Background
Towner was born in Belvidere, Illinois, the son of John and Keziah Towner. He was educated in the public schools at Belvidere, at the University of Chicago, and at the Union College of Law, while also teaching school. He was admitted to the bar in 1877, and initially practiced law in Prescott, Iowa, in Adams County. In 1880 he was elected county superintendent of schools at Corning, Iowa, in which capacity he served until 1884. He resumed the practice of law in Corning. In 1887 he married Harriet Elizabeth Cole, at Corning. They had three children, Leta, Horace, and Constance.
In 1890, he was elected as a judge of the third judicial district of Iowa. He also served as a lecturer on constitutional law at the University of Iowa from 1902 to 1911.
He was also a pianist and a composer, who set to music "Iowa, Beautiful Land," once Iowa's official song.
Read more about this topic: Horace Mann Towner
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