Wapello County IA Archives Biographies.....Fiedler, William 1860 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 July 5, 2013, 9:11 pm

Source: See Below
Author: S. J. Clarke, Publisher

WILLIAM FIEDLER.

Prominent among the energetic, farsighted and successful business men of Ottumwa
is William Fiedler, the vice president of the Harper & McIntire Company, owning
and controlling an extensive wholesale and retail hardware business, Mr. Fiedler
having the management of the retail establishment. Power grows through the
exercise of effort, and it has been through continuous business activity that
Mr. Fiedler has developed his capability and reached his present responsible and
gratifying position as a factor in the commercial circles of Ottumwa.

He was born in Espy, Pennsylvania, September 21, 1860, a son of Frank and
Frances (Fowler) Fiedler, who were also natives of the Keystone state. They came
to Iowa when their son William was about a year old, settling at Agency, Wapello
county, where they joined Mr. Fiedler's father, Isaiah Fiedler, who had preceded
them four or five years. Frank Fiedler conducted business as an architect,
contractor and builder and was also superintendent of the waterworks in Ottumwa
at one time. He did considerable building in the early part of his life and
later became engineer and superintendent of construction of the waterworks for
S. L. Wiley, who built waterworks all over the United States. In public affairs
too Mr. Fiedler was prominent and his cooperation could always be counted upon
to further any movement for the general good. His political allegiance was given
to the republican party, and he served for a few terms as alderman. Fraternally
he was connected with the Masons and in his life exemplified the beneficent
spirit of the craft. He died in November, 1910, at the age of seventy-four
years, while his wife passed away in October, 1902, at the age of sixty-seven
years. They had two sons and three daughters; Emma, who is principal of the
Adams school of Ottumwa; William; Ida, deceased; Alice, who is principal of the
Hedrick school; and F. H., a traveling salesman residing in Ottumwa.

William Fiedler has spent the greater part of his life in the city which is
still his home, being brought to Iowa when but a year old. He passed through
consecutive grades in the public schools until he became a high-school pupil and
when eighteen years of age started in the business world in connection with the
hardware trade in the employ of the firm with which he is now associated. From
office boy he has worked his way upward through intermediate positions and
official connections to the vice presidency of the Harper & McIntire Company,
which is one of the most important commercial firms of this section of the
state. The business was incorporated January 1, 1913, and is conducted along
both wholesale and retail lines. They have, however, two places of business, the
wholesale and the retail establishments, and of the latter Mr. Fiedler has
charge. This is one of the most extensive commercial enterprises of Ottumwa and
the volume of trade is a large one, their commercial connections reaching out
over a broad territory. The house has ever maintained an unsullied reputation
for business integrity as well as for commercial enterprise. Mr. Fiedler started
out in life a poor boy without any special advantages, but gradually he has
worked his way upward through the force of his character and ability until he
stands as a leading factor in commercial circles and as an example of what may
be accomplished when perseverance, energy and ambition lead the way.

In 1894 occurred the marriage of Mr. Fiedler and Miss Belle Graves, a native of
Ottumwa and a daughter of H. P. Graves, who was one of the early settlers of
this state, arriving soon after its admission to the Union. He engaged
extensively in real-estate dealings and for many years acceptably filled the
office of justice of the peace, his decisions being strictly fair and impartial.
He was likewise prominent in public affairs in the early days and remained a
valued and respected citizen of Ottumwa until his death in 1890. His widow
survived him for about a year. Mr. and Mrs. Fiedler have become parents of four
children, Lydia, Frank, Mary and Rosamond.

Mr. Fiedler votes with the republican party. He is quick and generous in his
support of any measure or movement which he believes will benefit the city and
county. His influence has always been on the side of progress and right, and he
is a consistent member of the First Methodist Episcopal church. In Masonry he
has attained high rank, being now a Knight Templar and a member of the Mystic
Shrine. His social nature finds expression in his membership in the Wapello and
Ottumwa Country Clubs, in both of which he is popular. He is regarded as one of
the forceful factors of the community, respected by young and old, rich and
poor, and best liked where he is best known.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:
HISTORY OF WAPELLO COUNTY IOWA
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME II
CHICAGO
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1914




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