T. J. Hagen, born August 26, 1865, in Hedermorken, Norway, was the treasurer of Grand Forks, North Dakota. He moved to Kristiania in 1882 to train as a gunsmith and emigrated to Hillsboro, North Dakota, after completing his apprenticeship. Hagen worked in various blacksmith shops before opening his own in 1889, which he operated until 1905. In the spring of 1906, he was elected city treasurer of Grand Forks.
Thomas Nisbet, born December 24, 1843, in Delhousie, Ontario, was a prominent businessman and landowner in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He moved to Winona, Minnesota, in 1865, and later to Polk County, Minnesota, where he engaged in farming and land transactions. In 1895, Nisbet relocated to Grand Forks, amassing 2,000 acres of farmland in Polk County. He was a 32nd degree Mason and married Jeanette Robertson in 1873, with whom he had five children.
William Horace Witherstine, M.D., was born on November 7, 1880, in Dover, Minnesota, to Dr. Horace H. and Amelia Witherstine, both of German descent. He completed his preliminary education in Rochester, Minnesota, and graduated from Rush Medical College in 1904. After serving as an assistant surgeon at Cook County Hospital, he practiced in Rochester before moving to Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1907 to continue his medical career. He was a member of several medical societies and fraternal organizations. On June 1, 1906, he married Ida A. Dahlen in Joliet, Illinois. Their daughter, Ruth L., died in infancy.
William Spriggs, born on July 3, 1863, in Elyria, Ohio, was the son of Joseph and Lucy (Fretter-Harrison) Spriggs, natives of England who settled in Rice County, Minnesota, in 1863. Educated locally and at a business college in St. Paul, Spriggs gained experience in the plumbing and heating trade. He co-founded Spriggs Brothers, a leading firm in the industry. He held prominent positions in various organizations and served on the city council. On January 20, 1897, he married Jennie Cross (née Taylor), and they had two children, Alva J. and Louise M.
Joseph R. Poupore, a prominent county commissioner and railroad contractor in the Red River Valley, was born in 1860 in Pontiac, Quebec, Canada. At sixteen, he began managing logging crews for his family’s lumber business, gaining valuable experience in labor management. Poupore moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1881, initially farming before transitioning to railroad contracting and large-scale projects. His work included street excavation, railroad grading, and bridge construction. Elected county treasurer in 1903 and county commissioner in 1905, Poupore also promoted the Grand Forks Central Creamery and managed the Poupore & Kennedy Brickyard. He married Teresa Landon in 1885, and they had ten children, with four surviving into 1909.
John W. Scott, born October 21, 1849, in Ontario, Canada, was a notable public official in Grand Forks County, North Dakota. He moved to Wisconsin in his youth and then to Grand Forks County in 1879, where he transformed his homestead into a model farm. A dedicated Republican, Scott was the first commissioner elected from the Fifth District in 1881 and later served in the Dakota Territory General Assembly. In 1892, he became the county auditor, a position he held for eight years. Scott married Ella Harshman in 1875 and, after her passing, married Hannah Varner in 1895. He had eight children from his first marriage and four from his second.
John Vallely, born January 21, 1861, in Lanark, Ontario, Canada, is president of the Western Collection Agency in Grand Forks, North Dakota. His parents, Michael and Mary (Ryan) Vallely, were farmers. John moved to North Dakota on June 2, 1882. He has been in the collection business since 1890 and helped establish the Western Collection Agency in 1907. Vallely served as an alderman and was active in the Democratic State Central Committee. He married Lila Moran on November 28, 1889, and they have four children: Mary Lillian, Margaret Irene, Alonza Joseph, and Michael Alexander.
John A. Gaunt, manager of the Cascaden Manufacturing Company’s branch in Grand Forks, North Dakota, was born on December 3, 1863, in demons Grove, Iowa. His father passed away when he was nine, limiting his education to a few winter terms. Gaunt began his career as a collector for the McCormick Harvester Company in 1883, then worked for several other companies before becoming manager at Cascaden in 1905. A successful auctioneer for twenty years, he was also a member of the Masonic Lodge. Gaunt married Leota Springer on December 2, 1888, and they had two children, Ray S. and Wanda Ilene.
James Twamley, former president of the Old Settlers’ Association of the Red River Valley, arrived in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1876. He and Frank Viets established the first wholesale business in North Dakota in 1878. Educated in New York, Twamley worked in wholesale dry goods before moving to North Dakota due to health concerns. He was a significant figure in education and Masonry, serving on the University of North Dakota’s board of regents and as grand chief templar. Twamley married Mary E. Hawkins in 1866, with whom he had two children, J. Fred and M. Edna.
Hon. Charles Joseph Fisk, a respected jurist, was born in Illinois in 1862. After a diligent education and a successful career in law, he was elected as a district judge and later elevated to the Supreme Court of North Dakota in 1906. Fisk’s integrity, legal expertise, and genial disposition earned him wide admiration, enabling him to excel in his high office. He married Miss Ida M. Myers, and they have two daughters, Helen Marion and Doris May, who bring much joy to their lives.