Alexander Clark of Muscatine, Iowa


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The Muscatine Journal's 165th birthday is Thursday, Oct. 27. As already announced, we have special plans for that day and leading up to this company milestone.

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Alexander Clark and the Lee Papers Connection

During the period 1879 to 1887, John B. Lee and his son Alfred W. Lee lived in a suite of rooms in Alexander G. Clark's house. Both men worked at the Muscatine Journal which was an abolitionist newspaper under leadership of John Mahin, longtime editor, owner, and publisher. Long acquaintance between Clark and Mahin may be inferred. Whatever other connections there may have been, Alexander G. Clark, Jr. had worked for the Journal as a compositor sometime before graduating from the University of Iowa (L.L.B., 1879). Mahin was married to A.W. Lee's sister, Anna, and was his first tutor. The young man learned quickly, succeeding his father as head bookkeeper before moving for a job at the Chicago Times. Lee later founded the publishing syndicate that became Lee Enterprises. "Some of the Quaker Pilots on the Underground Railroad" lists John B. Lee and Dr. Relt Ran at Muscatine.

D. Kent Sissel
September 2005

From a letter to Adrian D. Anderson, Iowa State Historic Preservation Officer, April 26, 1976:

Since Alfred W. Lee lived for almost ten years in the brick house which Alexander Clark owned, first boarding with his parents, and later with his wife, I thought this might be of interest.

Sincerely,
(mrs.) Robert Veerhusen

Clark built the brick house after his first home was destroyed by fire in 1878. The text below is excerpted from the research notes of Mrs. Robert (Elizabeth "Bette") Field Veerhusen, now in the collection of the Alexander G. Clark House. She indicates the source was Muscatine city directories.

In September 1849, Alexander Clark purchased a frame house on the corner of Third and Chestnut Street from William Allen. (This house was built around 1840 by William Brownell who built the first court house in Muscatine County.) Recorded at Muscatine County Court House.

June 31 [sic], 1878, the frame house of Alexander Clark was burned. (Picture of house in Scrapbook, Special Collection, Muscatine Library. Description of fire in Muscatine Journal, July 1, 1878.) Evening Journal, Dec. 31, 1878, lists A. Clark Double-brick house $4,000, built by Hayes and Hinkle.

MUSCATINE CITY DIRECTORY 1874

MUSCATINE CITY DIRECTORY 1877-78

MUSCATINE CITY DIRECTORY 1879
Congregational Church lot
     Chestnut St.

 
3rd
 Louis Moygneu, nw cor 3 & Chestnut
__________________
D.P. Johnson, Physician
se cor Chestnut & 3rd		 __________________________
Alfred W. Lee, local ed. Journal
John Lee, bus mgr. Journal
3rd cor Chestnut


MUSCATINE CITY DIRECTORY 1883-84
Congregational Church lot
     Chestnut St.

 
3rd
 Louis Moigney, 201 W. 3
__________________
D.P. Johnson, Physician
126 W 3		 __________________
Alfred W. Lee, bs mgr and member Journal Printing Co. bds 125 W 3
John B. Lee, treas Journal Printing res 125 W 3rd (A. Clark house)
3rd cor Chestnut
Joseph Lee, mail agent bds 125 W. 3
Hon. John Mahin 513 W. 2nd


MUSCATINE CITY DIRECTORY 1886-87
Dr. D.P. Johnson
126 W. 3rd		 Alfred W. Lee, bs mgr Journal 125 W. 3
J.G. Jackson U.S. Clothing 123 W 3rd
J.B. Lee 502 W 2 treas Journal

Information abstracted from The Lee Papers: A Saga of Midwestern Journalism (Star-Courier Press, Kewanee, Ill., 1947):

John Mahin - born Noblesville, Ind., Dec. 8, 1833.
Mahin family came to Bloomington, Iowa, in fall of 1843, lived in Cedar County until fall of l847.
1847 - John Mahin, age 13, apprenticed as printer to Bloomington Herald.
July 1852 - Jacob Mahin and son, John, purchased the Muscatine Journal.
Sept. 1864 - John Mahin married Anna Lee, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Lee of West Branch, Iowa.
1878 - Journal Printing Co. formed. First officers were: John Mahin, his father-in-law, John B. Lee; his brother-in-law, Alfred W. Lee.
May 11, 1893 - John Mahin's house blown up because of his opposition to liquor traffic.
May 24, 1919 - John Mahin died in Chicago.

John B. Lee - born 1820 in Baltimore, Md. When his father died in 1828 all twenty of his slaves were freed by his will.
June 26, 1844 - John Lee married Elvira Branson (a Quaker) of Jefferson County, Ohio.
June 28, 1853 - the Lees landed at Muscatine, Iowa, and went to the eastern edge of Johnson Co., ten miles from Iowa City where they homesteaded.
John Lee, a strong Union man and abolitionist, was rejected for service because of a physical disability, but served in government transport service for three years during Civil War (government steamboats on Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers).
1865 - Lee family moved to Iowa City.

