standing the disadvantages under which he labored, he managed to fit himself for the Missouri University. There he completed his academic studies, supplementing the supplementing the knowledge thus obtained with a comprehensive course of reading, which made him a man of very broad general information in early life. In 1843 he went to St. Louis and studied law under the preceptorship of the renowned lawyers, Edward Bates and Josiah Spaulding. He made his entree into politics in 1844, when he made a brilliant series of campaign speeches in favor of the election of Henry Clay to the presidency of the United States. Four years later he championed the cause of General Zachary Taylor, and in 1852 was an elector at large for the State of Missouri on the Whig ticket. He occupied a prominent and leading position among the old-line Whigs of Missouri in the presidential campaign of 1856. It was largely through his efforts that Edward Bates was put forward as a candidate for the presidency at the Republican National Convention of 1860, and after the election of President Lincoln he became an influential supporter of the new administration. When the Civil War began he at once took strong ground in favor of the maintenance of the Union, and was a colaborer with Hamilton R. Gamble, Frank P. Blair, B. Gratz Brown and others in preventing Missouri from joining in the secession movement. Although he had an aversion to accepting public office, he was called upon as a matter of duty to fill the office of solicitor of the court of claims, and represented the State government of Missouri at Washington during the war. For this four years of arduous work on behalf of the State he declined to accept any compensation whatever, establishing a precedent which none of his successors have seen fit to follow. Shortly before the Convention of 1864, held at Baltimore, he resigned the office which he held, in order that he might be free to follow his convictions in the ensuing campaign. These convictions led him to support General George B. McClellan for the presidency, and he later supported President Andrew Johnson in his controversy with Congress during the early part of the reconstruction period. In 1870 he joined forces with the Liberal Republicans of Missouri in the movement which resulted in the election of B. Gratz Brown for Governor, and paved

the way for the repeal of the "Drake Constitution." He supported Horace Greeley for the presidency in 1872, and made an extended and vigorous canvass for Samuel J. Tilden for the same office in 1876. During the long contest over the election which followed he represented the Democratic national committee in Louisiana and Florida in the interest of a fair count, and rendered great service to his party in that connection. As a lawyer he was not less prominent than in politics. In 1851 he was sole counsel in a most important case brought by the King of Prussia, from whom he received, as a token of appreciation of his services, two magnificent vases of exceptional value. December 16, 1882, he was made Commander of Knights in Austria by the Emperor, who decorated him with his own order of Francis Joseph, and, contrary to precedent, issued an edict that the decoration should descend as an heirloom. The same year Emperor William decorated him with the cross of the Royal Prussian Crown Order, and in 1890 Emperor William II conferred upon him the additional decoration of the Grand Cross. In 1851 Mr. Gibson married Miss Virginia Gamble, daughter of Archibald Gamble, in his day a leading member of the bar and citizen of St. Louis.

Gibson, James, lawyer and jurist, was born November 19, 1849, in Cooper County, Missouri. His parents were John H. and Mary A. (Hill) Gibson. The father was a native of Virginia, who, in early life, removed to Missouri. He was descended from a Pennsylvania family, which numbered among its members Chief Justice John B. Gibson, of the Keystone State. John Gibson was a soldier during the Revolutionary War, and was wounded at the battle of Brandywine; his son, Hugh, was a soldier in the War of 1812 and married a Rutledge, of the famous South Carolina family of that name; her father, General Rutledge, was conspicuous in the battle of King's Mountain, in Revolutionary times. John H. Gibson, their son, married Mary A. Hill, a lineal descendant of Robert Hill, of North Carolina, who was a captain during the Revolutionary War; she was born in Cooper County, Missouri, in Territorial days. Their son, James Gibson, was educated in the common schools and at Kemper College, of Boonville, Missouri. In

1871 he located in Kansas City and entered upon the study of law. In 1875 he was admitted to practice, but was soon called to public position. In 1877 he was elected city attorney, and he was re-elected the following year. In this position he displayed great activity, and a reign of law and order succeeded to one of tumult and disorder. In 1883 he was elected to the mayoralty, and his course commanded such approval that his party made unanimous tender of a renomination, which he declined, preferring his profession to political prominence or civic position. In 1889 he was appointed by Governor David R. Francis to the position of judge of Division No. 1 of the Circuit Court of Jackson County, and he was successively re-elected in 1894 and in 1898, and is now serving under the latter election. While engaged in practice he was recognized as a lawyer of eminent ability. His reputation as a jurist of superior qualifications is well established, and is attested by the fact that his rulings are affirmed in nearly all appealed cases. In politics he is a Democrat, and in 1880 he was the Democratic elector from the Fifth Congressional District. Judge Gibson was married, November 18, 1880, to Miss Mary Toud Pence, of Platte County, a daughter of Lewis W. Pence, a leading farmer of that region.

