| Notes |
- Vessey, Robert Scadden (1858-1929) ? also known as Robert S. Vessey ? of Wessington Springs, Jerauld County, S.Dak.; Chicago, Cook County, Ill.; Pasadena, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wis., May 16, 1858. Son of Charles Vessey and Jane Elizabeth (Kirkpatrick) Vessey; married 1882 to Florence Albert. Republican. Merchant; banker; member of South Dakota state senate 19th District, 1905-08; Governor of South Dakota, 1909-13. Methodist. Died October 18, 1929 (age 71 years, 155 days). Burial location unknown. See also National Governors Association biography. Jan 2012.
- R. S. Vessey Biography
This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and
representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle &
Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 595-596
Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998.
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
R. S. VESSEY. Few men are more prominent or more widely known in the
enterprising village of Wessington Springs, South Dakota, than R. S.
Vessey, the junior member of the mercantile firm of Albert & Vessey. He
is a prominent factor in business circles and his popularity is well
deserved. as in him are embraced the characteristics of an unbending
integrity, unabated energy and industry that never flags.
Mr. Vessey is a native of Wisconsin, born on a farm in Winnebago
county, in 1858, and is a son of Charles and Jane Vessey, natives of
England and Ireland, respectively. The father was engaged in business
in Liverpool up to the time of his emigration to America. The mother
was reared on the Isle of Man, and about 1850 came to America with her
parents to locate at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Her father, who was a minister
of the Methodist Episcopal church, took an active part in the early
revolution in Ireland.
The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm four miles from
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and attended the common schools of the locality
until thirteen years of age, after which he was a student in a
commercial college at Oshkosh. Leaving home at the age of sixteen years
he went to the pineries of Northern Wisconsin. After attaining his
majority he spent a year in Texas, Kansas and other southern states,
and then returned to the pineries of Wisconsin, being employed as
foreman of a camp during the last year he was there. In 1882, he
married Miss Florence Albert, who was born near Oshkosh, in 1861, her
father being engaged in the lumber business at that place.
In 1883, Mr. Vessey came to Jerauld county, South Dakota, and located
in Pleasant township before it was surveyed, living in a claim shanty
there for two months, or until a house could be built. That year he put
up two hundred and eighty feet of sod wall. The only thing that then
marked the site of Wessington Springs was a pile of lumber where his
store now stands. He embarked in the sheep business and continued to
reside upon his farm until his wife's failing health compelled him to
remove to the village of Wessington Springs. As a member of the firm of
Vessey Brothers, Ransom & Company, he was interested
in the general store in the Hansel building, now occupied by Jewel &
Shaefer. In 1885 the firm built a corner store on lot 1, block 12, and
two years later Albert & Vessey succeeded to the business. Under the
present style business has since been conducted. In 1888 their
buildings and nearly all of the stock was destroyed by fire, after
which they were located temporarily in the east end of town, and in
1891 moved to their present location, where they have a good store
building 24 x 80 feet. The first store occupied by the firm was only 16
x 30 feet, but as their trade has gradually increased they have been
forced to enlarge their stock, and now have the largest store in
Wessington Springs. They also do the largest amount of business in the
place, having by fair and honorable dealing gained the confidence and
support of the entire community. Mr. Vessey still owns the farm taken
up from the government in early days, but disposed of his sheep
business in 1888. He is, however, interested in the cattle business as
a member of the R. S. Vessey Cattle Company, which during the summer
expects to handle four hundred head of cattle. They have a pasture
covering two thousand two hundred acres, the largest in the county. Our
subject was also one of the three incorporators of the Dakota Southern
Telephone Company. He is public-spirited and thoroughly interested in
whatever tends to promote the moral, social and material welfare of his
town and county. As a Republican, he takes an active part in politics
and was a member of the last territorial convention of his party.
Religiously, he holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.
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1858 - 1929 (71 years)