaries for Claude R Porter
6. Obituary for Maude L Boutin Porter
1. Obituary of Hannah Rodman Porter (John H Rodman, William Rodman, Roseann Cusac, Andrew John Cusac)
"Mrs. Hannah Porter dies
DES MOINES. (AP). Mrs. Hannah R. Porter, 92, mother of Claude R. Porter of Washington, member of the interstate commerce commission, died Thursday.
Other survivors are three daughters, Mrs. Mary P. Eckerman of Davenport and Mrs. Sarah Porter Risser and Miss Northa I. Porter of Des Moines; and another son, George M. Porter of Fort Worth, Tex."
Fri 04 Aug 1944 Nebraska State Journal, The (Lincoln, NE) p. 6
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2. George D Porter biographies (husband of Hannah Rodman, John H Rodman, William Rodman, Roseann Cusac, Andrew John Cusac)
Porter, G. D., lawyer; born in Perry Co., Penn., in 1846; moved to Cedar Co., Iowa, in 1851; thence to Richmond, Mo., in 1866, and located in this county in 1870. Married Miss Hannah Rodman in 1871; she was born in Boone Co., Ind., in 1854; their children are Claud R., Sadie L., Northa Iowa, George McCoy. National in politics. Owns improved property in Moulton, in this county, valued at $1,600; 200 acres of coal-land, valued at $10 per acre, and a farm of 160 acres, valued at $25 per acre.
The History of Appanoose County..., Iowa Chicago: Western Hist. Co., 1878.
GEORGE D. PORTER, attorney at law, Centerville, Iowa, was born in Williamstown, Perry County, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1846. His parents were Rev. George D. and Sarah J. (McCoy) Porter, the former of Irish and the latter of Scotch ancestry. Both are now deceased. In 1851 he accompanied his parents to Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa, where his father, who was a Presbyterian clergyman, was pastor of the church, and there he grew to manhood and was educated in the intermediate and high schools. When eighteen years of age he began teaching school, and taught in Cedar County, Iowa, and Ray County, Missouri, until 1870, when he entered upon the study of law in the office of the Hon. George W. Dunn, at Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, and the same year was admitted to the bar. He soon after located at Moulton, Appanoose County, Iowa, where he practiced till the fall of 1877, when he removed to Centerville, where he has built up a large and lucrative practice. In politics he was a Republican until 1877, and since then has voted independent of party. In the spring of 1870, while living at Richmond, Missouri, he was elected city solicitor for one term. In March, 1883, he was elected mayor of Centerville and served one term. June 6, 1871, he was married at Richmond, to Hannah R., daughter of J. H. and Lydia ( Jennings ) Rodman. They have five children: Claud R., Sadie L., Northa I., George McCoy and Anna M.
Biographical and Historical Record of Wayne and Appanoose Counties, Iowa
Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1886 p. 655
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3. George M Porter Biography (Hannah Rodman, John H Rodman, William Rodman, Roseann Cusac, Andrew John Cusac)
The City of McAlester, Pittsburg County, claims as one of its strong and important law firms that of Fuller & Porter, of which George M. Porter is the junior member, and both principals in this representative firm have made secure their reputation as resourceful trial lawyers and well fortified counselors, as have they also as loyal and public spirited citizens.
Mr. Porter was born at Centerville, county-seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, and the date of his nativity was February 19, 1878. He is a son of George D. Porter and Hannah (RODMAN) Porter, the former of whom was born in Indiana, though he was reared and educated in the State of Illinois, and the later of whom was a native of Pennsylvania. George D. Porter effectively prepared himself for the work of the legal profession and initiated practice in the State of Missouri, but he soon afterward removed to Centerville, Iowa, where he became one of the early members of the bar of Appanoose County, where he eventually rose to high rank as one of the leading members of the bar of that section of the Hawkeye State. Both he and his wife continued their residence at Centerville until their death, and one of their two sons, Claude R. Porter, is now engaged in the practice of law at Centerville, where he is fully upholding the professional and civic prestige of the family name and where he is an influential figure in his profession and also in the domain of political activities.