Gibson, Robert Edward Lee, known as one of the "sweet singers of Missouri," was born January 14, 1864, in Steelville, Missouri, son of Dr. Alexander and Haynie Gibson. He was educated in the public schools of his native town and at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. He served a year in the navy, and then, resigning from the naval service, he came to St. Louis, which has since been his home. There he became connected with the St. Louis Insane Asylum in an official capacity, and so much of his time as could be spared from these duties has been devoted to literature. In this field he has attained well deserved celebrity. Writing verse is with him a pleasure and a pastime, but his three booklets, "Mineral Blossoms," "Sonnets," "And Indian Legend, and Other Poems," which were published for private distribution only, contain much delightful verse, and all deserve a wider reading. Mr. Gibson married Miss Annie Higgins, of St. Louis.

Giddings, Salmon, clergyman, was born in Hartland, Connecticut, March 2, 1792, and died in St. Louis February 1, 1828. He was graduated from Williams College in 1807, studied theology at Andover Seminary, and was ordained to the ministry in 1814. During the years 1814-15 he was tutor at Williams College, and occasionally preached among the neighboring Congregational churches. Deciding then to become a missionary, he set out on horseback for St. Louis, then on the frontier of civilization. He reached that city in April of 1816, assembled a small congregation and became the founder of the First Presbyterian, and the first Protestant, Church established in St. Louis. The same year he organized the Presbyterian Church at Bellevue settlement, eighty miles. southwest of St. Louis, and during the next ten years formed eleven other congregations, five in Missouri and six in Illinois. In 1822 he explored Kansas and Nebraska Territories, preparatory to establishing missions among the Indians. On this tour of many weeks, without white companions, and hundreds of miles from any white settlement, he visited several Indian nations, held councils with their chiefs, and was received with hospitality. In 1826 he was installed pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, which he served thereafter until his death. He was an active member of the first Bible, Sunday School and Tract Societies organized in Missouri, and also of the first Colonization Society in this State.

Gideon, James J., was born in that part of Taney County which is now Christian County, near the little town of Ozark, in 1846. He is the son of William C. and Malinda (Byrd) Gideon, who came to Missouri from Tennessee in 1835. He received his education in the public school at Ozark. In 1863, being then only a lad of sixteen, he enlisted in Company H, of the Sixteenth Missouri Cavalry Regiment of United States Volunteers, and served until the cease of the Civil War, returning to his home in 1865. Upon his return to Missouri he took part in the reorganization of the State militia, and was elected Captain of a company organized in his locality. At the close of his military work he took up the study of law, in his home town. Borrowing books he read at night, and during the

day performed the required duties on his father's farm. He was admitted to the bar in 1872, and the following winter was elected prosecuting attorney of his county. This was at a time when everything was in turmoil, and the litigation was large. He served eight years as prosecuting attorney of Christian. County, and in 1882 was elected to the State House of Representatives, where he served one term. In 1884 he was elected to the State Senate, where he served four years. In 1888 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Greene County, and in 1892 judge of the criminal court. He was re-elected to this office in 1900. Judge Gibson comes from an old family of Republicans, and has always taken an active interest in party affairs. In 1868 he was married to Miss Mary S. Ball, of Ozark. To Mr. and Mrs. Gideon five children have been born, only two of whom are now living.

Giers, Charles H., was born in Germany, June 6, 1825, and with his father, who was a manufacturer of clothing, came to St. Louis at an early day. After acquiring a practical education he engaged in business on his own account under the name of C. H. Giers, retail dealer in dry goods, in New Orleans, and later in Naples, Scott County, Illinois, as a dealer in general merchandise. In 1857 he located in Jerseyville, Jersey County, Illinois, and engaged in the purchase and sale of farms in the vicinity. He removed to Alton, Illinois, in 1867, and from Alton to a farm in Central Township, St. Louis County. May 22d of the same year he located in St. Louis and embarked in business as a retail dealer in dry goods at 308 Market street, at which place he remained four years. On account of failing health, Mr. Giers left St. Louis in 1871 and purchased a large farm near Sandoval, Illinois, to which he removed with his family and engaged in stock and fruit. farming. While in Sandoval, Arthur Giers, his youngest son, died, to whom he was devotedly attached, and to whose loss he never became reconciled. In 1875 he disposed of his farm interests near Sandoval and, returning to St. Louis County, he purchased two farms embracing over 300 acres of land, to which he removed with his family. These farms he gave to his sons, and permanently retired from active business life. He resided with his son, Rolla C. Giers, devoting himself

