John Bauer, Sr. Biography


	This biography appears on page 1007 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


				HON. JOHN BAUER, SR. 

	Hon. John Bauer, Sr., of Java, has represented his district in 
the state legislature and is prominent in public affairs. He is also an 
important factor in the commercial life of his community as he is 
engaged in merchandising and the success which he has gained is doubly 
creditable in that he is a self-made man. He was born in Russia on the 
29th of November, 1855, a son of Frederich and Mary (Hager) Bauer, both 
likewise natives of Russia, who passed their entire lives in that 
country. His paternal grandfather, George Bauer, was a native of 
Wurtemberg, Germany, and moved to Russia in 1807. The maternal 
grandfather also removed from Wurtemberg to Russia. 

	John Bauer was reared and educated in his native land and 
continued to reside there until 1884, when he came to America and made 
his way to Yankton, South Dakota, where he remained for a short time. 
In 1886 he took up a homestead in Campbell county, this state, and 
after living there for two years removed to McPherson county, where he 
acquired title to land, on which he lived until 1909. In that year he 
removed to Java and is now engaged in merchandising there in 
partnership with his two sons, Fred and John. They carry a well 
selected stock and the high quality of their goods and the 
reasonableness of their prices have enabled them to build up a large 
and lucrative trade. 

	Mr. Bauer was married on September 14, 1880, in Russia, to Miss 
Christina Buckenberger and they have become the parents of ten 
children: Maggie; Katherine; Fred and John, who are engaged in business 
with their father; Eveline; Ottilie; Ida; Martha and Hertha, twins; and 
Huldah. 

	Mr. and Mrs. Bauer are members of the German Reformed church and 
the sincerity of their religious belief is evidenced in the uprightness 
and integrity of their daily lives. Mr. Bauer is a republican in 
politics and has served on the school board for several years and as 
assessor for two terms. In 1904 he was honored by election to the state 
legislature. He takes a great interest in the development of his 
adopted state and is willing if need be to sacrifice personal interest 
to the general welfare.