History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/James G. Hutchison
[J. G. Hutchison]
JAMES G. HUTCHISON was born September 11, 1840, in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. He received a liberal education, graduating at Dickinson Seminary in 1862 after taking a four years' course. He entered the army as first lieutenant, One Hundred Thirty-first Volunteer Infantry, serving in the Army of the Potomac at the great battles of Fredericksburg, Antietam and Chancellorsville. He took part in the Gettysburg campaign as captain in the Twenty-eighth Infantry, called out to repel the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania and received special mention for bravery in the assault on Maryes Hill at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Returning from the war he graduated from the Cleveland Law School and removed to Iowa, locating at Ottumwa where he entered into partnership with Hon. E. H. Stiles. In 1879 Captain Hutchinson was elected on the Republican ticket Representative in the House of the Eighteenth General Assembly. In 1881 he was elected to the State Senate where by reëlection he served eight years. He was the author of the law for registering voters which has become the settled policy of the State. As a member of the committees on judiciary, appropriations and chairman of ways and means he became the leader of the Senate and by wise measures relieved the State from a large indebtedness during his term of service. In 1889 he was nominated for Governor by the Republican State Convention at the time when there was a large defection from the party on prohibition. Mr. Hutchison made a strong canvas, standing manfully upon the prohibition platform adopted by his party, but the defection of the saloon element of the Republicans which went to the support of the Democratic candidate, elected Horace Boies Governor. Captain Hutchison was for seven years president of the Ottumwa National Bank and has for a quarter of a century been the promoter of large business enterprises in Ottumwa.