To the public schools of his native place George M. Porter is indebted for his early educational discipline and after graduation from high school he entered the Iowa College of Law, which is now the law department of Drake University, in the City of Des Moines, but the death of his father prevented him from completing the full course in this institution. He returned to Centerville, where he proved himself eligible for and was admitted to the bar, and where, in January, 1900, he entered upon his novitiate in the active practice of his profession. In February of the following year, however, Mr. Porter came to Indian Territory and established his residence at Eufaula, the present judicial center of MacIntosh County, Oklahoma, where he continued in active general practice for seven years, within which period he built up a substantial and remunerative law business and established affirm reputation for versatility and strength as a trial lawyer and as a safe conservative counselor. He served as city attorney of Eufaula and made an admirable record for fearless and successful work in prosecuting violators of the law. Many pleasant memories are his in connection with the associations and incidents of that period during which he was struggling to win his way to the front in the exacting profession of his choice, and he retains a lively interest in the town and county in which he won his spurs as a barrister. When Oklahoma was admitted to the Union as a sovereign commonwealth Mr. Porter felt prompted to seek a broader field of professional labor, and in September, 1907, about one month before the admission of the new state, he established his residence in McAlester, where he has since continued a successful practice as one of the representatives members of the bar of Pittsburg County and where he and his associate control a specially large and substantial general law business. Though he has had no desire for public office and has found the work of his profession insistent in its demands upon his time and attention. Mr. Porter served as one year as city attorney for McAlester. He has been active and influential in the councils of the democratic party in Oklahoma but has labored for the success of the cause and for the advancement of the interests and political fortunes of his friends rather than to further in any way his own political prestige. In the time honored Masonic fraternity he has received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, besides being affiliated with the adjunct organization, the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is an appreciative and popular member of the McAlester Country Club, of which he is president 1915 – 16. Both he and his wife are active members of the Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Porter has identified himself fully with the interests of his home city, county, and state, and has contributed much in influence and tangible co-operation in furtherance of the civic and material development and progress of McAlester and Pittsburg County, and has other capitalistic interests of importance.
In 1903 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Porter to Miss Ethel CLARK of Centerville, Iowa, and their two children are Margaret and Mary.
Typed for OKGenWeb by: Paul Grose, 28 November 1998
www.rootsweb.com/~okgenweb/books/thoburn/bios3/porter_george.txt
From “The Story of Oklahoma, vol. 3 by Joseph B. Thoburn, 1916, p. 1218
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4. Ethel Clark Porter Obituary (wife of George M Porter, Hannah Rodman, John H Rodman, William Rodman, Roseann Cusac, Andrew John Cusac)
Mrs. Ethel Porter Funeral at 7:30
Funeral Services for Mrs. Ethel Porter, 89, who made her residence in Port Arthur with her daughter, Mrs. Dennis O. Cannon of 3011 Keystone, will be held tonight at 7:30 o’clock in the Nunnelly-Stanley Funeral home Chapel of the Chimes.
Mrs. Porter died unexpectedly Monday near noon in her daughter’s home.
The Rev. Ralph Donaldson, assistant pastor of the First Presbyterian church, will officiate.
The body will then be sent to Centerville, Iowa, additional services and burial will be under direction of the Johnson Funeral home.
A native of Centerville, Mrs. Porter had lived in Port Arthur with her daughter for the last six years. She came here from McAlester, Okla., where her husband, George M. Porter, an attorney, died in 1948. She had lived in McAlester from 1907 until coming here and she belonged to the First Presbyterian church there.
In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Porter is survived by six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Port Arthur News (Port Arthur, TX) Tues 10 Jan 1967 p. 3
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5. Notes and obituaries for Claude R Porter (Hannah Rodman, John H Rodman, William Rodman, Roseann Cusac, Andrew John Cusac)
Claude was the Democratic candidate for governor of Iowa in 1906 and 1910; a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Iowa in 1908, 1912 and 1924; Candidate for US Senator from Iowa in 1920 and 1926.
Iowa Democrats Open Campaign in Senatorial Race
PORTER SEEKS NECESSITY OF FARM RELIEF
Brookhart's Opponent Will Demand Tariff Changes to Protect Interest of Agriculture
DES MOINES, Iowa, July 12. - (AP)- Encouraged by the recent seating of Daniel F. Steck, democrat, of Ottumwa, by the United States senate- the first man of that political faith to hold a seat in that body from Iowa since 1859-democrats hope, their senatorial leader says, to wage a hard fight in the approaching general election to name another United States senator.
This year their colors in the senatorial fight will be carried by Claud R. Porter, Des Moines attorney, nominated at the June 7th primary to oppose Smith W. Brookhart, insurgent republican, who defeated the veteran, Senator A.B. Cummins, for the nomination, after he (Mr. Brookhart) had been ousted by the United States senate, which decided that Mr. Steck was entitled to the seat.
