Francis Marion Drake was an American politician who became the 16th Governor of Iowa.

Biography

Drake was born in Rushville, Illinois

Rushville, Illinois

Rushville is a city in Schuyler County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,212 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Schuyler County.-Demographics:...

, the son of John Adams Drake and Harriet Jane O'Neal. He later moved to Centerville, Iowa

Centerville, Iowa

Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,528 in the 2010 census, a decline from 5,924 in the 2000 census. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville had a booming coal mining industry that attracted many European immigrants...

. He married Mary Jane Lord on December 24, 1855.
During the Civil War, he was commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel of the 36th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in August 1862. He was mustered out as Brigadier General.

On July 17, 1895 he was nominated by the Republican party for Governor of Iowa. He was elected Governor on November 5, 1895, serving 1896 through 1898.

He endowed Drake University

Drake University

Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....

 in Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

, that is named after him. He died in Centerville, Iowa in 1903, and is buried in Centerville’s Oakland Cemetery.

External links

• Biographical Sketch