Hiram Price

Hiram Price (January 10, 1814 – May 30, 1901) was a nineteenth-century banker, merchant, bookkeeper, bank president, railroad president, and five-term Republican congressman from Iowa’s 2nd congressional district, who also served as commissioner of Indian Affairs. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Iowa in the United States House of Representatives during a significant period in American history, contributing to the legislative process over five terms in office and participating actively in the democratic governance of his era.

Price was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, on January 10, 1814. He attended the common schools and spent his early years engaged in agricultural pursuits on his father’s farm. Seeking broader opportunities, he became a bookkeeper for a large commission house near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he acquired training and experience that equipped him for a career in mercantile and financial enterprises. This early combination of farm work and commercial bookkeeping laid the groundwork for his later prominence in business and public affairs.

In 1844, Price moved west to Davenport, Iowa, which would remain the principal base of his business and political life. There he engaged in the mercantile business and quickly became involved in local public service. He served Scott County, Iowa, as collector, treasurer, and recorder, roles that reflected both his financial acumen and his growing stature in the community. He was one of fifteen men to sign the Articles of Incorporation for the Oakdale Cemetery Company on May 14, 1856, helping to establish what would become a significant local institution. In the banking sector, he rose to prominence as president of the State Bank of Iowa, serving in that capacity from 1859 to 1866, and later as president of the First National Bank of Davenport in 1873. His business interests extended to transportation as well, and he served as president of the Davenport and St. Paul Railroad.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Price’s financial expertise was called into public service. Iowa Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood appointed him paymaster general of Iowa troops, a position in which he advanced large sums of his own money to support the state’s soldiers. His wartime service enhanced his reputation as a capable and trustworthy administrator and helped propel him into national office.

In 1862, Price was elected as a Republican to represent Iowa’s 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He entered Congress at the beginning of the 38th Congress and served three consecutive terms from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1869. During this first period of congressional service, which coincided with the Civil War and the early years of Reconstruction, he held important committee assignments. He served as chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims from 1863 to 1865, overseeing matters related to long-standing claims arising from the Revolutionary War, and then as chairman of the Committee on Pacific Railroads from 1865 to 1869, a key post during the era of transcontinental railroad expansion. Throughout these years he represented the interests of his Iowa constituents while participating in the broader national debates of the time. After three terms, he declined renomination in 1868 and returned to his business pursuits in Iowa.

Following his initial departure from Congress, Price resumed and expanded his leadership in banking and civic affairs. In addition to his role as president of the First National Bank of Davenport and president of the Davenport and St. Paul Railroad, he served as a trustee of the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home. In that capacity, he was instrumental in securing the donation of Camp Kinsman in Davenport for use by the Home, contributing to the care and support of children affected by the Civil War. These activities underscored his continued engagement in public-spirited endeavors even while out of elective office.

In 1876, voters in Iowa’s 2nd congressional district returned Price to the House of Representatives. He served two additional terms, from March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1881, bringing his total congressional service to five terms between 1863 and 1881. Once again a Republican member of the House of Representatives, he participated in the legislative process during the later Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction years, representing the interests of his constituents and contributing to national policymaking. He declined renomination in 1880, choosing not to seek another term.

After leaving Congress for the second time, Price moved into federal executive service. In 1881 he was appointed chief clerk of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and later that same year President James A. Garfield appointed him commissioner of Indian Affairs. He served as commissioner from 1881 to 1885, overseeing federal Indian policy during a period of significant tension and transition in relations between the United States government and Native American nations. His tenure in this office marked the culmination of a long public career that had spanned local, state, legislative, and executive responsibilities.

In his later years, Price resided in Washington, D.C., where he lived until his death on May 30, 1901. He was interred in Oakdale Cemetery in Davenport, Iowa, the institution whose incorporation he had helped to establish decades earlier. His papers are housed at the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives, preserving documentation of his extensive activities as a banker, railroad executive, public official, and five-term Republican congressman from Iowa.