Although the smoke of the bitterly fought campaign between supporters of Brookhart and Cummins has hardly had time to clear away, the fight for the senatorship is now on, with Mr. Porter getting off to an early start by issuing to The Associated Press a statement today in which he declares, among other things, that "it is evident that before any lasting prosperity can come to the farmer, there must be a fair, honest reduction of the tariff, particularly on all those articles wherever it affords a shelter to monopoly."
In this connection Mr. Porter said in part-
Iowa's Plight Serious
"Facts and figures are not required to convince the people of Iowa of the seriousness of the economic situation that has prevailed for several years, and now prevails in the State of Iowa. It would seem that this is not true of the east. They manifest but little understanding of the conditions as they have been and now are in this great agricultural section of the nation.
"During the last two or three years the east has been enjoying a period of unusual prosperity. This is indicated in the case of the greatest industrial concern of our nation, the United States Steel corporation, whose common stock has a par value of $100. Not many years ago this stock sold as low as eight dollars a share on the exchange, yet on July 2nd, this year, it reached the highest point in its history, or $144 a share.
"It is not to be wondered at that people surrounded by conditions reflected in the selling value of this stock, have no conception of things that prompt the present movement to help agriculture, particularly in the middle west.
"While the industries of the east have been enjoying this unparellelled prosperity, the purchasing power of the dollar of the farmer is the lowest it has been in a generation. The statement has become threadbare in the middle west, that the trouble lies in the fact that the farmer is compelled to buy all of his necessities on a high plane, and to dispose of everything he has to sell on a much lower plane, and this spread between what his is compelled to buy and what he has to sell is too great.
Present Tariff No Benefit
"It is now generally conceded by all students of the question that the surplus products of the farmer, even though they are but a small percentage of his total production, which are sold abroad in competition with the world, determine the price of the larger part of his products which are sold at home. In these circumstances, the tariff cannot in any way possibly benefit him. More that this, it is a positive detriment. It enhances his cost of living by increasing the cost of all the implements used on the farm. The price of substantially all farm machinery has doubled since 1914. It adds to the cost of transportation which he is compelled to pay to market his farm products. The railroads consume more than 20 per cent of all the products of the steel manufactures, and it is estimated that the tariff adds more than two hundred million dollars to the various steel products used by them which is passed on to the farmer and other shippers in the rates that must be paid for the transportation of their products."
Urges Immediate Action
That something must be done affirmatively to aid the fundamental industry of agriculture, Mr. Porter said, is generally admitted. Numerous conferences and gatherings have been held to discuss this problem and devise some effective method that will afford immediate relief. As a result all of these gatherings a committee of 22 was agreed upon to represent the corn belt in the presentation of the needs of the farmer to the last congress.
"It is the consensus of opinion of those who have made this subject a deep study, and are familiar with it, and as voiced by this committee, that a federal board should be created with power to assist in the orderly marketing of the farmers' products, to aid in the carrying over of the surplus of the fat years into the lean years, and an efficient disposition of the surplus that is necessary to be marketed abroad." Mr. Porter said.
Iowa City Press Citizen (Iowa City, IA) Tues. 13 Jul 1926 p. 3
"Federal Official Ill
WASHINGTON. AP. Interstate Commerce Commissioner Claude R. Porter is in a critical condition in emergency hospital following a cerebral hemorrhage, his secretary said Friday. A native of Moulton, Ia., Porter has been a member of the commission since 1928."
Nebraska Sate Journal, The (Lincoln, NE) Sat 17 Aug 1946 p. 2
"ICC Member Dies Following Death of Son
WASHINGTON. (AP). Claude R. Porter, 74, interstate commerce commission member, died Saturday six days after the unexpected death of his son, George, in San Francisco last Sunday.
Death of the father was attributed to a cerebral hemorrhage suffered Thursday while he was at his office. Associates said he had been deeply affected by the death of his son, who succumbed after choking on a piece of food.
MRS. PORTER was not notified of her husband's death until after she had attended the funeral of her son, in order to lessen the shock. Besides his widow, Porter is survived by four daughters.
A native of Moulton, Ia., the senior Porter was appointed assistant attorney general in 1918 by President Wilson after helping successfully prosecute draft evaders.
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PORTER LATER became chief counsel for the federal trade commission. From 1942 to 1928 he was in private law practice at Des Moines, returning to Washington then as a member of the ICC, by appointment of President Coolidge."