to the cultivation of flowers, of which he was passionately fond, until his death, which occurred December 13, 1898. Mr. Giers was a man of a quiet, retiring disposition, but possessed sound judgment and remarkable executive and financial ability, with a tact for turning everything that he touched into gold. He was successful in all of his business ventures, left a handsome fortune to his family, and when he died did not owe a dollar. He was an inveterate reader and devoted his leisure hours to his books, magazines and flowers in the environs of his home circle. In politics he was a staunch Democrat, and he was a Presbyterian churchman. Mr. Giers married Miss Philopena Brinkenmeyer, daughter of Gottlieb Brinkenmeyer, of Louisville, Ky., February 22, 1850. Mrs. Giers died November 4, 1893. Eight children survive them, viz.: Lillie-wife of R. H. Downing, of St. Paul, Minnesota; Paris H., of Stewardson, Illinois; Rolla C., occupying the home farm; Charles B., of Stewardson, Illinois; Irene, wife of Frank Lightner, of St. Louis; Robert E. Lee, farmer and executor of the estate; Olive, wife of Lilburn T. Westrich, of the Clover Leaf Railway; and Flora M. Giers, of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Giessing, Peter, manufacturer, was born February 1, 1858, in Iron Mountain, St. Francois County, Missouri, son of Charles and Mary (Heohn) Giessing. Both his parents were natives of Germany, the father of the Principality of Waldeck, and the mother of the Kingdom of Prussia. The elder Giessing came to the United States in 1852 and his wife in 1854. Settling at Iron Mountain, Missouri, Charles Giessing entered the employ of the Iron Mountain Company, with which he was connected for twenty odd years thereafter. In 1860 he purchased an interest in what was known as the Pickle Flour Mill and established a business at Valley Forge, two and a half miles from Farmington, Missouri. There he lived until his death, which occurred February 18, 1880. He was practically the founder of the milling industry in St. Francois County, and was a capable and honorable man of affairs. His son, Peter Giessing, attended, as a boy, the public schools of Iron Mountain and Farmington. His school days ended before he was twenty years old, and for several years prior to that time he had been employed more or less, in

his father's mill. After quitting school he went to work regularly in the mill, and for eight or ten years was the engineer of the establishment. In 1882, two years after his father's death, he became one of the principal owners of the mill, his associates being his two brothers. In 1883 he remodeled the plant at Valley Forge, changing the process of manufacturing to what is known as the roller system. Until 1893 this plant was operated under the name of Giessing & Sons. The death of Mr. Giessing's mother then brought about a readjustment of affairs, and the Giessing Milling Company was organized, which is still in existence, Peter, Henry and Daniel F. Giessing being the partners. In 1897 the mill at Valley Forge was dismantled and the same year the brothers erected a larger flour manufacturing plant at Farmington. The present capacity of this plant is 150 barrels of flour and fifty barrels of corn meal per day. A successful manufacturer and a good citizen in all that the term implies, Peter Giessing is known also as one of the leaders of the Republican party in his portion of the State, and he has taken an active part in the conduct of political campaigns as a member of the Republican State central committee. His inherited religious tendencies have made him a member of the Lutheran Church. April 6, 1897, he married Miss Louisa K. Knoche, of Onarga, Illinois. Mrs. Giessing's father is a prominent Illinois farmer, largely interested in the raising of fine stock. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Giessing, named Marion Anna Giessing.

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Gill, Turner Anderson, lawyer and jurist, was born December 8, 1841, in Bath County, Kentucky. His parents were Marcus and Sarah (Bruton) Gill. The father was descended from the Rev. John Gill, D. D., an eminent English Presbyterian divine who emigrated to America. Marcus Gill was native of Kentucky, who removed in 1854 to Jackson County, Missouri, where he became a wealthy and influential citizen. His son, Turner, who was completing his education in the Missouri State University when the Civil War began, enlisted in March, 1861, in Company A, of Rosser's battalion, afterward merged in the Sixth Missouri (Confederate) Regiment. His army service was brilliant and brought him signal recognition. He was wounded in the battle.

of Corinth, Mississippi, and soon afterward was promoted from the ranks to a lieutenancy. In the battle of Champion Hills, Mississippi, he was seriously wounded; he was taken into Vicksburg for treatment, and became a prisoner of war when that stronghold was surrendered. After exchange he was transferred to the Trans-Mississippi Department and reported to General Shelby, who assigned him to duty as adjutant of Shanks' regiment. Lieutenant Gill acquitted himself most creditably, especially in scouting duty, and was promoted to the rank of captain, General Shelby's appointing order reciting that the promotion was "for gallantry and merit." Captain Gill, however, would not accept the honor until the company to which he was assigned had expressed its satisfaction, which it did by a unanimous vote. Captain Gill was wounded in a skirmish in Arkansas, and was engaged in the Battle of Westport, and in others of the later affairs under General Price. He was commander in frequent important expeditions, ever fulfilling the expectations of General Shelby, who held him in the highest regard. After the war Captain Gill located in Kansas City and read law under J. V. C. Karnes, and afterward resumed his studies in the University of Kentucky, from which he was graduated in 1868, with second honors in a class of seventeen. He then entered upon the practice of his profession in Kansas City. From 1879 to 1881 he was associated in the firm of Lathrop, Gill & Smith. In 1875 he was elected to the mayoralty of Kansas City, and was re-elected in 1876. The city was then just entering upon a period of unexampled development, and the intense commercial activity gave opportunity for all manner of reckless aggression upon public rights. Mayor Gill introduced numerous reforms, frustrated dishonest raids upon the public treasury and enforced municipal law vigorously and effectively. On retiring from the mayoralty he was appointed city counselor, and served two terms. July 1, 1881, he was appointed by Governor T. T. Crittenden to the position of judge of the Circuit Court of Jackson County, to fill a vacancy occasioned by the death of Judge Samuel H. Woodson, the appointment being made at the solicitation of the Kansas City bar. He was elected and re-elected to the same position, in the last instance with the indorsement of all po

