Samuel Jordan Kirkwood
1813 – 1894
Kirkwood is the only Iowan to serve as governor, U.S. senator and as a cabinet member. He came to Iowa in 1855 to operate a grist mill in this vicinity. Elected governor in 1859 as a Republican, Kirkwood administered he office with forcefulness and ability during the Civil War. In 1864 he filled a vacancy in the Senate and later served a third term as governor. He was elected senator again in 1877, but resigned to become Secretary of the Interior in 1881. After President Garfield’s assassination, Kirkwood retired from politics and returned to Iowa City.
Marker is at the intersection of 5th Street and 3rd Avenue, on the left when traveling west on 5th Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