Nebraska State Journal, The (Lincoln, NE) 18 Aug 1946 p. 6A
"PORTER, ICC MEMBER, DIES
Brain Hemorrhage Brings Death 6 Days After Son Succumbs
WASHINGTON (AP) - Claude R. Porter, 74, member of the interstate commerce commission since 1928, died today six days after the sudden death of a son, George B. Porter.
The commissioner, a native of Moulton, Iowa, collapsed at his office Thursday of a cerebral hemorrhage and was taken to a hospital. He died at 5 a.m., a few hours before funeral services were held here for the son.
Public announcement of the father's death was withheld until after the son's funeral to soften the shock of the second tragedy for the commissioner's widow, who had not been advised.
The son, a 54-year-old Washington, D.C., attorney, chocked to death last Sunday night while dining at a hotel in San Francisco. A coroner's autopsy found that a bit of food had lodged in his windpipe.
Porter first was appointed to the commission by President Coolidge on January 11, 1928, to fill an unexpired term. On December 6, 1928, Coolidge reappointed him for the term expiring December 31, 1935.
He served as chairman of the commission during 1932. On January 6, 1936, he was reappointed by President Roosevelt for the term ending December 31, 1942. He was reappointed again on November 16, 1942, for the term expiring December 31, 1949.
Porter was born at Moulton, Iowa, on July 8, 1872. After graduating from the Centerville, Iowa high school, he attended Parsons college at Fairfield, Iowa one year and the St. Louis law school one year.
He began practicing law at Centerville in 1893. During the Spanish-American war he served as sergeant major the 50th Iowa infantry.
He (unreadable) to a house of representatives from 1896 to 1900 and of the Iowa senate from 1900 to 1904."
Iowa City Press Citizen (Iowa City, IA) Sat 17 Aug 1946 p. 1
"Claude R. Porter Dies in Washington
WASHINGTON, AP - Claude R. Porter, 74, member of the Interstate Commerce Commission since 1928, died Saturday six days after the sudden death of a son, George B. Porter.
The commissioner, a native of Moulton, Ia., collapsed at his office Thursday of a cerebral hemorrhage and was taken to a hospital. He died at 5 a.m., a few hours before funeral services were held her for the son.
Public announcement of the father's death was withheld until after the son's funeral to soften the shock of the second tragedy for the commissioner's widow, who had not been advised."
Council Bluffs Nonpareil (Council Bluffs, IA) 17 Aug 1946 p. 6
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6. Obituary for Maude L Boutin Porter (wife of Claude Porter, Hannah Rodman, John H Rodman, William Rodman, Roseann Cusac, Andrew John Cusac)
Maude Porter, Widow of U.S. Official
Maude Porter, 92, died Wednesday in Boca Raton, Fla., while visiting her daughter and son-in-law, Gen. and Mrs. Richard W. Mayo.
Born in Hampton, Iowa Mrs. Porter moved to Washington in 1918, after her husband, Claude R. Porter, was appointed assistant attorney general by President Wilson. Mr. Porter, who died in 1946 also served for 18 years as a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Mrs. Porter was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Mayflower Society, the Barons of Runnymede and the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.
She lived with her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. David R. Stauffer, of 3 Leland ct., Chevy Chase.
Two other daughters, Mrs. George R. Hise, of Washington, and Mrs. Donald Collins, of Nashville, Tenn., ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, also survived.
Washington Post, The (Washington DC) 02 Feb 1968
PORTER, MAUDE B.
On Wednesday, January 31, 1968, at Boca Raton, Fla., MAUDE B. PORTER, mother of Mrs. David R. Stauffer, Mrs. George R. Hise, Mrs. Richard W. Mayo, Mrs. Donald J. Collins, and Mrs. George B. Porter; sister of Mrs. Lottie B. Duckworth. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Friends may call at Joseph Gawler's Sons, Wisconsin ave., at Harrison st., nw., on Friday 7-9 p.m. (parking on premises), where services will be held on Saturday, February 3, at 2 p.m. Interment private, in lieu of flowers contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.
Washington Post, The (Washington DC) 03 Feb 1968
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That's it for issue #29. If you come across any obituaries, documents, essays, photographs, weddings, births, or stories on your line from Andrew John Cusac that you would like to share, please pass them along to me. Feel free to forward this newsletter to others in the family who may have an interest in Andrew John Cusac's history or genealogy. Free back issues will be available for the asking. Do you have a question you want asked of the group? Email it to me and I'll include it in the next issue. Email sakratzer@yahoo.com or skratze@bgsu.edu