grave import

Obituary

William Wright Baldwin, 90, former prominent resident of Burlington, and for many years a high executive of the Burlington railroad, died last night at his home in Chicago, Ill. He would have been 91 yours old in September.
The body will be brought to Prugh’s chapel, in Burlington Sunday afternoon, and funeral services will be conducted at the First Congregational church Monday afternoon at 4 o’clock, in charge of Dr. RB Blyth and Dr. Naboth Osborne. Burial will be at Aspen Grove Cemetery.
For many years, Mr. Baldwin was recognized as one of the leading railroad legal authorities in the country, and prior to his retirement a few years ago he was vice president of the Burlington railroad. For many years he has made his home in Chicago, his daughter, Miss Rachel Baldwin, residing with him.
Mr. Baldwin was born in Keosauqua, Ia., Sept. 28, 1845, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Baldwin. He attended the public schools there and then at Lane’s academy in 1861. Two years later he went to the State University of Iowa, where he graduated with the class of 1866. While in college he was one of the founders Zetegathean society and belonged to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
With broad literary learning to serve as the foundation upon which to build the superstructure of professional knowledge, he took up the study of law in the Iowa Law school, then located in Des Moines, and afterward established as the law department of the State University. He graduated with honors in 1867. During his student days, he worked, copying for printers the opinions of the supreme court.
His identification with the legal department of the Burlington railroad dates from 1879 when he accepted the position of land commissioner for the Iowa land department of the railroad, and his position, from then on, was of increasing importance. For some years he was president of the St. Louis, Keokuk and Northwestern and other branches of the Burlington system, and was one of the promoters of the Burlington & Northwestern railway. In 1890 he was appointed land commissioner of the Nebraska land department, and a year later, he was named assistant to the president, (the late Charles E. Perkins) remaining in that connection until 1909, when he was elected to the vice presidency. In this office, he had supervision of matters pertaining to taxation, land, telegraph and many of the general corporate and government relations of the company. In 1920 he was elected a director.
In Burlington, Mrs. Baldwin was held in the highest esteem – a man of fine character, able and cordial. He took every interest in community affairs and his counsel and assistance was of great value. He could be counted upon to co-operate in all measures for civic betterment. For many years he was president of the local board of education and many improvements in the school system were launched under his guidance. He was also trustee of the Burlington Free Public Library and was identified in an executive capacity, with charity organizations that later became the present Social Service League. For many years he was a director and secretary of the old Grand Opera House company.
During his college days, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a private of Company D. Forty-fourth Iowa Infantry in the spring of 1864, and serving until discharged, three and a half months later, on the 15th of September, 1864. He was on duty in western Tennessee.
In Des Moines, in 1870, Mr. Baldwin was united in marriage to Miss Alice Tuttle, daughter of Martin and Mary Tuttle.
Mr. Baldwin was a member of the Democratic party, for years a leader of the party in Iowa, but never held political position.
He was one of the staunch Democrats who could not see his party led from the teachings of Jefferson without protest, hence, in the Byran campaign, he refused to support the nominee, joining the Palmer and Buckner forces, doing effective work for “sound money.” Always a keen student, he frequently contributed to the newspaper authoritative articles on the monetary question during that campaign and after.
He was a member of the commission which established the workmen’s compensation act in Iowa.
Some years ago Mr. Baldwin retired from active service with the Burlington but has continued to make his home in Chicago, although he has always kept in touch with the affairs of Burlington and the state of Iowa.
There were three sons, Martin T. who married Edith, oldest daughter of PM Crapo; William W. and Roger A. Also the daughter Rachel. William became an officer in a New York regiment in WWI and was killed leading his company on the fields of France. A stone in his memory stands in Aspen Grove.