William Stone, patriotic Co-Founder of the Iowa Republican Party

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute William Stone, born in upstate New York, October 14th 1827. His career began as mule team driver and apprentice furniture maker. He practiced law in Ohio for three years before relocating to frontier Iowa in 1854. 

His newspaper became a strident voice of opposition to the Democrats’ pro-slavery policies and was first to call for establishing a state GOP. The young Republican then served as delegate to the party's founding convention and cast an electoral vote for John Fremont. That year, Stone won election for district judge.

Learning that rebels had fired on Fort Sumter, Stone adjourned court and announced he would recruit a company of soldiers. Commissioned major with the 3rd Iowa Volunteers by the Republican governor, was wounded in his first battle and taken prisoner. After being exchanged, he was appointed colonel of the 22nd Iowa Volunteers. Severely wounded at Vicksburg, he returned home on leave.

An eloquent, patriotic speech at the state convention garnered Stone the Republican nomination for governor. He won and took office in January 1864. His first term focused on the Union war effort. At the 1864 Republican National Convention, he (lamentably) made a nominating speech to support Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, for vice president.

In 1865, Stone was re-elected. His leadership helped overcome Democrat opposition to amending the state constitution so that African-Americans could vote. A decade later, he won a term in the state house. President Benjamin Harrison named him Commissioner of the U.S. Land Office.

Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see www.grandoldpartisan.com. 

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Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.

Each day, his YouTube videos and TikTok videos and Rumble videos and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states.

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