Alfred W. Lee was born July 8, 1858 on a farm in Johnson Co., Iowa.
1871-72 Alfred Lee entered sub-freshman class at University of Iowa at age 13; Freshman class in 1872-73. At end of his sophomore year he moved with his family to Muscatine.
Alfred Lee was associated with his brother-in-law, John Mahin, first in the Post Office, of which Mahin was Postmaster, and later with the Muscatine Journal.
June 4, 1885 - Alfred Lee married Mary Ingalls Walker* of Cedar Rapids. Three children were born to them: William Walker Lee who died in Chicago in 1890, aged 2 years, 8 months; Alfred William Lee who was born in Ottumwa, died there at age 9 years; and Laura Anna.
1885 - A.W. Lee is listed as a stock-holder and officer in the Journal Printing Co. In 1888 he went to Chicago with the advertising department of the Chicago Times. In 1890 Lee went to Ottumwa and bought the Courier. A.W. Lee purchased the Davenport Times with Charles Reimers. This was the start of Lee's dream of a syndicate of newspapers according to E.P. Adler, his close associate.

* Mary Ingalls Walker was a graduate of Wel1esly College; her father, W.W. Walker, was a widely known engineer and railroad builder in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

From a Lee Enterprises website :

The Muscatine Journal, according "The Lee Papers, a Saga of Midwestern Journalism," is the oldest original Lee Enterprises newspaper. It was originally a weekly named the Bloomington Herald when it debuted in October 1840. The name was changed to Muscatine Journal in 1849 when the town's name also was changed.
John Mahin and Alfred W. Lee, both legendary in the history of Lee Enterprises, worked at the Journal. Mahin and father Jacob purchased the Journal in 1853. Lee purchased the newspaper in 1903.
Mahin, in control of the Journal in the late 1800s, was the center of a dangerous confrontation over liquor. He staunchly opposed the liquor traffic, and in 1893 his home was severely damaged by a bomb.
The Journal also was the place Mark Twain had some of his first writings published in 1853 because his brother worked at the Journal.
In 1911-1912 the Journal was caught in the middle of a bitter labor dispute in the fresh-water pearl button industry. Twice in those years troops were sent to the city.
The Journal moved into its currently building in 1919. Today, the building houses the combined operations of the Journal and the Post with remote printing at the Quad-City Times in Davenport. The Journal and Post have about 40 full-time staff members.

From Portrait and Biographical Album, Muscatine County, Iowa, 1889, page 608:

THE MUSCATINE JOURNAL.

This excellent paper dates its beginning from Oct.27, 1840, when it made its first appearance under the name of the Bloomington Herald, with Hughes & Russell, editors and proprietors, John Russell being its controlling spirit. He remained connected with the paper until 1845, when he sold his interest to Dr. Charles O. Waters, who became editor, and held that position until 1846, when he was succeeded by M. T. Emerson, who made considerable improvement in its mechanical appearance. Death soon called him to a higher field of labor, and N. L. Stout and Wm. P. Israel purchased the office; the former assuming editorial control. The Herald under his administration dealt hard blows at the institution of slavery.

In November, 1847, John Mahin entered the office as an apprentice, at the age of thirteen years, and in the winter of 1848-9 the office passed into the hands of F. A. C. Foreman, who ran the paper for about four months, when it was suspended. Six months later Noah M. McCormick came from St. Louis, revived the paper, and changed its name to the Muscatine Journal. He continued its publication until July, 1852, when it was sold to Jacob and John Mahin--father and son. These gentlemen conducted the paper jointly until September, 1853, when they associated with them Orion Clemens, a brother of "Mark Twain." Mr. Clemens was a good printer, a sensible writer, and an upright man, He maintained a high and dignified tone, while, at the same time, he infused a lively degree of spirit into the columns of the paper. In June, 1854, the tri-weekly edition of the Journal was established.

In January, 1855, J.Mahin & Son sold out the concern to Charles H. Wilson and Orion Clemens, who instituted the Daily Journal in June of that year. Mr. Clemens disposed of his interest soon after that to James W. Logan, and the firm of Logan & Wilson was continued until January, 1856, when D. S. Early bought out Mr. Wilson. The same year, Mr Early's interest was purchased by John Mahin and F. B. McGill. Messrs. Logan, Mahin & McGill conducted the paper until August, 1857. At that date, John Mahin assumed sole charge of it, and continued as manager without change of proprietors until January, 1866, when L. D. Ingersoll purchased half interest and became editor. Mr. Ingersoll's connection lasted just two years, when John and James Mahin became owners of the Journal, under the firm name of Mahin Brothers. The death of the junior member of the firm, James Mahin, which occurred Dec. 9, 1877, necessitated a change in management. Jan. 1, 1879, the name and style of the "Journal Printing Company" was adopted, with John Mahin, President; J. B. Lee, Treasurer, and A. W. Lee, Secretary. The company was incorporated soon after.

The Journal has for years been a valuable piece of property, and is recognized as one of the leading Republican papers of Iowa. John Mahin is well-known throughout the State and is one of the oldest newspapermen in the West. The office is well supplied with an abundance of printing material, and is one of the best equipped offices in this section. John Mahin is yet the efficient editor.

From John Mahin biography, 1889: [more to come...]


© Daniel G. Clark, 2005, except as otherwise indicated.
Updated October 5, 2005.

Address of this page: http://alexanderclark.org/lee.html