Bio. of Paul T. Beardsley ~ son of Isaac Franklin & Ella Jean (Tyrer) Beardsley
NORTHWESTERN
IOWA
ITS HISTORY AND TRADITION
VOLUME III
1804-1926
P. T. Beardsley
Paul T. Beardsley, a veteran of World war, is now serving for the third term
as sheriff of Woodbury county. He is a past officer of Monahan Post, American
Legion, having served one term as post adjutant, and one term as vice
commander. During the period that Mr. Beardsley was an officer of Monahan Post he founded the Monahan Post News, a monthly publication thereof, inaugurated a system of bookkeeping for the post and was very active in the organization work of the Monahan Post Band. He went with this band on its first trip to a national convention, at Kansas City,at which time it participated in the band contest and took third prize, later taking so many first prizes at national convestions that it has become one of the most famous bands in the United States.
Mr. Beardsley was born May 31, 1895, at Duluth, Minnesota, and is a son of
Isaac Franklin and Ella Jean (Tyrer) Beardsley. At the time he was appointed
sheriff of Woodbury county he was twenty-six years of age, probably one of
the youngest sheriffs ever to hold office in the state of Iowa, especially for
a county as large as Woodbury. On May 9, 1923, Mr. Beardsley was united in
marriage to Miss Mary Edith Miller, at Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Mr.
Beardsley has been a resident of Sioux City and Woodbury county, Iowa, for nearly thirty years, coming here when two years old. His education was acquired in the public schools. In 1907 he entered the employ of the Great Northern
Express Company, where he spent five years, and from 1912 to 1916 was a salesman and clerk for the Wm. Warnock Company, automobile jobbers and distributors. In 1916 he resigned his position with the Wm. Warnock Company and entered the employ of the Ford Motor Company, and worked in their branches at Sioux City, Omaha and Buffalo, New York.
Shortly after war was declared in 1917. Mr. Beardsley enlisted in the
signal reserve corps and was called to service shortly afterward at Fort Omaha,
Nebraska, thence going to Camp Funston and the signal officers' training
school at Leon Springs, Texas. He went overseas with the Three Hundred
Twenty-third Field Signal Battalion, spending eleven months in France, was honorably discharged June 1, 1919, at Camp Dodge, Iowa.
Returning to Sioux City, Mr. Beardsley again entered the employ of the Wm.
Warnock Company, as sales manager, acting in that capacity until December 19,
1921, at which time he was appointed sheriff of Woodbury county to fill the
unexpired term of W. H. Jones, who resigned to become postmaster of Sioux City.
Mr. Beardsley entered his work as sheriff under probably the most trying
conditions ever experienced by any previous sheriff of Woodbury county. He
assumed office when the packing house emplyes' strike of 1921 and 1922 was at
its height. On the morning of December 19, 1921, W. H. Jones, the former
sheriff, called Mr. Beardsley at two thirty, to assist him in the strike zone, and
they arrived there about four o'clock in the morning. There was some
rioting and about five o'clock Mr. Jones' son, Lewis Jones, a deputy sheriff, was
shot to death. In view of this unfortunate circumstance and the fact that Mr.
Jones' term would expire December 31, Judge C. C. Hamilton held a conference
and asked Mr. Beardsley to take charge of the office until the end of the
term to relieve Mr. Jones of the strenuous duties in view of his terrible
experience in seeing his son shot to death. There were immediately sworn in more than three hundred special deputy sheriffs and this situation was maintained for more than three weeks, during which time Mr. Beardsley, by careful
maneuvering and through the assistance of a great many friends and loyal citizens, who assisted in the command of the special deputy force, succeeded in quelling lawlessness, and peace and tranquility prevailed in the area, at which time the special deputies were relieved from duty.
Mr. Beardsley is affiliated with the First Baptist church and has his
political allegiance with the republican party. He is a member of Lodge No. 112,
B. P. O. E., and a member of the following Masonic bodies: Triangle Lodge, No.
643, F. & A. M., Sioux City Chapter, No. 26, R. A. M., Sioux City Consistory, No. 5, A. A. S. R., and Abu-Bekr Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is a member of the Sioux City Country Club, the High Twelve Club, the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce and many other fraternal and civic organizations.
Posted at this site with Debbie's permission.
Deborah
see: http://www.iagenweb.org/history/index.htmhttp://www.iagenweb.org/history/index.htm