| Summary: | COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 1227 for two years. He established a grocery business in Seattle in 1890, which he conducted two years, and then sold his business and went on a visit to his relatives in North Dakota. Upon his arrival there he stocked a country store in partnership with his brother, Stig, and in January, 1894, purchased a small stock and store building in Mountain, Pembina county, of P. Johnson & Company, and continued the business on a small scale for a time, but has increased his stock and now carries the most com-plete stock of general merchandise in the village, his stock being valued at $6,000. He also owns two hundred and fifty acres of land in Pembina county, and one hundred and sixty acres in Cavalier county, and has made a success of his career and earned a good competence by faithful efforts and good management. Our subject was married, in 1S94, to Miss Hattie Snowfield. Mrs. Thorwaldson was born in Iceland September 14, 1862, and emigrated to America in 1879 with her father, her mother having died in her native land. Mrs. Thorwaldson went to Duluth, and remained there three years and in 1882 joined her father in Thing\'alla township, Pembina county. She attended the Grand Forks University when it was established, and in 1885 taught school at Mountain and followed the work six years in that vicinity, and is one of the oldest instructors in west-ern Pembina county. She was appointed postmis-tress of Mountain, in 1891. and held the position until her marriage to our subject. Mr. and Airs. Thorwaldson are the parents of six children, named as follows: Willmar H., Octavia S. and Elizabeth T. (twin girls), Sidney T. Alfred S. and Elfreda M. (twin boys). Our subject takes an active interest in all matters of a public nature and is serving his second term as chairman of the township board and fourth year as school director. He holds mem-bership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in religious belief is identified with the Lutheran church. Until 1896 he supported the Democratic party in politics, but owing to the money question became a Republican and is a man who keeps pace with the times and wields an influence for good local government, and his success socially and financially is well merited. COLONEL JOHN D. BENTON, a prominent attorney-at-law and extensive land owner and gen-eral farmer, of Fargo, North Dakota, is one of the pioneer settlers of the state and his name is readily recognized as a member of the well-known firm of Benton, Lovell & Bradley. He is connected as di-rector with the Merchants' State Bank and is a man of rare ability and force of character. Our subject was born in Courtland county. New York, April 2, 1842, and was a son of Dublev and Mary (Spencer) Benton, both of whom were natives of New York. His father was a farmer, as was also the grandfather, Stephen Benton, and both died in New York. John D. Benton received a liberal education in his native state, attending the Cortland .\cademy and Al-bany Law School. He was engaged in various oc-cupations and entered the Albany Law School in i^74> graduating from that institution two years later. Fie was admitted to the bar in New York, and went to Fargo, North Dakota, in 1878, where he at once began the practice of his profession. He was associated with Judp-e Thomas, and also established an office at Deadwood, North Dakota, which he discontinued in 1883. He was elected sheriff of the county, with office for two years, in 1886, and then the partnership with Judge'Thomas was dissolved, Thomas being apjjointed Unitetl States district judge, and after the expiration of his office as sheriff, he formed a partnership with C. F. Amidon, which continued until 1896, who was upon the death of Judge Thomas, appointed to suc-ceed him. Then the firm of Benton & Bradley was established, and in 1898, V. R. Lovell entered the partnership, the firm taking the name of Benton, Lovell & Bradley. Mr. Benton was ])resident of the Merchants" State Bank for six years from 1892, and for the past twenty years has conducted fanning on a large scale. Every enterprise to which he has turned his attention has met with the most pleasing results. Our subject was married, in 1879, to Arlone A. Babcock, a native of New York. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Benton, as fol-lows: Mary L. and Dudley C. Mr. Benton is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, having passed the thirty-second degree and the Alystic Shrine. He was a candidate for the United States senate in 1892 and has always taken an active part in the af-fairs of his county and state and on many occasions his voice has been heard in support of the princi-ples which he advocates. He is a forcible speaker and able attorney and stands high in his profession. Politically, he is a Democrat. GEORGE W. HARRISON, the present well-known connnissioner of insurance of North Da-kota, and a prominent citizen of Bismarck, was born in Defiance county, Ohio, September 15, 1867, a son of David and Louise (Heskett) Harrison, both natives of Belmont county, that state. The father was for thirty years superintendent of the Wabash railroad between Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Toledo, Ohio, and resided in the former city. He died in 1884, at Hicksville, Ohio, where the wife and mother still continues to reside. To them were born three sons, two of whom are now living, the older being W. C. B. Harrison, who was a member of the In-diana legislature and is also well known through-out that state as a man of brilliant literary attain-ments and with marked qualities as a statesman and party worker. The paternal grandfather of our subject was a relative of President William H. Har-rison. Internet Archive
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