Edward R. Cassatt

Edward R. Cassatt
Member of the Iowa Senate
from the 15th district
In office
January 14, 1884 – January 10, 1892
Preceded byJohn Kelly Johnson
Succeeded byTheodore Perry
Personal details
Born
Edward Roberts Cassatt

(1839-04-14)April 14, 1839
Wabash County, Indiana, United States
DiedJune 26, 1907(1907-06-26) (aged 68)
Albert Lea, Minnesota, United States
Political partyDemocrat

Edward Roberts Cassatt (April 14, 1839 – June 26, 1907) was an American politician.

Cassatt was born on April 14, 1839, in Wabash County, Indiana. He attended Indiana common schools and first moved to Iowa in 1857, where he enrolled at Central University in Pella. He returned to Indiana to read law with judge John W. Petit, then was admitted to the bar in Knoxville, Iowa, in 1868. Cassatt worked alongside Jairus Edward Neal, whose daughter Emily he married in 1860. Due to health concerns, Cassatt abandoned the practice of law and became a miller. Subsequently, Cassatt helped establish the First National Bank of Pella and the Marion County National Bank in Knoxville. From 1884 to 1892, Casatt served in the Iowa Senate from District 15 as a Democrat.[1][2]

Following his two terms as state senator, Cassatt became dependent on alcohol and morphine, and lost nearly $250,000 investing in wheat on the Chicago Board of Trade.[3][1] Smaller transactions were processed in Des Moines.[4] The First National Bank of Pella also lost money.[5] Arraigned on charges of embezzlement,[6] Cassatt attempted suicide on June 3, 1895, by cutting his throat and pouring poison into the resulting wounds.[3][7][8] He was found guilty of violating banking laws.[2] On July 15, 1895, Cassatt was sentenced to nine years imprisonment by John Simson Woolson,[9][10][11] of which he served a portion in Anamosa, Iowa, before he was pardoned by President William McKinley in 1900.[12] In later life, Cassatt moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota, where he died on June 26, 1907, from a stomach issue. He was buried in Pella's Oak Wood (or Oakland) Cemetery.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "E. R. Cassatt dead" (PDF). Knoxville Express. July 3, 1907. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Senator Edward R. Cassatt". Iowa General Assembly. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Sensational attempt at suicide". The Tipton Advocate. June 7, 1895. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "...speculated with the funds". The South Bend Tribune. June 7, 1895. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  5. ^ "70 years ago". The Alton Democrat. June 10, 1965. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  6. ^ "[unreadable title]". The Perry Bulletin. June 12, 1895. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "Bank president attempts suicide". Sterling Daily Gazette. June 4, 1895. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "[unreadable title]". The Current Local. Retrieved August 14, 2021. Ex-Senator E. R. Cassatt, president of the First National Bank of Pella, attempted suicide in the bank on the 3d by cutting his throat.
  9. ^ "[unreadable title]". The Hutchinson News. July 15, 1895. Retrieved August 14, 2021. In the federal court today Judge Woolsen sentenced ex-State Senator E. R. Cassatt, the Pella bank wrecker, to nine years in the penitentiary.
  10. ^ "[Pella bank] wrecker given nine years". The Carroll Sentinel. July 16, 1895. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  11. ^ "Nine years in prison". The Saint Paul Globe. July 16, 1895. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  12. ^ "Cassatt to soon be free". Sioux City Journal. January 7, 1900. Retrieved August 14, 2021.