News : Governor Sherman: Vinton's most famous politician helped make early Iowa history

Prohibition. Women's suffrage. Racial equality. Uniform election schedules. Some of the biggest American issues of the late 1800s came to Iowa before other parts of the nation seriously considered them, and the only Governor to come from Vinton -- Buren R. Sherman -- had a big role in all of those issues. As Vinton residents prepare for next year's celebration the 150th anniversary of Vinton's incorporation in 1869, local leaders are researching local history. Among the biggest names in local lore is that of Gov. Sherman, who was the 11th man to serve as Governor of Iowa, and the only Vinton resident to reach that high of an elected office. First a Civil War hero who was seriously wounded at Shiloh, Sherman began his political career as a judge in Vinton. He later became a clerk of court and was elected State Auditor in 1874. He served two 2-year terms as Governor, being elected in 1881 and 1883. A temperance candidate, Sherman encouraged the Iowa Legislature in its attempt to pass a prohibition amendment. The Supreme Court ruled against that amendment, and Sherman then led the effort to pass a prohibition law. The pen with which he signed that law is still on display at the State Historical Museum of Iowa. Sherman expressed his views, in December of 1882, while as Governor. He wrote an article entitled, "Constitutional Prohibition in Iowa." Sherman was also a proponent of voting rights for women and legal equality for all races. The Iowa Legislature debated the suffrage issue in virtually every session from 1870 on, but failed to pass it in two consecutive sessions until 1914, according to a U of Iowa historical review. As Governor, Sherman also championed a constitutional amendment setting Iowa's general elections for the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. This amendment made Iowa among the first states to follow the example of the federal government. It's merely a coincidence, but a meaningful one, that the meetings taking place for the planning and gathering of local history for next year's Vinton 150th celebration is taking place in the Governor Sherman Building. Several residents have been meeting there to help Vinton Unlimited Director Melissa Schwan and Sharon Happel of the Benton County Historical Society compile local history that will become part of the Sesquicentennial celebration in August 2019. Schwan says the building will be used for meetings, planning and historical studies through August of 2019. Owned by Benton County, the building first became known as the Sherman Building around 1998. Sherman Bio U of Iowa tribute page