litical parties. After serving eight years in this capacity he was called to a higher position, and in 1889 he resigned and was elected associate judge of the Kansas City Court of Appeals. As a lawyer he gave attention to every department of law except criminal practice, which had no attractions for him. As a judge he has acquitted himself most creditably, his honesty and integrity being absolutely unassailable, and his decisions characterized by that clearness and discrimination which mark the profound student and judicial mind. Intensely loyal to his home. city, he has given aid to its most important enterprises; he was a charter member of the Board of Trade, and a member of the Fair Association, and gave able assistance to the purposes of these and other public organizations. He is a Democrat in politics, but has habitually held aloof from active participation in political affairs. In 1871 Judge Gill was married to Miss Lizzie Campbell, whose father, John S. Campbell, was a pioneer setler at Kansas City and established its first ferry. Three children have been born or this marriage, of whom Charles S. and William E. Gill were living in 1900. George S. Gill died in the Klondike region, in Alaska, in 1898.

Gilliam.-A village on the Chicago & Alton Railway, in Saline County, fifteen miles northeast of Marshall, the county seat. It has a public school, a Baptist Church and a Methodist Episcopal Church, a bank, a steam flourmill, an elevator and a tobacco factory. In 1899 the population was 600.

Gilman City.-An incorporated village in Harrison County, near the southeastern corner, on the Omaha, Kansas City & Eastern Railroad. It has two churches, a school, a bank, a newspaper, the "Guide," and about fifteen miscellaneous stores, shops, etc. Population, 1899 (estimated), 400.

Gilmore, Elisha Eugene, physician and surgeon, was born in Warren County, Kentucky, August 19, 1836, son of Samuel Wilson and Rozina (Adair) Gilmore. His father is a son of Patrick Gilmore, a native of Virginia and an early pioneer of Kentucky. The latter's father was a native of Ireland and came to America in Colonial times. Samuel W. Gilmore, who devoted the active

years of his life to agricultural pursuits, resided in Kentucky until 1857, when he brought his family, including the subject of this sketch, to Missouri, locating in Polk County, where he purchased a farm. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted in the Union Army, and was assigned to duty with the Thirteenth United States Volunteer Cavalry, which saw service principally in Missouri. In 1863 he removed his family to Pettis County, Missouri, and in 1865 to Barton County, of the same State, and a year later to Kansas. In 1867 he returned to Missouri, locating in Bates County, where he has since resided. In 1881 he retired from active business, and since that time has resided with his son, Dr. E. E. Gilmore. Dr. Gilmore's mother was a daughter of Elisha Adair, and a native of South Carolina, where her father was for many years a prominent educator. He was a son of a Revolutionary soldier. In middle life he removed to Kentucky, where his professional career was continued for many years. Dr. Gilmore's education was begun in the common schools of Warren County, Kentucky, and concluded in the Transylvania University, which conferred upon him the degree of master of arts and doctor of medicine in 1857. In the latter year he accompanied his father to Missouri and engaged in teaching school in Polk County. Removing to Barton County he continued teaching, and in 1860 was elected school commissioner of that county. In September, 1863, he enlisted as a private in the Forty-fifth Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and served in the Union Army until March, 1865. During Price's raid through Missouri he assisted in the defense of Jefferson City, and subsequently assisted in the operations about Nashville, Spring Hill and Johnsonville, Tennessee. At the close of the war he traveled through Missouri and Kansas, finally locating, in 1867, near the present site of Adrian, in Bates County, where he has since enjoyed a lucrative practice in his chosen profession. In 1878 he took a course in the Kansas City Medical College, which granted him a diploma. In connection with his practice, he also, for a time, held an interest in a drug store in Adrian. Dr. Gilmore cast his first vote for Stephen A. Douglas, but since the war has always adhered strictly to the principles of the Republican party. He is an active member of the American Medical As