Pages 378-379, transcribed by Carolyn Ward from History of Allen and Woodson Counties, Kansas: embellished with portraits of well known people of these counties, with biographies of our representative citizens, cuts of public buildings and a map of each county / Edited and Compiled by L. Wallace Duncan and Chas. F. Scott. Iola Registers, Printers and Binders, Iola, Kan.: 1901; 894 p., [36] leaves of plates: ill., ports.; includes index.



 

378 cont'd HISTORY OF ALLEN AND  

SAMUEL A. GARD.

SAMUEL A. GARD—In America, labor is king and is the only sovereignty which our liberty loving people acknowledge. The world instinctively pays deference to the man who through his own efforts, has arisen from a humble position to occupy a place among the prosperous citizens of his community, and who has through an active business career ever commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow men by honorable methods. Such a one is Mr. S. A. Gard, who has embraced every opportunity for raising himself to the position indicated by his laudable ambition. A native of Illinois, he was born on the 3rd of October, 1864, in a little log house near Hazel Dell, in Cumberland County. In early life he learned the lessons of industry and perseverance which have proved such potent factors in his later success. He is the eldest son of Jacob Gard, and upon his father's farm he was reared to manhood. He spent his youth in assisting in the labors of the fields on the old home place, and in working as a farm hand in the neighborhood. He also had a liberal common school education, acquired in the common schools, and was imbued with a true sense of right and wrong, having received excellent moral training from his parents. Beyond this his knowledge of the world was meager. He grew to manhood an upright lad, true to his convictions. At the age of nineteen he determined to leave home and seek his fortune elsewhere, and accordingly made his way to Allen County, Kansas, in 1884, reaching his destination with $2.00 in his pocket. With a determination to succeed, and wishing to make the practice of law his life work, in 1888

  WOODSON COUNTIES, KANSAS. 379

he entered the office of Milford Donoho, attorney at Bronson, Kansas. When he had mastered many of the principles of the science of jurisprudence he was admitted to the bar May 13, 1890. Previous to this time he had attended the Normal College at Ft. Scott and had received a teacher's certificate, but had never engaged in teaching. Alter his admission to the bar he practiced law in Bronson until 1892, when he removed to Iola where he has since made his home. Here he has practiced ever since, and in 1898 formed a partnership with his brother, G. R. Gard, who moved to Iola from Humboldt, and who was elected County Attorney in November, 1898.

In his chosen profession Mr. Gard has made creditable success. He has won for himself very creditable criticism for the careful and systematic methods which he has followed. He has remarkable powers of concentration and application, and his retentive mind has often excited the surprise of his professional colleagues. As an orator he stands high, especially in the discussion of legal matters before the court and jury, where his comprehensive knowledge of the law and human nature is manifest, and his application of legal principles demonstrates the wide range of his professional acquirements. The utmost care and precision characterizes his preparation of a case, and has made him one of the most successful attorneys in Allen County.

Mr. Gard was married in 1894 to Miss Lulu Ireland, of Allen County. She is a lady of culture and refinement, who for several years prior to her marriage was successfully engaged in teaching. Her father, W. H. Ireland, is a farmer in the eastern part of Allen County, whither he removed from Illinois some years ago. Mrs. Gard is the eldest of a family of seven children, one of whom, Thomas, was a member of the 20th Kansas regiment, and served in the Philippines. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gard are well known in Iola and Allen County. Their worth and intelligence are received as passports to the best society. He certainly deserves great credit for his success in life, as from an early age he has been entirely dependent upon his own resources. Pleasant and agreeable in manner, he has a large circle of friends and is popular throughout the county of his adoption.


Previous | Home | Next