Following are the members of the General Assembly from Linn county from 1846 to date. In the Territorial Legislature, 1843-4, Robert Smythe was our representative in the House of Representatives, and William Abbe in the Senate.
- J. S. Alexander, Marion, senator 26th, 26th extra session, 27th, 28th and 29th.
- H. G. Angle, Cedar Rapids, senator 8th, 8th extra session, 9th, 9th extra session.
- Ellsworth N. Bates, Cedar Rapids, representative 7th.
- E. J. C. Bealer, Cedar Rapids, representative 29th, 30th, 31st.
- A. Sidney Belt, Cedar Rapids, representative 11th.
- J. W. Bowman, Marion, representative 33d, 34th.
- I. P. Bowdish, Waubeek, representative 17th, 19th.
- David Brant, Cedar Rapids, representative 26th, 26th extra session.
- W. R. Brown, Viola, representative 18th.
- J. P. Carbee, Springville, representative 10th, 11th.
- J. P. Conkey, representative 5th, 5th extra session.
- Jennings Crawford, Wapsie, representative 8th, 8th extra session.
- Joshua Doran, Mt. Vernon, representative 22d.
- William G. Dows, Cedar Rapids, representative 27th, 28th.
- Stephen L. Dows, Cedar Rapids, senator 16th, 17th.
- Charles G. Gitchell, Walker, representative 23d, 24th.
- John T. Hamilton, Cedar Rapids, representative 21st, 22d, 23d.
- John W. Henderson, Cedar Rapids, senator 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st.
- Robert Holmes, Cedar Rapids, representative 5th, 5th extra session.
- Moses C. Jordan, Central City, representative 16th.
- Ezekiel B. Kephart, Western, senator 14th, 15th.
- John E. Kurtz, Lisbon, representative 6th.
- William B. Leach, Cedar Rapids, representative 12th.
- William D. Linzenberg, Waubeek, representative 14th, 15th.
- Dan Lothian, Marion, representative 6th.
- John McAllister, Cedar Rapids, representative 30th, 31st, 32d.
- F. McClelland, Cedar Rapids, representative 26th.
- Arthur M. McKeel, Fairfax, representative 15th.
- Isaac Milburn, Cedar Rapids, representative 9th extra session.
- Ernest R. Moore, Cedar Rapids, representative 32d, 33d, 34th.
- H. J. Neitert, Walker, representative 25th, 26th, 26th extra session, 27th.
- Jonathan J. Nugent, Nugent, representative 20th.
- Adam Perry, Western, representative 12th.
- Isaac M. Preston, Marion, representative 3d, senator 4th, 5th, 5th extra session.
- A. St. Clair Smith, Cedar Rapids, representative 25th.
- J. H. Smith, Cedar Rapids, senator 22d, 23d.
- Robert Smythe, Mt. Vernon, representative 1st, 1st extra session, senator 12th, 13th, representative 20th.
- Oliver O. Stanchfield, Cedar Rapids, representative 13th.
- Redman D. Stephens, Marion, representative 18th.
- W. C. Stuckslager, Lisbon, representative 28th, 29th, senator 30th, 31st, 32d.
- John M. Terry, Cedar Rapids, senator 24th, 25th.
- W. G. Thompson, Marion, senator 6th, 7th, representative 21st.
- William Ure, Fairfax, representative 16th, 17th.
- E. D. Wain, Mt. Vernon, representative 7th.
- Edgar A. Warner, Waubeek, representative 13th.
- Charles Weare, Cedar Rapids, representative 10th.
- Amos Witter, Mt. Vernon, representative 8th, 8th extra session.
- Joseph B. Young, Marion, representative 9th, 9th extra session, senator 10th, 11th.
Linn county has never had a governor, lieutenant governor, a secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, or member of railroad commission.
John W. Atkins served as superintendent of public instruction from 1882-1888. John T. Hamilton served as speaker of the house during the session of 1890. S. N. Parsons served as secretary of the senate in the 24th General Assembly. George Greene, Jr., served as adjutant general from 1890-1894. L. S. Merchant was state binder during the years 1885-88. George A. Lincoln has been fish commissioner continuously since April 1, 1901. James H. Trewin is serving as a member of the state board of education. J. T. Hamilton was a member of the state board of control from 1906-1909. Johnson Brigham, a former resident of Linn county, has been state librarian since 1898. On the supreme bench of this state sat George Greene, Norman W. Isbell, and J. H. Rothrock. L. S. Merchant was state oil inspector for a few months in 1893. He was succeeded by Luther A. Brewer, who served from 1893-1897.
In congress we have had the following representatives: Wm. Smythe, and Wm. G. Thompson, Marion; J. T. Hamilton, and James W. Good, Cedar Rapids.
[CHAPTER XL]
The Bridges Across the Cedar at Cedar Rapids and Early Steamboating on the Cedar River
One of the most enterprising men who devoted all his time to the upbuilding of Kingston, which later became part of Cedar Rapids, was David W. King, who arrived a short time after Robert Ellis. Mr. King and the settlers on the west side of the river early devised schemes by which to get in touch with the east side and the county seat. True, it was all right when the river was frozen over and in summer when the river was down so that it was safe to ford the stream, but there were times when it was impossible to ford the river on account of high water.
D. W. King obtained a license to operate a ferry across the river, which he continued to run up to the time of his death in 1854. This ferry was operated till about 1857 when the bridges were opened. Even for some time after the first bridge was put in operation did the ferry do much business, as the first bridge soon after it had been completed went out with the flood in the spring of '57, and the second bridge, finished that fall, also went out by an ice gorge in January the next year. Then for a time the ferry was used from and to May's Island as the bridge from the east side to May's Island had been properly erected so as to stand the floods.